Showing 7 results

SUMMARY:
The diarist camps on the north side of Cho La, describing the route along the Rong Chu and then the Re Chu with several crossings, noting a good camp at Re before the final ascent and giving bearings and distances. A partridge was shot earlier, and both Kuntip and Puitu are reported to be feeling better.

CONTENT:
69

think we will almost certainly find it all about
the Cho La if the situation is suitable. Finished
the evening by shooting a partridge - again a
very interesting bird from a place like this.

• about 2000ft for Seamus.

20th August. Camp N side of CHO LA. 5 miles. 14360'.
Path drops down to the Rong Chu, a river nearly as
big as the Myangchu Chu in summer. Follow up
the left bank under steep bare cliffs. The R bank
less steep & thickly wooded with deciduous & conifers.
At m 1½ cross by a food bridge to the R bank &
at m 2 leave the Rong Chu - follow up the
Re Chu due South. The Re Chu is crossed at m
to the L bank & recrossed further up. A good
CG at m 4.5 at Re, before the final ascent
to the Cho La. Water & grazing good & fuel ample.
Bearing of Re to the mouth of the Re Chu is
50° Mag. & from Re to the Cho La 215° Mag. Distances
between should be approx equal, the pass being perhaps
a little closer. The Rong Chu is a fine valley
with magnificent cliffs on its north side. The south
too is nice, thickly wooded. A week in the
valley would certainly produce some good birds
& possibly flowers too. Kuntip is better this
evening. He & even Puitu were

SUMMARY:
The party descends from the Cha La on the south side to the village of Chukar, observing weather shifts and cloud over the pass. Notes include Dongkar as part of the Tibetan dry zone, a transition near the Trak Chu with dwarf and small rhododendrons, and many pink Meconopsis horridula; Kuntip is ill while Ramzana is recovering.

CONTENT:
On the south side path does not follow the valley bed but keeps up to the right, descending gradually to a shoulder at m. 5. Over this the large Rong Chu can be seen below. Descent steep over rocky path and under high precipices to the small village of CHUKAR at m. 7.11.

A good day again. Fine till the Cha La then misty, but little rain. Very dull later on. Kuntip is pretty ill again and don't know what the matter is. He has awful pains in the neck and body and his tummy isn't right. I doubt if we will all be well till we get home again. Ramzana is recovering and looks happier today. Dongkar is quite definitely the Tib. dry zone. But two miles downstream one meets the Trak Chu, and that valley shows the beginning of the "Transition Zone". There are dwarf rhododendrons and also some ordinary, if small, rhododendrons too. Then at the Cha La we were still in sun on the N side, while from the south a sea of cloud mist was being blown up. It topped the pass and then seemed to fade away. Immediately we crossed the pass we knew we were in a good place for flowers. It is curious how many pink mec. horridula there are about here - from Tsona to Mago to a certain extent, but more so.

SUMMARY:
Itemized payments and advances including dak runners and postmen at Trashigong, customs duty, coolies, luggage, and railway tickets via Sealdah and Siliguri, plus car, lorry, and other travel to Gangtok, Calcutta, Rawalpindi, and Srinagar. Personal disbursements include payments to Kuntip, Pintso, Danong, and Ahmad Sheikh, along with purchases such as a watch for the postmaster, sparklets, a Roorkhi chair, bacon, and cotton wool and flour.

CONTENT:
14.10. Pay for Trashigong Dak runners. x 40.

Pay Kuntip Rs. 70. x 70. Balance ex 2000 cash = 40
" Pintso Rs. x 250 " ex A. Sheikh adv. = 20
" Danong Rs. x 150

Additional to postmaster. Rs. x 58

Pay T'gong postmen 2nd month x 40 + A. Sheikh pay 270
P.M. K'khata for Customs duty on parcel. x 25 Coolies pay 240
Dak runners K'khata. x 20 510
Luggage Rangma x 207 4591
Servants tickets Sealdah. x 14 5101
Own tickets Siliguri. x 62 Ramzana 270
Pintso etc. " x 15. 5371

3 Boxes to Cooks. Calcutta x 7
Ahmad Sheikh advance for travel x 100
Car to Gangtok. x 60
Tickets to Calcutta. x 78.
Tickets to Rawalpindi. x 268
Lorry to Srinagar. x 60
Watch for Postmaster. 1524
930
2032
5 doz sparklets. 44 / 157
Roorkhi chair. 20
Bacon 23
Cotton wool & flour 11
1624.

SUMMARY:
Notes damp weather, farewell to Pimbo, Kuntip, and Danong while taking on Tenduk, with praise for the Bhutanese workers; Tenduk will help with Kusho until the party returns to Sikkim. Describes dry, treeless country, the Kuru Chu gorge near Lhakang and its several local names, steady progress by coolies including many women wearing the Lhassa head dress, and few notable flowers or birds. A margin note mentions reunion at Yatung on Oct 3.

