Showing 5 results

SUMMARY:
The diarist negotiates transport with the Dzongpon, notes low rates, and plans to cross by ferry near Chamna and go over the Temu La, with observations on weather and local birds. On 18 Dec at Dzeng, Betty and the diarist travel with a small party, crossing the river by ferry opposite Chamna, where the headman recalls their 1938 visit.

CONTENT:
cloth, while he returned with a skin covered box - atta. We bought from the Dzongpon at 11 sangs a lump, chari at 15. Rice with container (30 sangs) at 105 - atta & tsampa, with container at 63. When the Dzongpon came here, he asked to see the lamyig, but he ignored the 12 sang rate quoted in it & said we had 'tse te' transport, the rate of which was 4 shokangs per riding & 2 shokangs per donkey etc. This is lower than we ever expected to have to pay, right back to our 1938 level. He has ordered our transport - ponies - they should be off tomorrow. The plan is to go by tru from near Chamna, then over the Temu La. Wind has been bad here till yesterday. The day we arrived, the weather began to change, & clouds came at night. The result was a high wind - always downstream, from 2.30 pm, followed by clouds in the evening & cloudy nights with very high temperature at night. Yesterday it cleared completely & the temp went right down, while there was no wind. We have been out for birds & got good ones of great interest. All are now interesting as showing what are residents here. Lophobasileus elegans is the best. 'Chang-tsai' are here & we shot 3 yesterday. Parrots & crossbills seen, but not yet shot. What we really want now is a sparkling day on the Temu La, so as to be able to see Namcha & Gyala Peri - the latter of which should be a more striking view. From Tsela Dzong one can only see a little of the Namcha group, over the Temu La Range.

18th Dec. Dzeng. Left at 9.0: in at 3.0 pm. We suddenly decided yesterday evening that Betty & I should go on with the goro ponies which had arrived. So we packed up the minimum stuff & came on today. Our party is Tsongpon, Kancha, Akong & ourselves. We have a total now of 4 coolies & 11 ponies. The ferry (tru) is almost opposite Chamna, 5 m. E. of Tse & the river at the ferry is about 200 yds wide. Crossing takes about 1/2 hour per trip there & back. The headman here remembers us from 1938, & seems

SUMMARY:
Heavy spring rain at Tongkyun with peach blossom in Pasha; several halt days used to repack for a two‑month return journey while letters were exchanged rapidly with Ludlow via Dzeng. Tsungpen and Akong visited Trulung; plans were made for Ludlow to go to Pemakochung and the Yigrong Range, possibly leaving Suowa to Tsungpen, and Henry may accompany the diarist to Tromda. The writer, feeling heart trouble, decides to return to India amid persistently dull, rainy weather.

CONTENT:
been held up, but had gone very slowly indeed & had waited in Lhasa a very long while. I felt my heart rather a lot, & have had to decide to go back to India, a blow which I haven't realized fully yet.

31st March. Tongkyun. We had heavy rain & a thunderstorm on the way - typical weather for spring. Although it was very heavy, it was noticeable that snow did not fall low down on the hills. All the peach blossom is out here, in Pasha - a very pretty sight.

1-2-3 April. Halt. Nothing much to do. Repacked all stores for our 2 months trip back, leaving the rest for Ludlow to dispose of. Tsungpen & Akong went to Trulung on 3rd for a quick trip to Trulung and back, & hope secured for quite a lot of good things. There must be a great change down that way by now.

4-5-6-7th April. Halt. I sent a letter to Ludlow on 3rd telling him of our altered plans. The lad took it to Dzeng in 2 days & found L & S there, they not yet having been able to see the Dzongpen at Tsola Dzong, as he had gone to Trulung. Ludlow wrote back at once & I got the letter on 6th - there & back in 4 days. Ludlow plans now to go to Pemakochung, then here by 15 May & on to the Yigrong Range. He wants to let Tsungpen do the Suowa area on his own. I wonder if that is wise & if Tsungpen can manage it. It would be a jolly good show if he did do it. Henry suggests coming with me to Tromda, but I hope that will not be necessary. We will have to have a good talk on 14th when we meet there. What a lot of time has been wasted this year. But we could not help it. Tsungpen should be back here this evening from Trulung, if he has had no trouble from coolies.

8th & 9th Ap. Halt. Every day is the same now. Each night it rains more or less. Each day is cloudy, with some bright intervals, more or less. It is dull weather,

SUMMARY:
At Shingcha Woma hot springs the party noted strong sulphur fumes and found a single tree of the so-called 'Carmine Cherry' just coming into bloom. On 19 Feb a halt day, Ludlow asked locals about the Tongkyuk Chu flood that dammed the Po Tsangpo for three days, with no local damage. On 20 Feb the diarist and Betty set out with Tsompen, Kancha, and Akong toward a Gompa at the confluence of the Po Tsangpo and Kongbo Tsangpo, after overnight rain and snow down to Trulung, starting about 8 and needing to cross the Dring.

CONTENT:
small holes, boiling hard. This place the locals call 'Shingcha Woma' - the lower Shingcha. There is another small stream nearby of tepid water. The smell is very sulphurous. The only find of interest in the flower line was Ward's 'Carmine Cherry' (Prunus cerasoides var. rubra), No. 12222, of which we found only one tree, just coming into bloom, a very pretty thing & a lovely colour.

