One day I was travelling with a guest towards Punakha. It was a gorgeous day — no clouds, clear skies, nice temperature.
On the way, my guest spotted a temple on top of a mountain and asked, “What's that on top?” I explained it was a temple. “We have numerous temples like this on mountaintops,” I said. “This is just one of them.”
We went further and she saw the same temple from a different angle and asked the same question. “Same temple,” I said. “We're just viewing it from a different angle now.”
Next day, we were hiking Lungchutse on the way from Punakha to Paro. Same blue sky. When we reached the top, we could see all the mountains. She loved taking pictures, so I helped her get some of the best shots.
She always hands me her phone because the day before she'd said: “Tashi, you're famous now — my friend was asking who clicked those pictures.” Inside I was thinking: Dude, I clicked them on your iPhone 13 Pro Max. It always comes out good. But out loud I said: “Ah, maybe because of the views.”
“Nooo, they are professional photographers!” she exclaimed. I couldn't believe it.
She pointed out a mountain and inquired what the name of that peak was while we were admiring the scenery. Since I had never seen the mountain she mentioned in my life, perhaps it is because of an angel, I informed her that sometimes owing to changing angles, just like the temple you have been seeing, the mountain also appears different and that I am unaware of its name. In any case, I'll take the photo, check with my senior guides, and let you know. One the same day I told her one incident that Her Majesty, The Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk paid a visit to Lunana in 2006 to observe the happiness of the rural people of Bhutan. When she inquired about the mountain's name, the locals were unable to respond. In honor of the Great Fourth King, Her Majesty the Queen Mother gave it the name Gangchen Singye and we have so many mountains in Bhutan.
Damn mountain