Day 4 – Dec
7 2010
I was well
awake at 5.30 am. The sub-zero temperature plus the dark sky promised an
adventure. We were “shooting” the Black Necked Cranes this morning. From the
road looking down, the highest wetland in the world looked so small. Yet when
we stepped into the region, I realised how small we were compared to nature. No
matter how much you walked, it seemed to never end. Moreover, I found that
trying to keep your feet dry in a wetland was useless. No matter how much I
tried to avoid, the mud was everywhere. My feet went numb as I soaked my shoes
in the icing mud.
As we
approached the cranes, Jason instructed everyone to be discreet, slowing and
crouching down so as not to alert and disturb the cranes. On this day, the
closest distance that we managed to get to the cranes was around 1 km. These
endangered species are highly sensitive to any movement and sound surrounding
them. Without a tele lens, I could not do much but stood back and observe the
surrounding habitat. The scenery was dreamy with mountains ranging in the
background; the vast valley stretching all the way, dotting with village houses
on one side, and the thick mist flowing down along the slopes. As the sun rose
over the mountains, the cast of dawn over the valley revealed the twinkling
frost on the small plants. Far away, sign of people waking up can be seen as
smoke billowing out of the rooftops.
However, the
peaceful morning went into some problem as the rangers from the conservation
centre approached and complained that we were breaking the rules by entering
the wetland without permission. Obviously there was some miscommunication
between the government offices because Jason was invited in advance to come and
photograph the cranes. Anyway, the problem was solved eventually. However,
Jason actually discovered a cover bag of pesticide, which might have been
contaminating the water system of the wetland. From here he taught me about how
to look out for other details and add more dimensions to the story. As he was
documenting about the Black-necked cranes, the fact that such pesticide being
used meant that the people were boosting the economic growth of their
agriculture. At the same time, this would largely affect the habitat around
them, especially the cranes.
After
breakfast, we visited Gangtey Goenpa, which is an old monastery undergoing
renovation. There I observed the young monks hanging around without any task to
do. Some were climbing on the roof; some were sitting alone …. It seemed as if
there was no keeper in charge around. Afterwards, just down the road we got an
opportunity to attend an annual ceremony of a Bhutanese family. They celebrated
it by inviting lots of neighbours and relatives over to their home for a meal.
Besides, a group of monks was invited to conduct some rituals for the
ancestors. The ceremony is seen as perhaps the most important event in a year
for the family because it is after the harvest season. It was an unexpected
experience to get close and intimate imagery inside a local house, especially
during such a time.
In the late
afternoon we returned to the wetland for some photos of the cranes. Unlike the
morning, this time we approached from the opposite side of where we entered in
the morning. Besides the cranes, I found several skulls of horses, cows or
bulls scattering in the area. It was a chilling shoot as again I stepped into
the frosty mud. However, it was worth the effort as I got the chance to catch
some photos of the cranes flying over the whole valley during the sundown.
