Showing 19 results

SUMMARY:
The writer describes startling wildlife encounters including partridges and a close sighting of a panther, with no time to photograph. Notes record hot, windy conditions and a route descending from Phunzor to a cantilever bridge over the Rindi Chu, then along the Mangde Chu right bank through Pinus longifolia forest with some cultivation observed.

CONTENT:
minutes later I walked on a pair of partridges, which flew up into a tree. Then a little further on I walked round a corner of the path, there was a panther only 20 yards away coming towards us. He came another 5 yards then saw us, turned and went up the hillside. It was lovely to see him so close and quite undisturbed. I had no time to get a photo of any of these three episodes of course, though I tried to get the camera ready for the panther.

9th May. Bashaling. 8 miles. BP. 105.7° Temp. 80° Time 2:00 pm. HV.

No rain last night after 6:00 pm. Fine and very hot today, but with a pretty strong up valley wind just like Trashigong. Path falls steeply from Phunzor, which is in a side valley, to the Rindi Chu which is crossed by a cantilever bridge at 1/2 m. Thence ascent steep to m 1. After this path is more or less level.

Chiefly lies through Pinus forest on a steep dry hillside. At m 3 a cattle shed is passed and at m 4 1/2 a little cultivation is seen below the path. The path keeps on the Mangde Chu R bank all the way and from m 4 1/2 falls gradually, getting a little closer to the river. The forest almost all the way is mainly Pinus longifolia. At m 6 1/2 a prominent ridge

SUMMARY:
Beyond Adas, the right bank is heavily forested with Pinus longifolia. Around mile 15, the Mara Chu meets the Wangdipotrang River.

CONTENT:
Beyond Adas the R bank is almost completely covered with
Pinus longifolia, a very big forest. At approximately m 15,
the Mara Chu meets the Wangdipotrang River.

SUMMARY:
Travel continues through dense forest to a camp at mile 11. On 30 March the party goes 9 miles to Byiti Sam over Mön La, descending into pine forests along the Mangde Chu and collecting Bauhinia and Erythrina flowers; Bhutanese porters are fewer than expected. On 31 March they proceed 8 miles to Shamagong Dzong (~6500'), crossing the Mangde Chu on a bamboo 'Pin' raft after confusion about the bridge and making a cautious detour.

CONTENT:
...steeply down to another valley small river at m 7. From there
ascent is never steep, but is constant, up the river bank, in a
narrow gorge which gets narrower as one goes up. The forest is
dense all the way. Camp in a small clearing at m 11.

30 March Byiti Sam 9 miles. There was a little rain yesterday
evening, but none today, though clouded and close. Bhutanese
should have met us at camp, but only 27 came, one had to
send on for another 22. So kit will not all be in till very
late. The road today was much easier. First up a
steady ascent for 1 mile to the Mön La, then very steeply
down for 3 miles, less steep for a further 2 miles. Here the
valley suddenly opens out and the left bank is a fine forest of
Pinus longifolia. Path continues easily down slight descent
with pine on the left all the way. Beyond the Mangde Chu
also are pines. The only remarkable things today were the
magnificent Bauhinias and Erythrinas, which are very
common about 2-3000'. Took a lot of flowers but not
very interesting.

31st March Shamagong Dzong 8 miles. about 6500'. 5 hours going slow.
We were shooed away from the bridge, without knowing where it
was and went up the right bank to a queer contraption called a
'Pin', consisting of about 20 long bamboos tied together with a
small square platform of 8' on top amidstships. On to this boat
only one of us was allowed at a time, while two men, one
forward and one astern pushed the thing across the Mangde Chu by
two tight male bamboo ropes stretched tight from bank to bank.
A detour was made because it was feared that we might not

SUMMARY:
The party traveled along a path that descended to Vugar, where coolies were changed, then ascended past Drula toward Takila, noting the local name KAMGON for a red Prunus as in Pome. On reaching Takila, they reflected it was the same place visited in 1933 when called Tamashu, found the route mostly through dry oak and Pinus longifolia zones, and later met with Ashe Wangmoo for a long visit.

CONTENT:
Nothing else was outstanding, but these three finds were enough to make the day a good one. We got in at a little before 12:00, all rather tired. The path was not steep at first; in fact, it was flat for a good long way before dropping steeply down about 2000' to Vugar, where there is a fine bridge over the river. Here the coolies were changed. The path then is gradually up the rest of the way, with a few steep climbs after the village of Drula. Ashe Wangmoo sent more men to meet us at Vugar, + 3 mules to meet us here. She says she is coming to see us tomorrow. Curiously enough, the red Prunus is called here KAMGON, the same as in Pome. Locals also say there is no seed, as in Pome.

