Part 119 - Karteng to Trangphu travel notes with transport changes and mail concerns in Bhutan

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SUMMARY:
Notes on difficult flies and evening rain near a village; on 27 May the party travels to Karteng with three efficient transport changes and notes less helpful locals and lack of meat. The writer met Bhutanese at Tashigong, worries mail from Tsola to Tobgye may not have arrived, and records that Dopala the Dzongpon is in Lhasa; on 28 May they reach Trangphu in very hot weather.

CONTENT:
"Bhutanese silver": I don't know what they mean by that, unless it is the old tankha. Flies again very bad indeed, although we camp in a clean place some way away from the village. A good deal of rain in the evening and night.

27th May Karteng. Transport changes 3 times today, but the changes are well done. We changed at Gyipu (2 1/2 hours), Sarbang (1 3/4 hours), another place (1 1/4 hrs) and took from there on to here 1/2 hour. But the changes were quick: the first took 15 mins, the second 30 mins, and the third 5 mins. So the whole march did not take unduly long. All the coolies walk as fast as we can, in spite of their loads, and are full of fun the whole time, joking away amongst themselves. Here the people don't seem to be so pleasant or helpful. I have had little help here, except what is essential. No meat available except for "Bhutanese silver". I met some Bhutanese yesterday at Tashigong, who said they had heard nothing about our coming to Bhutan, so I wonder if our mail from Tsola ever got through to Tobgye. It may be a bit difficult if it did not, as Dopala the Dzongpon has gone to Lhasa and won't be back till the 5th month.

28th May Trangphu. Fine and very hot indeed. Rather a trying day. We went down