CONTENT:
81

Disappointing, weather still inclined to be damp. Some rain & hills always in clouds. We parted with Pimbo & Kuntip & Danong today, but are taking on Tenduk with us. These Bhutanese have been perfectly splendid workers, on for anything at any time, never having to be told to do a thing. We shall miss them, but Tenduk is a good lad will help us a lot with Kusho till we get back to Sikkim. The country today is all dry with no trees except in the villages. The gorge of the Kuru Chu is a fine one even at Lhakang, but must be much finer further down, where it cuts right through the main Himalayan Range. It is impossible to find out the name of a river here. The Kuru Chu is known near Lhakang as the Thing Chu, further up more generally as the Lhobrak Chu. It also has other names - the Mo chi chu & so on, varying at most stages. The coolies were good today & kept up an average for the first 10 miles of about 2 1/2 m.p.h. About a third were women. The women here wear the Lhassa head dress, a triangular affair perched precariously on the head. No flowers of any interest seen, & hardly any birds at all, except one bunting, choughs (red billed) & pigeon of three kinds.

reunited on Oct 3 at Yatung. S. 105
B. 26. Gorge of Kuru Chu - down

SUMMARY:
Notes plant damage by yaks, collects seed packets of Meconopsis grandis and Primula waltoni, and takes a colour photo of a gentian beside red Berberis. On a halt at Sakden, Ludlow packs birds while the diarist dries and labels seeds; staff health issues are noted for Pintso and Kuntip, and plans are made to look for Rhododendron rhabdotum seedlings near Muktur. Weather is frosty at night with bright sun and wind during the day.

CONTENT:
114

seeds. The yaks have done a lot of damage to all flowers, as I found lower down where the Meconopsis grandis (600) & red Primula waltoni 598 were in such profusion before. All had been trampled down or eaten; with difficulty I collected a packet of each. A perfect evening: we were out from 5:20 am till 3:30 pm. Took one coloured photo of Gentian 1001 growing beside a lovely piece of Berberis which was bright red (603).

21st October. Halt Sakden. Another perfect day. It is not often we don't go out on a day like this. But we have had a day in camp, Ludlow packing birds etc., I drying & labelling seeds. Both of us also bathing, shaving, hair cuts. Pintso seemed a bit off colour yesterday, & Kuntip's feet are so sore he finds difficulty in walking. He says the frost has got into the cracks; it might easily, his feet are cracked all over. This is a most delightful spot in weather like this. We have frost every night & bright sun & a wind all day. Temp. inside at night +3 ft. = 33°. On the way up to Sakden we looked for Rh. rhabdotum seedlings & I think found three or four. Danong will also look for them near Muktur.

22nd October. Halt Sakden. The good days are gradually

[Marginal notes:]
Mec. grandis 600
Prim. waltoni 598
Gen. amoena 1001
Berberis ludlowii var. sakdenensis 604
Contax No 12 finished on Nyaksang & last photo of Sakden.
Rhod. rhabdotum

SUMMARY:
The diarist describes difficult seed and bulb collection of taxa 552, 553 (Nephelium lancifolium), and 554 on sheer cliffs near Main Thang, with Danong retrieving a few bulbs and pods. Preparations for HH's visit are widespread, with huts, rice, and livestock being assembled, and concerns raised about how HH will finance trips and use forestry resources, noting Bhutanese training at the Forest Department in Dehra Dun and Tobgye's efforts.

CONTENT:
S sends Kuntip to Main Thang to collect seeds Prim. eburnea

We could however not find one seed of 554, and although there were lots of seed pods of 552, most of them were last year's. However we collected about 30 heads. It grows in the most impossible places, on sheer cliff, just hanging on to 1/2" of moss, which is now absolutely dried up. I took a few of the plants of both 552 and 554. The lily (Nephelium lancifolium (553)) was even harder to get. We could see it nowhere at first, but eventually saw a few. Danong with great difficulty got three bulbs and two seed pods. A few others were seen, but we could not possibly reach them without a rope.

Preparations are everywhere in evidence for HH's visit. Huts are being put up for his men, rice is pouring in from all quarters, and the local official has 20 sheep and 6 pigs all ready as a present. What HH is going to do with all this stuff I can't imagine. And how he is going to pay for his trip is also difficult to see. This one may be alright, but this will lead to more, and the country cannot stand more, unless HH does something to enrich it. His easiest way is probably through his forests. Tobgye started off well by getting some Bhutanese trained in the Forest Dept at Dehra Dun. But HH makes no use of them. He must have in some British

SUMMARY:
Pintso went to Tiyangsi to hire coolies to trace lost mail that had earlier come via Dirang, Mago, Atsona, and Dongkar. On the Maharaja’s orders, a Dzongpen sent four boxes of jackfruit that arrived inedible after a long journey amid heavy rain; Kuntip’s stomach trouble returned, and the party halted at Shingbe, with Danang noted.

CONTENT:
74

day. Pintso went down to Tiyangsi to get coolies to send off to find out about the lost mails. When our last mail arrived - the one that went all round by Dirang Mago Atsona to Dongkar - four other coolies came with it.

Contax
5.6.7.8 sent
23.8.
Cine film

7. 8. 9 ditto.
      F. Pack
      No 2 ditto.
      Kodak
      Calcutta.

The Maharaja had kindly given orders to one of his Dzongpens to send the Sahibs some fruit. So he obeyed, and sent off on a 20-day journey four huge boxes of jack fruits. The jack fruit is a disgusting fruit at the best of times. It looks (and smells) like a sheep's stomach. After a month's knocking about it is quite definitely not fit to eat. We were hoping the box would contain vegetables, so our disappointment can be imagined when this mass of mush was opened up. It rained hard all day. Our washing was optimistically hung out to dry in the morning, and remains out tonight wetter than when hung up. Kuntip in the morning was his old self again, but suddenly developed his tummy ache again. I'm afraid his inside is seriously out of order.

24th August. Halt at Shingbe. Danang. Gulla ol )