Photos by Matthieu Paley paleyphoto / The unplanned often brings the best memories from an assignment, such as these moments from an afternoon spent at the Gasa monastery in Bhutan. I was on my way to photograph the remote Laya Valley, when we passed an unusual number of people coming in and out of a monastery. We walked inside, where monks were performing Tibetan Cham dance. Rooted in folktales, these masked performances have a narrative interspersed with comedy and satire. Musicians, dancers, monks, and visitors from nearby villages all met up for this annual Tshechu, a large religious festival. This type of gathering facilitates social bonding among people from remote and spread-out villages. For more cultural insights, follow paleyphoto. #bhutan #mountainculture #monastery #himalayanworld