Showing 3 results

SUMMARY:
The party splits as W and Mrs W go to Punakha while the diarist and Ludlow, on Tobgye's advice, take a dense leech-infested jungle path from below Lomitsawa towards Wangdupotrang. They avoid shooting due to sensitivities in the late Shabdrung’s area near Thimbu, collect some birds, butterflies, and plants, and after a tiring nine-hour trek reach the Punakha Chu/Mo Chu; camp conditions are filthy with flies, mud, and fleas.

CONTENT:
36

Nearly every tree trunk was covered with moss. Birds were therefore different too, and we had quite an interesting bag. It is again very difficult to find shot birds in the intensely dense jungle. This is a filthy small camp, full of flies and mud. Yesterday too was bad, and Ludlow had little sleep owing to fleas.

70
1st July. TO WANGDUPOTRANG. 10 miles (by jungle path 16 miles). 4508' (An Ht. ). W and Mrs W went off to Punakha, and Ludlow and I decided on Tobgye's advice to go to Wangdupotrang by a jungle path. As we

(B. 16. contd) View from Lomitsawa down towards Wangdi Potrang in the misty early morning.

were still in the late Shabdrung's area, in Thimbu, the Penlop of which died the other day, Tobgye did not want us to shoot on the normal route, as the transport men talk, and the fact of our shooting here may get to the ears of the Maharaja's lama, who at present holds such power over the Maharaja. We therefore left the main route ½ mile below Lomitsawa, and turned into the re-entrant to the South West.

magnificent fern with fronds 3-5 ft long
This led us into the densest jungle we have seen, and full of leeches - even worse than Sikkim. We hardly dared to stop a second, as our feet became covered with them.

Schima wallichii 201
Polygala arillata 202
Pyrola rotundifolia 203

There were good butterflies to be caught though, and also we managed to get a few birds and some flowers. The route was as tiring as I have yet come across in Bhutan, and we walked for 9 hours before reaching here. This is on the Punakha Chu or Mo Chu, which we joined at

• SUMMARY:
  Evening dancing by local men, including a lama, with observations on the music. On 14 June Ludlow went down the Ha while the writer climbed the Paro road and shot a tragopan; preparations were made for W’s arrival. Notes for 15–19 June in Ha mention entertainments such as archery, football, and a musk deer/serow drive, with botanical collections recorded.

CONTENT:
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Report of 10. very good quality.

After dinner eight men came in and danced. They were led by a very fat man, with a most amusing face, who seems to be the leading light in all games. A lama was also made to take part, much to the old lama's amusement and delight. The music is pleasant, quite unlike Chinese or Indian music, and is such that we can understand and appreciate. It is rather mournful, a lot of it, typically hillmen's music.

14th June. Ludlow went 5 miles down the Ha, and I went 2000' up the Paro road. I returned at 2.0 pm soaked, Ludlow at 5.0 pm having had no rain. At last shot a 'pi bap' or tragopan, a most beautiful bird. Had a hectic evening trying to finish off what we could before W's arrival tomorrow. His advent will mess up our collecting horribly.
[Kyu La. Meconopsis 92 "superba" 93.]

B.10 contd.

• 15-19th June. HA. [Ha. Lilium giganteum 119, Arisaema flavum 120.] The last few days have been rather disturbed ones, with something provided for W's amusement most of the time. One day archery; one day football, one day a drive for musk deer and serow. Ludlow and I turned up for the deer drive, as guns were wanted. Three

SUMMARY:
From Gangtok, the writer notes a meeting with H.H. Sir Tashi Namgyal and plans to depart on 5th May with a return later in the month for a wedding, while severe hailstorms in Sikkim devastate gardens. On 5th May they travel to Karponang but stop short of Changu due to rain, noting vegetation changes en route, and mention delays and freight rates from Gielle Khola.

CONTENT:
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Gielle Khola on 23rd, but has not yet arrived by this morning - 27th - although the distance is only 40 miles or so. The rate was Rs 1/2 per maund.

27th. Gangtok. Called on the Maharaja of Sikkim H.H. Sir Tashi Namgyal K.C.I.E. He and his wife both received us. He is a small but pleasant man: his wife is a nice looking woman who speaks quite good English. She is Tibetan, as is the custom of all Sikkim rulers.

3rd May. Gangtok. Arranged to leave on 5th May, and agreed on pressure to be W's best man, which means returning from Lingmathang to be here on 20th for the wedding on 22nd. All boxes packed and arranged at last. Rain and hail are awful in Sikkim. The ground was covered over 1" deep in hail yesterday evening, and all the flowers in the garden were destroyed, roses and foxgloves being cut right off by hail. The water lily leaves were cut up into pulp in a most extraordinary way.

Hailstorms frequent occurrence at Gangtok in the Spring.

5th May. KARPONANG. 10 miles. 9000'. It was pouring in the early morning, so we waited till 9:45 before leaving. Reached here 2:30 as rain again started, decided to remain and not go on to Changu as originally intended. Both very glad to leave Gangtok and get on the road again. The road is good and climbs steadily the 3000 ft from Gangtok. Vegetation changes as one gets up. We soon left all the pipal trees behind and reached a zone of bamboo: then above that to rhododendrons - great big trees.

pipal tree of the Hindus - Ficus religiosa. Throughout Sikkim - top diamond etc. and tail.