Part 13 - Gyantse halt and marches to Gabshi, Ralung, and Nangartse

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SUMMARY:
The party halts in Gyantse amid bad weather, attends meals with local contacts, handles repairs and correspondence, and exchanges currency; they hear by wireless that Germany has invaded Austria. They then march to Gabshi, Ralung, and Nangartse with cold, snowy conditions over the Karo La, noting altitudes, distances, and a tidy visit to Williamson’s grave.

CONTENT:
genuine.

8th - 13th March. Halted in Gyantse. Rotten weather all week, with a gale of wind during the day, which raises a dust storm. We have seen a good deal of Tendong, who has been most helpful, getting us little concessions which make all the difference to our comfort ahead. Repairing shoes, kit and dealing with correspondence. On 13th March we heard on our wireless that Germany had invaded Austria - Lhasa !!

14th March. To Gabshi. 16 miles. alt. 13,700' approx. A fine morning, after two bad days in Gyantse when it snowed on all the hills round about. We stopped at Tering's house and had lunch and a good long talk. They are a nice family. Only the old pair, and Jimmie and his wife were there. When we came out, the day was rotten, very cold, clouded over, and remained so all day. Tents are cold but not too bad, as here the wind is not high. We are all very glad to get away from Gyantse, though everyone was very pleasant there. We all dined together on the 8th, and all lunched together at Tendong's on the 10th. Then we had Sunday supper again in the Mess our last evening. Richardson was most helpful and seems a nice man. The Doctor, Morgan, is more independent than any of the others, and we both liked him, as also Colbourne Hudson, the two B.O.'s. We changed Rs 4000/- into the new silver Tibetan rupee, at the rate of Rs 300/- = T.Rs 500/-. That added considerably to the weight of our kit, but it was better than changing to copper, where Rs 200/- would be a mule load. I saw the graveyard one day, just to have a look at Williamson's grave. It is all very tidy and neat.

15th March. To Ralung. 16 miles. alt. 14,300 ft approx. Pretty cold last night, though not windy. This morning was lovely, with very little wind as far as Ralung, by which time it had clouded over. We could see Ningsingkangsa, but only in a very flat light. Nothing of interest seen in bird line. We are living in a 'house' here. It is not clean, but not bad as they go, only a little draughty. Tomorrow with 32 miles to go, we must be up early.

16th March. To Nangartse. 32 miles. Snowed most of the night. Two inches lying, till well over the Karo La. Left at 6.0 am - without shaving - in at 5.0 pm. Kit in at 5.30 pm. In spite of the hard night, it was a lovely day, the sun coming out at 7.0 am and remaining bright all day.