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SUMMARY:
Notes describe a caravan of lamas stopping at a minimal shelter, continued snowfall around the bungalow, and attempts to find and identify very large snipe, with few flowers due to lack of sun. On 10th May at CHANGU TSOMGO there was a fine morning after fresh snow, a further search for the snipe yielded little, and bird activity seemed to have moved lower.

CONTENT:
wonderful traveller in the mountains. The whole caravan is stopping tonight at a shelter 2 miles beyond here. They will have a miserable time, as the place is nothing but a shelter. It is ten years since the Tashi Lama left Tibet, since then he has been in Mongolia & Nanking. It seems generally to be thought that it will be a very good thing if he does return. The two lamas were dressed in new yellow clothes & looked very fine on their decorated mules. I went out again this afternoon up the hill behind the bungalow, & there was very surprised to see two of the biggest snipe I have ever seen. I shot both but only picked up one. We are not certain if it is a wood snipe or solitary. They must have a nest, but the snow was so heavy over that I had to return without finding it. It continues to snow this evening. Had we only had a few days sun, I believe there would have been many more flowers coming out: as it is we have only one specimen.

10th May. CHANGU TSOMGO. A fine morning for a change. Breakfast 5.30. Climbed the hill behind the bungalow to look for yesterday's snipe, but found neither it nor its nest. There had been about 6" fresh snow last night covering most tracks. Back at 11.30, only one bird between us. The fresh snow must have driven them down a bit. Hear there

B. 3 contd.
Ramzana
climbing through
fresh snow
behind bungalow

SUMMARY:
On 7th September the party halted at Towa, met and lunched with the local jongpen, and confirmed plans to take the Lalung–Munda–Ling route. On 8th September they marched to Lalung, describing the good path, the Lhobrak valley, and a camp near the monastery, and discussed hopes for the Tashi Lama’s return to Tibet, a matter Williamson is expected to raise at Lhassa.

CONTENT:
getting pay. When a jongpen travels, he pays nothing on
the way, but has free transport wherever he goes.

7th September. Halt at Towa. We lazed in the morning waiting
for the summons to eat with the jongpen. He came himself
about 11:30, and after his visit we went up to the Dzong to
lunch. It was the usual pleasant meal of gyatu with
Chang - very excellent and satisfying. The jongpen is a nice
young man of 32, and was very obliging to us. I think
he would let us go by any route we wanted to. At any
rate the Lalung - Munda - Ling route is decided on.

8th September. To LALUNG 13,250' 8 miles. The path is good and
direct the whole way to Lalung. For the first 3 1/2 miles it
is through the Towa cultivation, then across stony waste land
to m 5 1/2 where the Lhobrak valley narrows to a gorge. At
m 7 the valley again broadens out and cultivation
is met. Lalung monastery lies on the left bank, and the
river is crossed by a bridge opposite the monastery. A very
good camping ground is in a willow garden in front of the
monastery. Water and fuel ample. Yesterday during
lunch we asked the jongpen whether he thought the
Tashi Lama would return to Tibet. This is one of the
things Williamson will certainly have to discuss at
Lhassa. The jongpen was full of hope, as a great
number of Tibetans are. One of the reasons he gave

SUMMARY:
The party remains near Tsomgo waiting for the pass to open, collecting near Lagyap La, with the diarist noting a likely delay in reaching Gangtok by the 21st. On 9 May at Tsomgo (Changu), most mules returned to Gangtok with Danong to seek his brother and send food; after collecting birds during a brief clear spell, two lamas—envoys of the Tashi Lama—passed with a 50‑mule caravan bound for Shigatse despite heavy snow.

CONTENT:
8
down for food for ourselves, and remain here till the pass
opens. We can collect a fair amount near Lagyap La
above - more than we could at Karponang. It is still
snowing and raining hard here. The bungalow is quite
reasonably comfortable and with plenty of rhododendron wood,
we can keep it warm. As I have to be in Gangtok
on 21st, it looks as if I would not be able to get over
the pass till after that - it would hardly be worth while.

9th May. TSOMGO (Changu). All except three mules returned to Gangtok
this morning, with Danong (Lepcha Collector) who will try to find out what
has happened to his brother, and will send up food for
us tomorrow. It was fine in the early morning, and
thawing hard, but by 8:30 rain came on. We walked
down three miles to collect some birds, and then rode home
for lunch about 12:00, when it again cleared up for an
hour. The two lamas who have come from China to
arrange or discuss about the return of the Tashi Lama
passed Tsomgo at 12:30 with a caravan of 50 mules.
They had with them a number of coolies who
are to remain with them till their caravan gets over
the pass. We thought that they would manage it, with all
these men, but shortly after they left us, the snow came
on again heavily, and now I can't see how they can
manage. If they do, we hope to also. The Tibetan is a

B. 3. contd. Two lamas, envoys of the Tashi Lama, on their way to Shigatse, pass Tsomgo with a large caravan.

SUMMARY:
Heavy snow has closed the pass near Tsomgo, with temperatures around freezing and ongoing snowfall; film and exposure notes are recorded. On 8th May, Danong scouted towards the Natu La and reported over five feet of snow and lost mule loads, leading to plans to send mules back to Gangtok for rations. Karponang bungalow is reportedly occupied by two lamas, emissaries of the Tashi Lama, preventing use of that stop.

CONTENT:
7

feet of snow on the pass. Normally the pass is open all
year, the rhododendrons should be coming into flower here,
instead of being under 2 ft of snow as they now are. There
seems little or no hope of our crossing for some days yet.
My bad luck on passes seems to continue. Min. temp in
verandah today was 33°: maximum in verandah 45°, but
maximum outside 50°. Snow is thawing hard, but
fresh light snow continually falling. Light given by
Electrophot in open, between f 16 & 22.

Cine Film B3.
Close up of caravan man. f 8 & x.

8th May. TSOMGO. A lovely morning from sunrise till 9.0, when
mist came down and it snowed. Two men (Danong and a muleteer,
Lepcha Coleen) sent up the pass with mules to see whether we can get on tomorrow.
Ludlow and I walked down towards Lagyap La for birds - the
only collecting we can do. Found one dazed moth in the snow
on the path. 3.0 pm. Danong came back, having gone five
miles towards the Natu La. He reports that even there, the
snow is over five feet deep, and that several mules and their
loads have been lost. He thinks there is no hope of crossing
for five days anyway, and says that even with 50 coolies we
should have no hope. Karponang bungalow is occupied
we believe by two lamas, emissaries of the Tashi Lama
who is thought to be intending to return to Tibet. So we
could not go there even if we wanted to. Our idea is to
let the mules return to Gangtok for rations: send Danong

B. 3.
Tsomgo lake evening and early morning