Showing 5 results

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 diary records movements from the east side of Kongbo-nga La via Mye to Shu, with delayed coolies and negotiations for transport. It notes forest and plant observations near the pass, attempts to contact Gyantse and Ford by wireless, strong winds, and halts on 1–2 Dec due to uncertain transport.

CONTENT:
Nang.

28 Nov. Camp on E side of Kongbo-nga La. Coolies had not come in by 9.0, so we set off at 10.0 with about 30-40 loads only, leaving Samdup behind. A good day but spoilt by transport trouble. Reached the pass by 2.30 & in at camp - not at Nye - at 5.0pm. Coolies came in soon after except about 15 who only turned up next day. It was good to be in forest again, pine, larch & birch on the west side, & juniper, larch & birch on the E, with pine on N faces. Rhod. vellereum common, with two small Rhodos. On the E side saw some P. jaffreyana & a lot of Androsace of 3 species.

29 Nov. Mye. A short march in today where we should have reached yesterday. Samdup also turned up by 11.0 & our kit has again caught us up. I saw two partridge on the way up the Pass. Ludlow then saw one 'Kuling' & another, while Ludlow missed a Crossoptilon on this side. This is the first village with pent wooden roofs. All to the W of this are flat roofed. The hilltops often have early morning mist on them now - a sign of a damper climate. I was surprised to see no Mec. simplicifolia on the pass - only M. horridula.

30 Nov. Shu. An easy march. We were in by 1.0 (start 8.0) & coolies were in shortly after. A few were late. I tried to contact Gyantse at 3.30 pm (BT) by W/T, but got no answer. Later tried Ford (TASA) but again got no answer. Local Dzongpon's man tried to refuse to give us anything but day to day transport. We demanded 'Dzongyel', & we think we have succeeded, at the price of 2 days halt & a than of cloth & ten cigarettes! Supplies difficult, & we have hardly managed to get anything. Very strong wind in evening.

1st Dec. Halt. Fine, but clouded by midday. Wind by 2.30.

2nd Dec. Halt. Fine & clear & windy. We doubt if our transport will come as promised, by this evening. This is a bad place to get away from - in 1938 we were held up five days at Kyimdong Dzong.

SUMMARY:
The diarist reports failed transport arrangements at Haet Tse, a visit to the Dzong, and a river crossing by kowa, noting river levels and unsettled weather. On moving to Shoka in heavy rain, there were still shortages of pack animals and help; conditions improved as more servants and a helper from the Dzongpon arrived, though Samdup and much of the kit were still missing.

CONTENT:
21st April. Haet Tse. All the very careful arrangements for us to leave came to nothing. Of the 15 ponies ordered, 2 turned up by 9.0 am and 2 more by midday. I had to go to the Dzong to see that other arrangements be made. The Dzongpon is as friendly as ever. It took me 6 minutes to cross by Kowa, going at about 3-4 miles per hour. That makes the present stream about 500 - 600 yards broad. The Kowa man said the river was at its lowest about February - March, and that now it had risen quite a bit. But it is smaller now I think than in December. Weather very unsettled.

22nd April. Shoka. A very bad day indeed. There were still only 8 animals out of 15 at Tse in the early morning. Then 1 more came. We went off for the Shoka at about 4.0 pm when the rain really came down hard. We only had Tamchen with us, and the Gyimpu was not impressed at all by our importance. No grass, no help, no nothing. But he improved when our kit started to arrive; improved again when 2 more servants came in, and was quite decent when the Dzongpon's man, sent specially to help us, also came in. It was very wet in the evening. No sign of Samdup or of the rest of our kit, in spite of all I did with the Dzongpon yesterday.

23

SUMMARY:
Records transport hire rates and payments for donkeys and ponies between Gyantse and points along the route, including a Rs 70 bribe to the Gyantse headman reportedly instigated by Samdup’s statement about rates. Notes exchanging Rs 10,000 through Sadutshang in Gyantse for 33,000 sangs tied to cotton cloth sales in Lhasa, and mentions seed collection.

CONTENT:
5

Paid from Gyantse at the rate of 6 sangs per pony - riding or pack, and 3 sangs per donkey. Our transport requirements were approx. 36 donkeys & 24 ponies or mules.

Changed Rs 10000/- through Sadutshang in Gyantse for 33,000 sangs all in 100 sang notes. This was in exchange for Rs 10000/- I paid Sadutshang's friends to buy cotton cloth to sell at Lhasa on my behalf. The cloth has not yet been sold. When it is, I expect to have a further sum paid to me, representing 50% of the profit due.

Pd. Gyantse to Nangartse sangs 738 for 36 donkeys & 23 ponies. We also had to pay Rs 70 bribe to the headman at Gyantse, whom Samdup had apparently told that our lamyig mentioned sangs 12 & 6 as the rate to be paid.

At Gobshi paid sangs 20

• Nangartse " " 30

Nangartse to Pede paid sangs 378 for 1 1/2 days march.
At Khamba Trombo pd " 213 - 1 - - Tramalung to K. Trombo.
Paid for kowas sangs 35 each from K. Trombo to Gongkar Dz.

Seed collected of In

SUMMARY:
Entries describe travel from Dzong with snow conditions and a stay at Latsa, reports that Ludlow and Elliot spent 24 days shooting waterfowl, and notes of increased rain in the Tsangpo valley pleasing the Tsala Dzongpon. After halts and cold weather, Ludlow and Elliot depart on the 18th with Lepchas, Ramzana, and Balbahadur, while Samdup and Kancha remain with the diarist. On the 20th at Tse, the river level and wind patterns are observed, and a brief botanical note records rhododendrons in flower.

CONTENT:
14th April. Dzong. Some snow at night. We stayed in a house at Latsa, as we feared heavy snow which did not materialize. The house was clean, like all the houses in the valley, very big. It had a big central stone fireplace in the room we were in, so we had a good wood fire all the time. Snow got deeper as we went up over the top; there must have been 1 1/2 feet. There was not so much on the S. & we were soon out of it. Left at 6.30 & got in at 1.30 pm. Ludlow & Elliot have been here for 24 days. All they've had to do has been shoot game. They've got 25 geese & as many mallard, with a few shoveller & 2 spotbill. There has been much more rain in the Tsangpo valley than usual, & the Tsala Dzongpon is very pleased, as crops there should be specially good. Last year was almost a drought.

15-16 April. Halt. Rain in night & nearly all day of 15th. Very cold for this altitude.

17-18-19 Ap. Ludlow & Elliot left on 18th & had a perfect day to go on, without a cloud in the sky, after a clear cold (min 24°) night. All the Lepchas went too, with Ramzana & Balbahadur. The 'trouble makers' - Samdup & Kancha are going with me. Ludlow should now have no more trouble: I doubt if he will even when Samdup returns. It is a pity about our servants. If only we could have got some other than Samdup & Kancha, the whole party would have been happy, that makes all the difference.

20th Ap. Tse. Back here again. The river is, to my surprise, rather smaller than in December. It must in fact be at its minimum now. Wind continues the same - upstream as far as the Gyamda junction, & downstream to the junction. B & I went up the Tse valley today, but only saw the same things as elsewhere. P. chungensis (not in flower) Rhod. vellereum 12393 in very fine flower & another Rhod 12388 fairly common. R. vellereum is in masses in the Gyamda valley, & all along the hillside on the N face.