Showing 54 results

SUMMARY:
The party traversed steep paths through alternating pine and mixed rain forest, relying on H.H.’s mules, with Tsungpin proving especially helpful; the hypsometer was unavailable and camp stood around 4000 ft. On 2nd April they went 9 miles to Kinga Rapden (5800 ft), ascending near Yundu Choling before dropping to Kinga, where they were met by two of H.H.’s men with tea and saffron rice, received fine ponies from H.H., and encountered dancers with a small orchestra.

CONTENT:
the pass again. After that we meandered along a pleasant reasonably level path through pine forest. Wherever there is a side valley, the forest changes to mixed rain forest abruptly, then back to pine in a curious and most marked way. So far, we have had three of H.H.'s mules to carry us, and I must say we are very glad to have had them. The climbs are very steep and sometimes nearly 4000 ft. Unfortunately the box with the hypsometer in it has been behind both the last two days, and I have been unable to take a height. Camp here is about 4000'. Without Tsungpin we would be hard put to it. He can get on with the locals. The others are all completely new, every thing they see and do is new to them, so they are not yet very good or helpful. But they are all very safe and willing. We are collecting quite a number of plants, though nothing interesting yet.

2nd April. Kinga Rapden. 5800 ft. 9 miles. This was the first clear day, with few clouds till the evening. We all dressed up as much as possible, as we were to be met on the road and might even see H.H. as soon as we got in. So we had a comfortable start at 7:00, getting in about 1:00 pm. Mostly the road was level, but near the end it rises 1000' or more to Yundu Choling, before dropping to Kinga. When about 3 miles short of Kinga Rapden, we were met by 2 of H.H.'s men and given tea and saffron rice. He also sent us three very fine ponies, richly caparisoned with gold brocade saddle cloths, to ride in on. The next excitement was meeting the two dancers, with their two man orchestra of sarnais. This

SUMMARY:
Camped near the Trashiyangsi river by the CHOTEN KORRA chorten, with locals preparing the site; routes planned to reach Shingbe in four days, near Me La, with a possible crossing to Singhi Dzong. On 29–30 July they halted at Trashiyangsi to arrange rations and dry bird skins (sent to Bumthang), while bridge repairs were ordered; on 31 July they moved toward Shapang.

CONTENT:
Down, the valley became prettier, near Trashiyangsi we found pines again. The Trashiyangsi river is a fine one, probably as big as the Kuru Chu, only much clearer. After crossing it we followed it up to where a huge white chorten is built, & then on half a mile beyond. The chorten is called CHOTEN KORRA. Camp is pitched in a beautiful place near the river, & has been well prepared for us by the local nyerpa or dzongpen. They certainly have an eye for camp sites these people. We immediately enquired about routes on arrival, & find we should reach Shingbe easily in four days: that Shingbe is very close to the Me La, & that from a day's march below Shingbe we can get across country to Singhi Dzong. Whether mules will get across or not remains to be seen. All that is most satisfactory, & just what we wanted, & better than we expected.

Lil wallichiana 341
Schema khassiana 343
29th July. Halted Trashiyangsi. Not much rain. Made arrangements for rations for the men for 14 days to go with us. Bridge over the river here in a pretty poor state, but being repaired by H.H.'s orders for us to cross.

B. 23.
Korra Chorten at Trashiyangsi & up the river.

Types of women at Trashiyangsi. F.L. chatting with them
30th July Halted Trashiyangsi: Got nearly all our bird skins dried, packed up & sent off to Bumthang. A fair day, with only a few heavy showers now & then.

Clouds. (1)
31st July. TO SHAPANG 7 1/2 miles. 6700'. (Heights are

SUMMARY:
The party crosses a high swinging bridge, climbs steeply through burnt pine forests to the Tata La, and reaches Shamgong Dz/Dzong amid clouds and afternoon thunderstorms. The next stage begins with a descent to the Wangdi Chu near the Mangde Chu, followed by a steep ascent to the Bruksong La en route to Tesar.