17th April. TAKILA. 11 good miles. 5 1/2 hours. This is exactly the same place as we stopped at in 1933, but then it was called Tamashu. The road today was not interesting. It is nearly all through a 'dry' zone of oak & Pinus longifolia covered hillside alternating with quite extensive areas of cultivation. We saw a number of flowers, but none of any particular interest. We were in at 11:30, then waited for Ashe Wangmoo to arrive. She came an hour later & sat in our tent for three hours while we tried our best to talk intelligent Tibetan to her. That was not easy

SUMMARY:
Diary entries describe steep descents and ascents between Khomanaggri and Balfai, crossing the Tsalari, Temri Chu, and Jiri Chu, with camps at Yembo La and Balfai. Birds were shot and seen; Lilium wallichianum was abundant on recently jhumed slopes. The sister of the Trashigong Dzongpen visited the party; weather was hot with an evening thunder shower.

CONTENT:
up to about 6500' then a gradual descent to camp. It is awful the way one constantly loses height here. Tomorrow again we have to go right down to the main valley again. Shot a few birds & missed many. The jungle is frightfully thick & impossible to retrieve birds from if any distance off the path. The sister of the Trashigong Dzongpen lives here, & came to call on us.

25th June. KHOMANAGGRI. 8 miles. 204.0° = 4215' Temp. 75°. The road drops steeply down to the main valley about 3500' & crosses the Tsalari & Temri Chu. Then steep ascent again through pine forest (P. longifolia) to the Yembo La, where a magnificent camp was pitched for us. No flowers, but birds good. Beautiful day & frightfully hot. Thunder shower in evening.

26th June. BALFAI. 10 miles. (199.9° = 6,420') Temp. 84°. Road falls rapidly on leaving camp to the Jiri Chu, crossed by a bridge at m 2. Then a steep ascent for a short way, & afterwards steady the whole way to camp at Balfai. Most of the way is through pine forest (Pinus longifolia), with a few rhododendrons & oak trees. A good deal of the hillside seems to have been 'jhumed' fairly lately, & so is free of undergrowth. On one or two of these patches Lilium wallichianum is growing in profusion (564). Just

SUMMARY:
The diarist reports persistent rain, a march near Kunzam with plant collecting including Albizia sherriffii seed, and a halt due to weather. News arrives that the Khoma Chu bridge below camp was destroyed, affecting Betty’s party, while rations were issued under H.H.’s orders and many sick parades occurred; later the party moves toward Pang Kha, with Betty and Hicks accompanying as far as Khoma before parting.

CONTENT:
great deal of rain, again today, I don't remember this at all in 1937. Sometimes the morning is fine, but always rain starts in the evening, or at night. It is at any rate better like that than rain in the morning.

19th. Kunzam. c 4 hours 8 miles. B.P. 205.2° T. 67°. 6.0pm Ht 3850'
Quite an interesting day, as we got 21 flowers, though nothing of outstanding interest. Albizia sherriffii is again to be seen, & looks a very fine tree indeed. I got seed for the first time today. The path drops down very steeply on an insignificant path which was very muddy & difficult to walk on. It drops down to the river bank in 3 miles or so, then is easy up the bank all the way. The hillside is bare though, with some Pinus longifolia, except where a side stream comes in.

20 & 21st April. Halt. Mostly rain. Today we heard that the bridge over the Khoma Chu just below camp was carried away. That means Betty & Co must go all the way up the side valley to Khoma, & will not reach Lhuentse tomorrow. We have had a great issuing out of rations from the Dzong. H.H.'s orders are that we are all to be fed free, it seems. I have kept a list & will try to settle with H.H. later. There have been large sick parades here, mostly worms & gonorrhoea, even boys of 14 suffering from the latter.

22nd April. Pang Kha. (Camp 2 miles beyond) 8 miles. B.P. 195.7° Temp 53°. 1.0pm Ht. approx. 9116'. Sun fine up till 11.0, then rain the rest of the day. Betty & Hicks had to come with me as far as Khoma where the next bridge over the Khoma Chu is. So we walked up together, & parted there. Betty was very good & showed nothing when the

SUMMARY:
Travel past last year's camp at Tsingorn, then from Kini the route climbs steeply above the Tawang Chu with largely bare hillsides, passing some cultivation and villages. A very short march follows to Changpu via a side nala, with notes on tropical vegetation and observations of inquisitive locals including Tibetans.

CONTENT:
past our last year's camp at Tsingorn. Very hot and rather uninteresting, a few flowering trees and shrubs of a tropical kind being found only. On the west face, there is more vegetation than on the east, and nearly all trees are again Pinus longifolia.

20th March. KINI. 6 miles. B.P. 203.6 Temp. 67°. Ht approx. 4770'.
After getting to the bridge over the Trashingangsi river, the path climbs pretty steeply at first up the shoulder. It keeps above the R. bank of the Tawang Chu, 1000 ft or more above it. The hillside is almost completely bare at this time of year, with some fields uncultivated. Some vegetation is passed in re-entrants. The last two miles are approximately level. Above the path there are villages and a good deal of cultivation. This valley is like the Gamri Chu, in that there are many inhabitants. The people are very inquisitive, having never seen any Europeans before. There seem to be a good number of Tibetans living in these villages.

