Radhi

Radhi lies in a broad valley east of Trashigang and is sometimes called the rice bowl of the east for the terraces that cover its slopes, but its other product is textile: bura, cloth woven from raw silk, is made here on backstrap looms in most households, and the village is the main source of it in the country. The silk is reeled from cocoons, spun and woven in patterns simpler and heavier than the kishuthara of Lhuentse, producing cloth used for everyday kira and gho. Weavers work on verandas and are generally willing to be watched and to sell. The valley is warm and low compared with most of Bhutan, and the terraces are green in summer and gold before the autumn harvest.

What you actually see

• Backstrap weaving - bura silk cloth made on verandas through the village.
• Silk preparation - reeling and spinning from raw cocoons.
• Rice terraces - the stepped fields that fill the valley.
• Direct purchase - cloth bought from the weaver rather than a shop.

When to go

March to May and October to November. Rice is transplanted in early summer and harvested in autumn, when the terraces look best. Weaving goes on year round but households are busier in the farming seasons.

Honest expectations

This is a working village with no visitor facilities. Weavers are busy and interrupting them for photographs needs asking. Bura is heavier and plainer than the famous Lhuentse silks, which surprises some buyers. The road east from Trashigang is winding.

Nearby

Trashigang lies west; Merak and Sakteng are further east.