CONTENT:
have managed the bridge, which was high over the water, long, and swung from side to side. After that, we had a mile, level along the L bank, then straight up the hillside at the steepest point anyone could find - Coolies tackled it in wonderful style, keeping up with us on H.H.'s fine mules, which took the hill in a series of short sharp rushes. This continues for about 5 miles, where oak mixes with the Pinus longifolia forest, which is slowly replaced. And so to mile 7, a pass is reached on the ridge, called the TATA LA. Just over this lies Shamgong Dz, a fine square building on a spur, with a village behind it, and a little cultivation. The most noticeable thing today is that all the young pine trees are burnt. One passes nothing but old fully grown trees, except near the top where it seems little grass burning has been carried out. What potential waste has taken place in these forests, and this cannot be put right now. Even if re-afforestation is started, there will be a long gap of bareness. It has been clouded all day, and just as we got in at 12:00 the rain started, and we've had thunder and heavy rain this afternoon. I hope that will clear away the haze over everything, which takes the beauty away. A few Rhodo arboreum seen, but no others. Flowers mostly uninteresting.

1st April. Tesar 17 miles. A long day, starting with a heavy thundershower, which cleared up before we left camp. It was sad to have to lose all our altitude within the first two hours. The path goes straight down to the Wangdi Chu, at almost the level of the Mangde Chu. But once over that it goes even steeper up the other side to the Bruksong La, which is not so high as Shamgong Dzong, but not far off it. It is about 4 miles down and nearly the same to

SUMMARY:
Mail arrived with letters up to 6 August and a note from Betty at Changu; Danang departed with Pompoli and Tundru. At Tashiling the path to Chendesi was badly damaged, a pony fell through a weakened bridge and could not be rescued, and after storms the huts were preferred except for filthy Tsalimape; on hearing H.H. had gone back to Bumthang they planned to go straight through. Reaching Tongsa, the heaviest rains continued and people in Trongsa Dz. reported considerable recent damage.

CONTENT:
Described as being carried in a dhooley by 4 men. That is very sad, & Ludlow will miss him very much indeed. A small mail came in last night, with letters of up to 6 August from home - very quick - & a note from Betty from Changu. I heard later that with Danang went Pompoli & Tundru.

29th August. Tashiling. Yesterday the path to Chendesi showed signs of wear. There were 6-7 baddish breaks, but today there were 15-20 & some were big affairs. Some have only come down 2-3 days ago. Just before we reached a bridge whose sides have been scoured out a bit, a man crossed with 3 ponies. 2 got across, & the 3rd broke one of the long tree planks & fell through into a chasm below. How the pony squeezed through the breadth of only one plank, I don't know. We helped for over an hour, but could do nothing, & had to leave. I fear the pony will be dead before help we sent for here reaches it. I would have ridden over that bridge five minutes later, & it certainly would have given way with me on. So I consider myself lucky today. It has just kept fine once more today. I expected a sparkling day because about 1.0 last night there was a thunderstorm & very heavy rain, which came in through the roof & soaked us all. If there were decent places for tents, I wouldn't dream of occupying these huts. Chendesi & Tashiling huts are, at any rate, clean & bugless. Tsalimape is the filthy place. Heard last night that H.H. has gone back to Bumthang, so we will go straight through too.

30th August. Tongsa. A dreadful day of the heaviest rain yet seen. Again the path was washed away in many places. In Trongsa Dz. they said considerable damage had been done by the rain in the last 7-9 days. That was when H.H.

SUMMARY:
At Shingbe, the party worked in scrub jungle looking for skulkers and received a dak from H.H. containing apples, vegetables, rice, and crushed maize, noting the careful apple packing. The next day brought a sunny morning before rain; Danang explored a northern nala, while Ludlow and the diarist packed birds and went downstream, with a much-needed bath noted since visiting the hot springs at Mago; Phitso also sent up items.

CONTENT:
77

days ago. But I think that it was probably sent off late, owing to the P.M. having no mail bag. Bearing from Shingbe to LAO is approx. 215°.

26th August. Shingbe. Rain & mist most of the day. Spent our time in little patches of dense scrub jungle, looking for 'skulkers'. A 'dak' arrived from H.H. He sent as usual a few boxes of something. This time the presents were very useful - two boxes of apples, two boxes of vegetables. Also some rice & crushed maize. The way the apples are packed is perfectly wonderful. Each apple - they are small - in a separate wicker work basket of its own. Naturally they have arrived in good order.

27th August. Shingbe. A lovely morning, with bright sun up till 11.30, when the rain started. Danang tried the nala to the north, but without success. Ludlow & I packed birds, then went downstream for birds, but did not see much. Had a much needed bath this afternoon, the first since I bathed in the hot springs at Mago on the 5th! Phitso sent up some

SUMMARY:
Notes on supplies being sent to Betty, followed by travel from Shimitang to Pangotang with excellent weather and a favorable campsite under Tsuga trees. The party observed a river gorge and collected several Primula species on the Pudo La.

