Part 53 - July 14: Descent from Milakatong La to Tsukang/Shao; departure from Tawang

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SUMMARY:
The party descends north from Milakatong La, follows a lake and river, and reaches Tsukang (Shao) around mile 16, noting scant barley and rhododendron fuel. They express relief at leaving rain-soaked Tawang, criticize incompetent local officials, and describe a route transitioning from dense jungle to bamboo, rhododendron, and finally grass with dwarf rhododendron, alongside a list of collected plants.

CONTENT:
July 14.
Milakatong La

P. sikkimensis 652=667
" obliqua 655
" Calderiana (Roylei) 658
" macrophylla 657
" sikkimensis 662
" alpicola 663
" pusilla 665
" sapphirina 666
Meconopsis villosa 649
Notholirion macrophyllum 650
Corydalis trifoliata 651
Swertia hookeri 654
Meconopsis horridula 659
Rhododendron hypenanthum 660
Campanula aristata 664

North of the pass, the descent is easy over open rocky hillside. A lake is seen to the N. West and the river met at m 14. From this lake followed down to the East to TSUKANG or SHAO at m 16. Here there is rhododendron wood fuel. A very little barley is grown, but probably does not ripen. Shao consists of about a dozen stone built houses. We were thoroughly glad to be shut of that miserable place Tawang. It rained all the time we were there, and we were for nearly the whole time in the mist.

The acting body for the Jongpen were an acute sodden womanising lot of poops. When our coolies were once off the mark, they went well enough: the trouble was simply that the officials were incapable of giving an order. Half the coolies started yesterday, the others with our bedding etc came on today. It rained from start to finish, and was miserably cold the whole time. The ground we covered was most interesting from a flower point of view. First we were in pretty dense jungle: this gave way to bamboo jungle, then to rhododendron jungle, till finally nothing was left but grass and dwarf rhododendron with the typical Tibetan dry zone potentilla. It was not a dry zone for us though. The hills are covered with a very dwarf pink rhododendron which makes them look like moors in

Rhododendron hypenanthum 661