Logchina is one of remote gewogs under Chhukha Dzongkhag. The gewog is connected with a farm road but throughout the monsoon season the road becomes unusable due to landslides. As a result, people have to travel by foot. From Phuentsholing, it takes a one day hike to reach Logchina. Our reporter, Sonam Wangdi, recently visited the gewog in is his travel journal, shares his experience.
It all started with a bumpy ride along the banks of Amochhu. They say a good start is half the work done. But going by the condition of the road, a smooth ride this time was too much to ask.
After about 20 minutes, our crew reached Bangay, a market place with a few makeshift shops. That was the end of our ride. From there onwards, it was an uphill battle.
As we climbed the hill, we came across two villagers. They were on their way to Phuentsholing to trade ginger, one of the main cash crops of Logchina.
We followed the farm road to some distance. The monsoon rains had triggered many landslides along the 24 kilometer farm road. The farm road, I am told, will be renovated only in winter.
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As we climbed higher, I looked down the meandering roads that we had left behind. I felt a sense of accomplishment. But Phuentsholing town was not yet out of sight and it had been just a little more than two hours since we started our journey. We still had a long way to go.
We came across another group of people. They were carrying things belonging to one of the shops situated in a village along the way. We learnt that some of the villagers work as porters to some extra cash.
By the time we were descending Pachu hill, about 45 minutes run, it was past afternoon. After descending the hill, we reached Pachu Tar, where we stopped for lunch. We had a hearty meal in a small quaint shop nestled at the foot of the hill.
By the time we finished eating, the sky had turned grey. Dark clouds hung over the hills threatening a heavy downpour anytime. We quickly resumed our journey, walking along Pachu River for some time and then crossing a suspension bridge, to begin uphill climb once again.
It took us more than three hours before we caught the first glimpse of the gewog. It was past five in the evening when we reached Logchina.
Logchina gewog has all the basic amenities like road, a Basic Health Unit and three schools including a lower secondary school. The village was also electrified recently.
Villagers in the gewog grow mainly mandarin, cardamom and ginger as cash crops. Most visit Phuentsholing to shop for basic commodities. The gewog has 11 chiwogs and some are as remote as a day’s walk distance from the gewog center.