21st March. Changpu. 4 miles. B.P. 200.1 Temp 72°. Ht approx 6872'.
An absurdly small march. The path leads down from the small village of Kini to a side nala with a small river.

SUMMARY:
Orchids and magnolias were noted near the pass, and a snake that struck the diarist’s shoe was killed by Tsongpen. Rinso struggled with the local dialect, and the writer records route details around Nabzi, including the confluence at Nimjhong, the path to Trongsa via the Takotse La, and camp and weather notes.

CONTENT:
Coelogyne corymbosa 2954 Dendrobium nobile 2957 10
Phaius flavus 2956

Other flowers were mostly orchids. We passed and killed one snake, said to be poisonous. It ran right into my foot, hitting my shoe, but did not seem to be particularly angry. Tsongpen dealt with it with a stick. Magnolias were very common up near the pass; as there were some pink ones, they are probably Mag. campbellii. But the one we took was neither that nor M. globosa, probably a michelia. The locals talk a dialect Rinso has a great deal of difficulty in understanding. Beside the village, opposite, there are some Pinus longifolia, but not enough to exploit. This river meets the Trongsa Chu at Nimjhong. From Nabzi a path leads to Trongsa and takes five days from here. There is sometimes some snow, but the path is open all year round, over the Takotse La.

29th April. Nabzi. 1 1/2 m. BP. 204.2° Temp 4000' 76° Time 4.0 pm.
Kept the coolies and came on here this morning, as being a better camp. Path crosses river by bridge and leads straight up to the cultivated fields of buckwheat. At the top of these lies Nabzi, where there is a monastery. Fine all day yesterday and all last night.

SUMMARY:
The diary describes following the Mara Chu, crossing small side streams and ridges, and reaching a camp at mile 8. It notes the village of Adao, whose inhabitants move to Phobjikha during the rains and occasionally return to tend crops, with some fever present. Observations include abundant R. Maddenii/R. Edgeworthii and a fine forest of Pinus longifolia opposite Adao.

CONTENT:
absolutely solidly the rest of the evening - real Bhutan rain at its very
best. The path follows what is here known as the Mara Chu, the
whole way down. It is good most of the way, sometimes sunken.
At m 3 a big side valley from the R is crossed, then the path
ascends easily to m 4 1/2 the highest point reached. Up till here there
is some cultivation. Then an easy, though steep in places, descent
to near the main river again to 6 level to 6 1/2 where another
sidestream is crossed. Both are small. The main valley is here
narrow and steep sided, the path ascends to a ridge, crossed at
m 7. Thence descent begins easily at first to m 8 camp.
The Mara Chu here must fall very rapidly indeed, and both sides
of the valley are very steep and precipitous. About 1 m further
on a valley enters from the Right on the L bank of the
Mara Chu, above m 11 is ADAO a biggish village with
lots of cultivation. The inhabitants of Adao all leave their
village at this time and go to Phobjikha, just returning every now
and then to look after their crops. There is some fever in Adao during
the rains. / Here R. Maddenii or R. Edgeworthii are very common
indeed. Opposite Adao I see forest of Pinus longifolia, and it looks
a very fine forest indeed, bigger than any I have yet seen,

SUMMARY:
The party leaves Naszi, traverses along the Tirgang Chu, crosses side valleys, and turns up the Mangde (Trongsa) Chu above the river, noting oak and Pinus longifolia forests and cultivation near Nimshong. It rains intermittently, and during a halt Tendu, Trongpen, and the diarist press a fern when a serow suddenly charges past them.

CONTENT:
Leaving Naszi, keeping 1/2 mile or so from the left bank of the Tirgang Chu, and well above it. To 1 1/2 m. path climbs, from 1 1/2 to 3 it is almost level, then a deep side valley is crossed, and another at m 4. Thence path leads slightly down and is easy. At m 7 more open forest is met. This gradually becomes almost all oak and Pinus longifolia. At m 8 1/2 the path turns up the right bank of the Mangde (Trongsa) Chu and keeping 1000 ft or more above the river goes up stream. Just before camp is reached, the path drops steeply. Considerable cultivation can be seen on the right bank of the Tirgang Chu 1 m above its junction with the Mangde Chu. The village is called Nimshong. Both banks of the Mangde Chu have considerable forests of Pinus longifolia. Rained as we left and we had two or three more showers during the day. During one halt however we had rather fun. Tendu, Trongpen and I were pressing a fern, on the path. There was thick jungle above and below and just 5 or 10 yards clearance for the path, running along a steep hillside. We heard something dashing down from above straight to us. Then suddenly a serow charged out straight at us 8 yards away, sheered off and brushed past us then slap down the hillside. Ten