19th Feb. Halt. Cloudy day. Rained all night off & on. Ludlow asked about the effect of the Tongkyuk Chu flood on the Po Tsangpo. The locals said they heard a noise like thunder, then the flood came down & blocked the Po Tsangpo for three days. The river rose about 40'-45', dammed up to the hot springs. No damage was done locally. There is a local shikari here, who knows all about the bird they call 'tse'. It is, in the south, Sclater's Monal.

20th Feb. Tangdong. Betty & I started off today with Tsompen, Kancha & Akong to go to a Gompa where the Po Tsangpo & Kongbo Tsangpo meet. It rained pretty hard all last night & snow was down to about 8000' at Trulung. Cleared in the morning, & we were off about 8.0. But the Dring had to be crossed by our 15

SUMMARY:
At Langstong the party endures cold, poor weather, sends Angur and Akong to scout a northern nala with little to collect, and notes the continued absence of Mohammed the mail runner. Stores are divided for multiple future legs, with a planned rendezvous at Tsela Dzong about 10th Oct. On 20 March, Ludlow and Elliot depart via Tsela Dzong to Gyala with assigned team members.

CONTENT:
to the south of Langstong. Here everything seems in much the same state as it was when we left in January. It is as cold too. Perhaps up the side valleys at 11,000' or so there may be more movement, so I am sending Angur & Akong up tomorrow for two days. Little could be heard about the valley S of Langstong. But Ramzana describes it as easy, with a good path & many cattle in it. A path goes right up the valley, over a pass & down to Trip. It is used by pilgrims who do a small circuit there. There is still no sign of Mohammed, our mail runner, who should have been here 2 or 3 weeks ago. I hope nothing has happened to him.

14-15th March. Halt. Cold & poor weather here now, with practically no sun at all. Angur & Akong went up the nala to the N. of camp. Found P. whitei cf. rhododendrata common close up the nala. They saw little else and no rhododendrons at all. There is certainly very little to collect these days. We spent all our time dividing out all stores — B & I for 6 months, Ludlow & Elliot for a 6 week trip followed by Ludlow 4 1/2 months & Elliot 2 1/2 months. These have all been packed up, as has a 6 week stock for our return journey from Tsela Dzong. We have agreed that we should meet there about 10th Oct. Then get out as quick as possible, probably in two parties. I got rid of a good deal of useless stuff today, including a complete B II boiler set, which we threw into the river — an awful thing to have to do, but there was no useful alternative.

16-17-18th March. Halt. Cloudy & windy, with little sun.

19th March. Ditto & rain each night & spitting almost all day.

20th March. Halt. Heavy rain at night & a very poor day. After a hectic time of division of stores & packing & storing of boxes, Ludlow & Elliot went off this morning for their six weeks trip via Tsela Dzong to Gyala & the top of the gorge. Parties are now decided. B & I have Kancha Tsongpen & Akong. Ludlow will have Samdup, Ramzana & Laku, & Elliot Angur & Balbahadur.

SUMMARY:
The party halts for several days in a valley on the right bank of the river, noting delayed flowering compared to Tongkyuk and recalling the 1933 flood from a lake on the Munkhu Phu Chu. They describe routes toward Munkhu La and Yigong, observe various birds, and report activities including Akong collecting specimens, Tsongpen traveling to Sobhe La to repair a thermograph, and Bill ascending above camp but finding little in flower.

CONTENT:
the R. bank of the river.

25th March. Halt. There is obviously not much to be found here yet. Everything is a good deal behind Tongkyuk — the pink rhodo, for instance, is only in bud still. This is the valley down which the flood of 1933 came. There was at the time a big lake about 1 1/2 days journey up this valley, which is called the Munkhu Phu Chu. The dam of this gave way forming the flood. Now the lake is still about 3 miles long. Beyond this village — really 2 villages, with cultivation on both sides of the river, there are only 2 more houses further up the valley. There is a path leads up the valley for 3 more days to the Munkhu la, over that to the Yigong at Parka or Parke, which can be reached on the 4th day. Today we saw Crossoptilon, kuling & tragopan all close together. Blood pheasant are also here, but no snowcock. I saw a large flock of Grandala. Akong came in with two specimens only, having been out from 7.0 am till 6.0 pm.

26th March Halt. Tsongpen went off up the Sobhe la today to try to put the thermograph in order. Betty & Akong up a side valley. Rain heavy last night.

27th March. Halt. Bill went up direct above camp for about 2000 ft, but saw nothing in flower except a few P. Winteri & rh. rhodentata. We saw some more rhodos though — a Thomsonii series & R. lanatum or something of the kind, rh. lepidotum. P. Jaffreyana, just beginning to shoot, is common on cliff ledges. We put up kuling, tragopan, crossoptilon. Tsongpen returned from the Sobhe la, she tells the same story. There is nothing in flower. Even P. Winteri is in the same state now as it was on Dec 31st — not in flower yet. He went up to the thermograph & put right what had been wrong. It is a great pity that the red pen was disarranged by the lama almost at once. Tsongpen reported that there was 1 to 1 1/2 ft of snow at the machine. When he put the red pen right, he said it read at the bottom of the scale — 20°F or below. That is interesting, & the last month may be interesting yet, with the two thermometers in action again.

28-29-30th March. Halt. Mail came in on 28th, somewhat to our surprise. Rhodo had not