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SUMMARY:
Route notes from a camp above Churam crossing the Cha La towards Tsari Chu, with distances, elevations, and observations of vegetation and weather. Mentions seasonal grazing over the pass and a lama’s differing account about an incarnation.

CONTENT:
the incarnation, although that is not what the lama told us.

15th May Camp 1 m above Churam. Tsari Chu. 12 m. B.P. 187° Temp 50°
Time 3.30 Ht. 14104 ft. The path to the Cha La is good & not very steep. Pass the Cha La at m 4, 16600 ft. Descent on north side very gradual indeed. At m 8 pass a nala mouth on the L bank where another road joins. From about here on, there is a gradual increase in vegetation. Before Churam is reached, the south side is thickly covered with Rhododendron & a certain amount of juniper scrub. No snow on the pass in May. About this time of year mules & horses are sent over the Cha La to graze in Tsari valley. Cremnopitilon heard all the way down since the scrub was noticed. Primulas are not yet out. On the top of the pass was the new sikkimensis, & down both sides masses of P. Roylei & pygmaeorum. The Rhododendrons here won't be in flower for a couple of months I should say. Our usual luck was with us on the pass. Yesterday was a perfect day with hardly a cloud. Today we could see only a few miles, and in the evening had some rain.

SUMMARY:
On 8 August the party travelled 9 miles to Lungur (below the Tongu La) in heavy rain, noting glaciers and a snow mountain to the west; despite having six 'riding' yaks they all arrived on foot. The writer engaged a lama to collect seed of Thalictrum, Meconopsis and Primula (including a small Meconopsis near the Tulung La), purchased a local hat for 5 tankhas, and found two gentians and an Allium on the way down to Mago.

CONTENT:
tomorrow morning, so as we may examine
them and take photos. I purchased a local type
of hat today, price 5 tankhas.

8th August. To LUNGUR. 13035'. 9 miles. (the camp of July 22 below the Tongu La) Left in comparatively
good weather, but by 1.0 pm the rain came on very heavily
indeed, and we all arrived about 3.30 very wet, cold and
[Mago 8th Aug] pretty miserable. I have taken the lama with me
who will come on tomorrow too for a bit. I have
shown him, and told him to collect seed of Thalictrum,
Meconopsis and Primula and tomorrow will show him the
[mec. bella 708] other small mec (708) near the Tulung La. I think he
will manage to collect all. He knows something of
Meconopsis when they should be ready, as they eat
the seeds, and also the shoots before the flowers appear.

[Gentianella paludosa 776, " azurea 777, Allium aff sikkimense 778] Found 2 gentians today, and an Allium
and one or two other things not out on our way
down to Mago.

There are signs of a big
snow mountain to the west of Lungur up the side
valley. Glaciers can be dimly seen through the
mist.

Today we had 6 "riding" yaks with
us, but it is significant that all of us arrived
in camp walking. One never knows what a
yak may do. One minute he will be as docile
as possible, and the next he will have you off.

SUMMARY:
The diarist rejects the Droshing La road and goes toward Kyimpu, arriving after an 8-mile march at 12,800 ft with afternoon thunder and heavy rain despite general drought in the valley. He settles accounts and dismisses the lama’s man, Norshu, accusing him of exploiting locals, and notes a report relayed via the headman of Kyimpu previously met at Sanga Choling.

CONTENT:
here, the money was all taken by the man I have had sent with me. He says the lama takes it all. I refused to give it him, but he says that the coolies are quite happy about it, and always give it up, and he then divides it amongst them all later on. It sounds a rotten arrangement I must say, and bet they don't get much of it themselves in the end. A road goes off here to the Droshing La, said to be the best road, but I want to go to Kyimpu from where another passable track is supposed to lead to the pass.

3rd July. Kyimpu - 8 miles. 12,800'. Fine till about 2:30 when there was a lot of thunder and for the rest of the day heavy rain. Obviously there had been little rain in this valley, as nearly all flowers and leaves were drooping, if not dead. The locals say that they had one heavy rainstorm since we were here last, nearly two months ago. Paid off the lama's man Norshu, and was thoroughly glad to get rid of him. He is a rogue of the first water and exercises awful 'zulum' on the locals. The headman of Kyimpu had told us in Sanga Choling that he had the eggs of

SUMMARY:
The writer discusses notable rhododendrons collected, plans to leave on the 6th, and having sent mail via the Trim headman to Chayul, asking him to collect meconopsis seeds from the Drichung La. A passport misunderstanding with the local Lama is resolved, leading to assistance, and the writer comments on Lumsden’s poor performance while noting Ludlow’s rhododendron likely matches R. campylogynum.

CONTENT:
He must have brought back 15 other rhododendrons, some of which will I think extend the known range of Chinese varieties a long way further to the West. The pick of the bunch seems to be what I think K.W calls the Scarlet Runner, and another raisin coloured one, with bloom and all, which was most noticeable. We decided to leave here on the 6th and are busy packing up all flowers and birds, and re-arranging stores once more. We sent off a mail yesterday morning, the Trim headman taking it as far as Chayul. I have told him to try and collect seeds of the pink meconopsis from the Drichung La in a month to 6 weeks time, as he lives pretty close to its habitat. The Lama here we now find, was really under the impression, as everyone else was, that we had no passport. Hence our difficulty when here before. We have now shown it him, and he has sent men all over the place saying we must have whatever we want. Lumsden I gather was a complete washout. He collected nothing and did nothing all the way. He will not interest himself in anything at all. The rhododendron 'Scarlet Runner' which Ludlow found seems to be R. campylogynum, or something very near it. I