Part 85 - Phobsikha: Himalayan views, delayed mail, and Rhododendron find

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SUMMARY:
The diarist hurried to a ridge for clear morning views of the Himalayas and Chomolhari before clouds closed in. A long-delayed mail finally arrived from Sarbhang via Nabji and Chendebi, and later Tsouypen found a Rhododendron (Rhod. glaucum 3095) nearby, possibly new to Bhutan; the surroundings near Phobsikha are described with yaks and dry, open slopes.

CONTENT:
indeed, did everything. I nearly bust myself running up to the ridge with my camera to catch the Himalayas before they were covered in clouds. Chomolhari was again clear till about 6:00 am, but it was much clearer away to the East, I could see snow peaks for miles, really a grand sight. But the clouds came up awfully quickly. On the way up to the ridge I met two men with a mail at last. It had taken since the 7th to reach us from Sarbhang, all the delay being between Nabji and Chendebi. It was naturally a small mail, and only had 6 or 8 letters and 5 'Statesman'. But it was very nice to get news from home and from Kashmir, though no letter from Ludlow. We took a long route through the jungle down here, but saw nothing new at all, until nearly here, when Tsouypen found one bush of a pretty little Rhododendron, which I make to be Rhod. glaucum 3095, mentioned as coming from Sikkim, so perhaps it is new to Bhutan. This place is rather pretty, it is situated on the same ridge as the one we came up onto from Phobsikha, but much further down. There are some yaks here, and a lot of the hillside is open grassy slopes. There is a little cultivation too, but the hillside is still very dry.

24th May in Phobsikha. 3 miles. B.P. Temp. Time