Part 135 - Pang La pass: heavy rain, bird collecting, and approach to an old cantilever bridge

1 page

SUMMARY:
After an exceptionally heavy night of rain, the party crossed Pang La and collected 15 bird skins, including four adult and one young Heteroxenicus stellatus and a female blood pheasant, while finding few flowers due to lack of permanent snow. They were misinformed about the distance to camp and then made a steep descent through jungle to a long-neglected bridge that was recently strengthened, of the usual cantilever type found in Bhutan, Turkestan, and Kashmir.

CONTENT:
to be quite useless. The evening before, we had the heaviest rain we've ever had and it persisted all night. Camp was on a ridge otherwise we should have been washed away. As it was it was a perfectly filthy place by the time we left. In spite of things being rather unpleasant over the pass, we had a good day and collected the best birds we've had so far. We got four adult Heteroxenicus stellatus (2 males, 2 females) and a young bird. There are probably only three or four of these in existence, and they might be worth £20 a skin. Saw a number of blood pheasant too. I only took one female, as they are not yet in full plumage. Altogether we collected 15 skins. Flowers were very disappointing for such a high place. There were practically none. I suppose it is because

Pang La

there is no permanent snow there. The pass is the top of the range. It continues to be impossible to get news of the day's march in advance. We were told, on repeatedly asking, that the distance from the la to camp — a maidan! — would be one or perhaps two miles. It was nearly six. Today's was very short indeed, almost perpendicularly down through dense jungle to the bridge and then easy up. The bridge last had any repairs 30–40 years ago. They have very cunningly and simply strengthened it for our benefit now. It is the usual type of cantilever bridge found all over Bhutan — in Turkestan and Kashmir.