Part 85 - Molo to Lilung Chu via Pämse, late June: flowers, letters, and transport

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SUMMARY:
Travel and halts around Molo with heavy rain, abundant flowering noted, and a letter from Ludlow reporting good flower prospects and route constraints. Reports of the Singo Samba bridge being destroyed prompt local officials to plan repairs, and ponies are arranged by the Bharang Shiga Agent for the move to a camp on the Lilung Chu. Wireless news is heard during halts, with little collecting success on some days.

CONTENT:
To 24th June. Molo 7 miles. Fine in the morning, then heavy rain from 10.0 am on. Kucho had gone ahead yesterday to arrange transport at Pämse, so we did not have to wait this morning.

There is a great change here, and flowers abound. The hillside, south face, is covered with the big Androsace strigillosa var. canescens, and P. jaffreyana is out too, but only near Molo—it does not appear further up, until one gets a good long way above Pämse. Iris decora is common the whole way down from Pämse, and mixes with another here. A letter is here from Ludlow—from Tse 6th June. He seems to think that flowers will be extremely good down that way; already they have a fine lot of things, much better I fear than I have. I am very glad to get his news from there. The Tsela Dzongpen is alright but does not want them to go to Pemakö, only as far as the Doshong La. He also mentions how he thinks June is the month for rhododendrons and July and August for primulas. So we are not too late, but should walk into good stuff as soon as we leave Lilung. It all sounds very good, and most cheering to me, as I have been rather depressed about flowers this year. I cannot hear much about the Singo Samba bridge, but the locals here in Bharang Shiga say that the Langong people have destroyed it. The Pachakshiri gyinpon is here, and is determined the bridge shall be repaired, as he has to get back to Lalung.

25th and 26th June. Halt. Molo. Both days rainy, with some fine intervals, but no sun. I put up the wireless the evening I came here, and heard the news tolerably well. I also heard the 2nd Test match score, and to my surprise found I am a day out in my reckoning. Today should be the 27th and not the 26th. The mistake was probably made the day I left Molo, which should have been 25th May not 24th. It does not matter, and I will change the date on leaving here. We went down the R. bank today and got some quite good things, including Semiaquilegia ecalcarata. This afternoon I have tried to pack, but cannot get things to fit in anyhow.

27th June. Halt. Molo. Rain on and off all day. Found nothing of any interest.

To 29th June. Camp on Lilung Chu 9 miles. Heavy showers followed by bright intervals—mostly fair. The Bharang Shiga Agent produced his 12 ponies as promised yesterday evening, and three men from Molo with them, and we were all off at 8.0 and came along well, reaching here at 1.0 pm. The path is Picea spinulosa tree forest common in the side valley leading down to the Tsangpo river.