CONTENT:
find it easy enough to send down for anything we want. Ngudup says
that H.H. also sent off 5 loads of food to Betty. The bears will begin to
curse us if this goes on much more. I think now we can't want
any more.

23rd May. Shimitang. 4.45 to 10.30. A perfect day with not a cloud till
we reached camp. The route too was pretty grand the whole way & was
always interesting, although we did not see much. And camp here is
the first camp that I have altogether liked. There are no more houses,
so we cannot camp near them. We are under huge Tsuga trees,
with rhodo & other shrubs around & a nice grassy sward. Ngudup
had sent on to have a place prepared. Whoever prepared it, cut
up all the nice turf, turned it, made it rough, & sprinkled over
the top juniper branches. I found my tent pitched there when I
arrived, but moved it at once. This is the first really first class
camping site we've had. I went out up the hill a good bit,
but found not a thing but ticks & a few rhodos which we
already have. The river all the way up today is in a fine
gorge, with often very imposing cliffs, & altogether it looked beautiful
with these huge Tsuga trees on either bank. Now Pasang & Nyundru
have disappeared. They are both keen to see more flowers. I hoped
for a primula today, on some of these cliffs, but we saw none
but P. denticulata & Smithiana. We are obviously still far too low.

24th May. Pangotang. 5.0 to 9.30. About 6 miles. Another lovely day, clouding up pretty
soon, but clearing again, sun nearly all day. Good also for flowers of which we got
16, including the yellow primula elongata (18946) taken on the Pudo La, & also what may be P.
Barnardiana (18946). P. Calderiana purple (18947), P. Calderiana white (18954), P. atrodentata (18957). Funny
enough, P. sikkimensis doesn't even show leaf yet on the Pudo La the flowers

NB
Concerning
seeds

SUMMARY:
The writer instructs Chengala of Dengchung to show a plant to Betty and collect seeds of several trees, including one used locally for yellow dye, with earlier material taken at Panghar. After a strenuous day crossing the Rip La, the diarist visits the half sisters of H.H., two of whom come to the tent, and later receives a letter from Betty while expressing concern about Hicks.

CONTENT:
they have flowers in whorls. And the flowers of this one (18806) are not yet out, but already the second whorl is 1 1/2" above the first. So I can't think what it is. We have not got good specimens as regards flowers, but I hope we will get seed alright as it is on Betty's route. I have left instructions with the man of Dengchung called Chengala that he must show this to Betty & get seed. He has also to collect seed of another tree which I took at Panghar, with attractive Daphne like flowers, from the leaves of which the locals make a good yellow dye, used in all their clothes. So Chengala has to get seed if possible of the following:- "Trali shing" (Styrax hookeri) 18802. "Pumpa shing", probably Viburnum erubescens 18706. The new mother primula (18806) and the tree used for dye (Daphniphyllum himalayense) (18733). I have given him a letter.

There were no flower excitements during the rest of the day, but we climbed to the Rip La, certainly 3000', then dropped a similar amount on the W. side, & finally climbed a good 2000 or 2500' up here. I should think we have climbed or dropped nearly 11000 ft. today, & the same coolies did it all. This is the home of the half sisters of H.H. There are three. They sent their mule down for me. One is a leper in such a bad way that she can't appear. The other two came to my tent & for 2 hours I had to do my best by myself to talk to them. The elder is also a leper or has lupus - her nose is disappearing - but she is quite nice & reasonably easy to get on with. The other was rather difficult. No sooner had they gone than Betty's letter came & that finished a good day. I fear poor Betty will have a bad time with Hicks, but she will have a good time with flowers. It was very very nice hearing from her, it really seems

SUMMARY:
The diarist, ill with bronchitis, outlines a staged route through multiple settlements, then reaches Mashina and pushes the coolies on to Dunkhar, revising planned departure dates. Many people are sick, including a man of Wangmoo who was injured, and the writer discusses difficulties securing coolies due to local allegiances to H.H., Wangmoo, Ani Choden, and Pema Dechen, before deciding to move on.

CONTENT:
Bad night & Bronchitis. I cannot manage hills as they are here. They are too hard work now for me. I got no sleep at all. We are all having a late start this morning, which I hate, but the coolies are so damn tired. Our plans must now be: 11 Dunkhar, 12 Halt, 13 Shambling, 14 a camp on Kuru Chu R bank, 15 Lhumbe, 16 Halt, 17 Takila, 18 Ungar, 19 Pimi, 20 Tang, 21 Halt, 22 Shabjetang on the Bumthang Chu, 23 Halt, 24, 25, 26 northwards, 27th Waitsang. That is a lot of good time wasted, though the Rudu La may be good via Tang; the route is new & fairly high, so should be of interest.

