Part 29 - Marches to Nye and Kyimdong Dzong via Kongbo Nga La, 5–6 April

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SUMMARY:
The diary records a hard ascent over the Kongbo Nga La to Nye with notes on rhododendrons, larch, birch, juniper, and sightings including crossoptilon, large black woodpeckers, a Camberwell Beauty, and a blood pheasant, alongside seed collecting and march times. The following day describes an easier, mostly level route to Kyimdong Dzong via Shu and the Kyimdong Chu, noting Berberis near Kyimdong and a meeting with the local dzongpen, while sending two men to check whether the Lang La is open.

CONTENT:
5th April. NYE. 11 miles. Fine morning, clouded afternoon: some snow on the hill tops. A hard day but quite interesting. Path leads up the Lapu Chu left bank for 2 miles, then up the right bank to mile 3 1/2. So far the ascent is easy but path not very good. Thence the ascent is very direct and steep to the Kongbo Nga La, 14470', mile 6. Descent is equally steep. On either side of the pass, about 1 1/2 miles from it is a house. A small nala is reached, and followed for a short way, then the path climbs up the spur on the right bank and drops down to Nye, where there is a good deal of cultivation, and several houses. On the west side of the pass are many rhododendrons, some larches and large areas of birch beside scrub of all kinds. In this I flushed a dozen crossoptilon and saw 5 or 6 very large black woodpeckers of a kind not in the F.B.I. They are about the size of a chough, absolutely black, with the exception of the male having a bright chestnut band across his forehead. I could not shoot any. Besides getting some seeds, I got two butterflies, which for a few moments were fairly common. One was a Camberwell Beauty. On the east side I flushed two "kuling", and later on shot a blood pheasant, most beautifully coloured, and in excellent plumage. Two primulas were in bloom, pink. Pine trees are common and away to the south we could see firs as well. On the east there are many more junipers than on the west. A trying march: left at 6:40, in at 3:30 and some of the kit not in till 6:00 pm or later.

6th April. KYIMDONG DZONG. 14 miles. c 11000'. Fine morning, clouded afternoon, some rain and snow on the hills. An uninteresting march. The path is easy on the whole level. First through cultivation for a mile, then at mile 2 pass a small village. From here on there are no villages till Shu is reached at mile 12. There is a lot of sand and gravel which continues till the Tsangpo is left at mile 9 1/2 where the path climbs steeply up a cliff on the right bank. From here it descends gradually to Shu village, where a side valley is crossed. The Kyimdong Chu is followed first on the left bank then on the right, up to Kyimdong Dzong, situated where the valley from the Lang La meets that from the Pa and Bimbi Las. Nothing of any interest seen today, except Berberis which is just out close to Kyimdong. The dzongpen, a lama, is a young man and seems nice. He does not know whether the Lang La is open or not, but we are sending two men