Part 103 - Halt days at camp: visit from the Dzongpen, plans for Lung, and botanical notes

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SUMMARY:
The party halts, receives a visit from the local Dzongpen and returns the call, deciding to go down to Lung for several days. Locals mention Kingdon Ward’s visit the previous year, and the diarist notes peach blossom fading, irises emerging, and abundant willow, poplar, and buckthorn; the following halt day includes weather readings and packing flowers.

CONTENT:
signs of wetter zone are apparent. Owing to coming on so far we were rather late in arriving, but found a good camp, whose dust is the only drawback.

22nd April Halt. Another grand day. The Dzongpen called on us, and we returned the call later on. He is a pleasant young lama, and out to help. We have decided to go on down to Lung and have four days or so there. One would think here, that there could be nothing down the valley, but it seems there is. All mention Kingdon Ward's visit last year. He seems to have some trouble wherever he goes, and so we have heard both here and at E. Jora. Peach blossom almost over here, and irises coming up well. Otherwise there is not much. The trees are mostly willow and poplar, with a great deal of buckthorn, which grows to big trees with a girth of 6 ft. The peaches also have huge girths up to 10 or 12 ft, were mostly pollarded.

23rd Halt. B.P. 192.3° Temp. 66° Time 1130. Approx alt. 11387'
Another fine day: spent mostly in packing up flowers and