Later. We got to Mashina in very good time, so I asked the coolies to go on to Dunkhar, which they did, but were all in, tired, at 3.0 p.m., having come very steeply down over 5000' & up nearly 2000'. We have altered dates a little, & will leave here on 12th, and Lhumbe 14th, Ungar 16th, Tang 18th, Shabjetang 20th & halt there. Many sick people here, as I was specially tired, including one of Wangmoo's men who fell off his horse & made a hole right through into his mouth with a stone.

In some ways, it may be well to leave this area. Coolies might have been difficult. They have to come from here, & would have to come 3 days' march before reaching me to move me 1 day's march. And then to Waitsang would have taken, I'm told, no less than 8 nights on the way, besides going into Tibet. All the men up the Kuru Chu valley are not available as coolies. Here, nearly all are H.H.'s subjects, personal servants: so they would come with me. At Shambling, all are Wangmoo's, Ani Choden & Pema Dechen's. At Tungyang they are Wangmoo's. These people do not do the ordinary coolie work, except for their owners. Anyway we are off now, for better or worse; it does not matter what happens here.

SUMMARY:
A planned picnic on the 4th was postponed due to rain and mist, and surplus food was sent in. On the 5th April, H.H. visited for an extended discussion about the Treaty and forest management, including concerns over the lack of young pines due to annual grass burning for cattle grazing.

CONTENT:
great ceremony, with the dancers to meet us and all the accompanying tamasha. But meals with H.H. are always private. No servants are allowed in the room except to serve, and then only for the minimum time. Even so a meal is a bit of a trial. On 4th H.H. proposed a picnic, but it rained and misted, and we put it off. An army of servants had already set out, with food etc, but they were recalled, and the unwanted food sent in to us in enormous bowls full. Spent the day in reorganising a few things.

5th April. Halt. Again rain and mist all day, no sun. H.H. sent to say he would come up after our lunch at about 12.30, and would like to have a friendly talk and stay to dinner. His usual hour for dinner is 9.0 pm, but we could not manage that, and compromised at 7.0. He arrived a little before 12.0 and left at 8.0, so we had a pretty hard afternoon, but still a pleasant and I hope a profitable one for all concerned. He led me away after lunch to have a talk, and we talked for fully two hours or more. We discussed the Treaty and all the possibilities of various clauses in it. "Why would India not hear of any arbitration?" There seems no answer except that she will not accept any arbitration that is fair.

I told H.H. about the awful present state of the pine forests between Bigiti Sam and here. The forests are only of old fully or more than half grown trees. Young trees barely are to be seen. All are burnt when the grass is burnt annually. I suggested either shutting off whole areas, never to be burnt, or of shutting areas for 5 or more years at a time. The grass is only burnt to get fresh grass for cattle grazing. When I asked H.H. how many cattle there were in the 25 miles of forest we passed through, he said "at

SUMMARY:
A colourful procession with dancers and sarnai players accompanied the party to a well-prepared camp with multiple tents and a kitchen. After preparing in case the R. or two Maharanis were there (they were not), H.H. arrived at 3.0; the writer notes he seemed aged, overweight, and short of breath, though still pleasant and thoughtful.

CONTENT:
was about 2 miles from camp, we then played & danced the whole way in. How they manage that I can't think - up hill, down hill, over muddy patches, small streams & so on - the music & dancing continued. They are dressed in very bright clothes, the dancers in white skirts & many coloured top half clothes, with a little brightly coloured crown adorned with a few ornaments. The sarnai players are in red flannel. This all caused the greatest excitement locally, & our procession was joined by everyone, men, women & children, & also by all the coolies carrying our loads. We reached camp soon after a pause to get scarves ready in case the R. or two Maharanis were there to meet us. But they were not, so we had a rest here till H.H. came at 3.0. The camp is a magnificent place, with three large tents for us, an E.P. tent for reception & another huge tent for our kit, besides a kitchen with a good chula made. Everything is laid on & all our wants catered for. At 3.0 H.H. arrived. He rode up & got off his pony 30 yards from the door, where we all went to meet him. I was surprised at the way he has changed. He has become very fat & flabby & the few yards up hill walking made him very out of breath indeed. I should think it may well be that he drinks now. At any rate he has aged greatly. But he is still the pleasant, thoughtful man he always