Part 71 - Langong halts, route planning, and march toward Langong Chu

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SUMMARY:
Rainy halt days in Langong with a meeting with the gyimpon, who arranges coolies and discusses routes via Lo La, Trashigong, and the Tsari Sama pilgrimage, with notes on the difficult Migyitun road over the Potsang La. The party moves to a camp by the upper bridge over the Langong Chu, collects plants (including Meconopsis), struggles with midges and slow coolies, and then reaches above Singo Samba where a bridge’s planks appear to have been removed.

CONTENT:
35

9th June. Halt. Langong. Rain most of the night, rain today. This is the first day there has been no wind in Langong. The gyimpon came to call, we had a long talk. He is ordering coolies for all I want, which now is to go to the Lo La, stay there 5 or 6 days, come back to the lowest bridge and then do the Tsari Sama pilgrimage. This is not as I had thought, a longish circle, coming back by the Chumbumbu La, but only a small one from Trashigong back to Trashigong, which can, with difficulty, be made in a day. We should take four days from bridge to bridge. It sounds quite promising. Rations for coolies may be a little difficult. The gyimpon tells me the Migyitun road is possible, but very difficult, over the Potsang La, would take three days. This is what I heard in Migyitun. I hope we may go there in Oct.-Nov. Langong is covered with snow from the Tibetan 10th to 3rd months, even the rivers being covered over. In Langong village, on the south side of the valley, he says they don't have much more than one foot of snow in a fall.

10th June. Halt. Langong. Heavy rain last night. Clouded, with showers all day. We went down the left bank under the cliffs, found flowers there had come on a lot, got quite a good haul, but nothing of outstanding interest. Coolies all promised for tomorrow morning.

11th June. To Camp at upper bridge over Langong Chu. 10 miles. Wet night, but mostly fine today till 3.0 p.m. A disappointing day. I had hoped to find much more out, but really there is little change down here since we came up. Meconopsis betonicifolia is very common, and I still think is a poor flower, beaten easily by Meconopsis simplicifolia, and most of the others. Midges very bad all day, making walking no rest at all. Coolies very slow, but quite a cheery, pleasant crowd, much more so than the Molo people.

12th June. Camp 3 miles above Singo Samba. Wet night and a very wet day. A bad day in all ways. Although most of the Langong people seem nice, especially the gyimpon, there are some nasty bits of work. And we seem to have struck them. I went on ahead today and reached Singo Samba by 9.0 a.m. There was no bridge there. Someone has lifted the two big planks and let them go down the river. There can be no other explanation; I am quite positive it was done by...