Laya Royal Highland Festival This fall we traveled to Laya, Gasa district, in Northeastern Bhutan, to attend the 4th annual Royal Highland Festival. The King in 2018 and the Prime Minister in 2019 have both graced the occasion to highlight Bhutan's special ethnic groups and their cultures. Laya is above Gasa in the upper left corner of the map. It is the highest, 3800m, year-long inhabited village in Bhutan. The people of Laya are called the Layap and are known for their distinctive headwear. To reach Laya from Thimphu the road passes the Punakha Dzong, built in 1638, and follows the river called Mo Chu that flows from the mountains near Laya. The river also feeds the paddy fields where Bhutan grows most of its rice. Gasa village has an ancient Dzong where the governing body is for Gasa district. From Gasa, we drove about t wo bumpy hours which was just short of 10km. The views were amazing of deep valleys, long waterfalls, and multicolored layers of trees and shru...