Showing 4 results

SUMMARY:
The diarist describes very tall pines and junipers, birches and oaks, and notes the striking jade-green colour of the Po Tsangpo river. On 14th Jan. near Sangyü, Ludlow and Henry took the pony path while the diarist and B. followed the riverside through dense wet forest with massive junipers, passing Rhododendron trees near Chahzam and old cultivated flats with ruins said to have been destroyed by the Chinese in '12.

CONTENT:
Cupressus torulosa 12141
Cedrela 12142

43

flower line. The only interest is in the trees, which grow to enormous heights. Some of the pines - (P. tabulaeformis) must be nearly 200 feet. And near here there are really magnificent junipers which are certainly 200 feet and straight as a rod. Camp here very poor, beside the 'spring'. Birches also are fine on this march, and there are many oaks. The colour of the Po Tsangpo river is very fine indeed, copper sulphate (pale 'deep jade green') exactly. Both rivers are the same now. Left at 8.30. In at 2.30.

14th Jan. SANGYÜ. Left at 9.0 : in at 2.0. Ludlow and Henry went the pony path, a climb of 1000 feet. B. and I kept to the river side. Both tracks are not easy. Both were curiously uninteresting botanically and ornithologically. At first the forest was mostly dense wet forest, with magnificent specimens of Juniper, measuring up to 20 feet in circumference. We passed, about 1 mile from Chahzam, about a dozen Rhododendron trees, the same as seen on the Pan above Trulung. I heard today Monal for the first time. Here there is a large flat area, old cultivation, with old ruined houses, destroyed by the Chinese in '12. There is a hut and

SUMMARY:
Mail is sent with Ludlow toward Lhasa via Tsela/Tsela Dzong amid uncertainty about Mohammed; the diarist writes Richardson for help and plans further dispatches to Tongkyuk Dzong to meet Henry on July 1. Entries for 21–24 March record letters from Richardson, Tsarong, Taring, and Fox, a large flock of migrating kites near Pemo, fair weather after heavy rain, and a route from Tongkyuk Chu past Pemo, Sishila valley, Parka and Parka Phu Chu toward Namla La, reaching Lokmo.

CONTENT:
We have sent our mail with Ludlow to Tsela to go to Lhasa as best he can arrange. It seems something has happened to Mohammed who hasn't made other arrangements for post. I have written Richardson to get our mail up at once from Gyantse & send it here by the man Ludlow sends to Lhasa. I have asked him again to get it to Lhasa by 1st August & 1st October & send to Tsela Dzong & to Tsetang. In the meantime I hope we will get news of Mohammed. We are to send our next lot of letters to Tongkyuk Dzong to meet Henry on July 1st. He will have to pack up & send off to Tsela Dzong.

21 March Halt. We had some news from the outside world on 19 evening, as some men came back from Lhasa with letters from Richardson & Tsarong & Taring & Fox. It was nice to get news, but it did not clear up our mail business. No-one mentioned it, & we now doubt even if Rai Sahib got to Gyantse at all. I have asked Tsarong's boys in Lhasa to make enquiries. Today we walked up to Pemo. Just as we got there a large flock of kites arrived - about 100-120 of them. Many came down on the fields where wheat was just coming up. A local fired a shot at them, then all flew off & went on on their migration route.

22nd March. Halt. Fine at last, after a night of very heavy rain, when snow fell low down to about 10000'.

23rd March Halt. Another fine day, but clouded over very quickly indeed between 5.0 & 6.0 pm.

24th March. Lokmo. About 10 miles. Path up the Tongkyuk Chu past PEMO at m 1 & so on past the entrance to the Sishila valley at m 4 1/2, and over the Parka Phu Chu at m 6, where the village of Parka lies. (about 20-25 houses & considerable cultivation). The Parka valley (called Shabra Lungba) lies due North from Parka. Beyond the village the path crosses a ridge & at m 7 passes the bridge which leads up another valley to the Namla La. Both rivers here are about the same size. The valley up which Lokmo lies is at a bearing of about 290°. Lokmo lies high up above the river, about 500'. There are some 30 houses & considerable cultivation. Another village is on...

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:
Arrived at Trulung and rejoined Bill; a swarm of cliff-dwelling bees overran camp, stinging many and briefly incapacitating Joker before recovery. Hypsometer readings put the camp at 4917', contrasting with other sources, and plans were laid for Ludlow and Elliot to go to Tsela and Pemakochung while Bill visits Sobhe La and Namdu La before returning to Showa, with later work on the Gyala Range.

CONTENT:
2nd March. Trulung. A fine bright hot day. We got over the driving with no trouble & were in camp soon after 10.30, back with Bill again. Ludlow & Henry gave us all the news, & it was nice hearing everything again. The afternoon was somewhat spoilt by a mass of bees of the big kind that swarm on cliffs, coming over from somewhere & flying angrily about the camp. Many people were stung, & poor Joker was stung inside somewhere & completely laid out, unable to move for an hour or two. But he recovered in the evening.

3rd March. Halt. Fine, cloudy & bright. Stayed in camp & did photographs which have turned out pretty well on the whole. The height of camp site, as worked out from hypsometer readings is 4917'. Morehead 'assumed' it to be 5700' & on the new purple maps I see it is down as 5300'. I don't know if Ward took the height or not, as it is not marked in his map of the Riddle of the Tsangpo Gorges. Our various plans are becoming more definite now. I think Ludlow & Elliot will go to Tsela & Pemakochung about 20 April, leaving Bill to go to the Sobhe La & Namdu La before returning to Showa about 15-20 April, in time to get almost everything. Ludlow would be away perhaps a month & then return to work the Gyala Range while Henry would then go