Part 53 - Plans and movements around Yigong Tso with weather notes and boat crossing

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SUMMARY:
The page outlines detailed plans for forthcoming travel, assigning Ludlow, Elliot, and Bob to various routes and passes, with rendezvous dates through August. It records weather changes in late January and a move to Chara on the north bank of Yigong Tso, including a slow boat crossing with ponies and loads. Local sentiment against the soldiery is noted following a staged reception.

CONTENT:
NB
Plans

Our plans now are to rejoin, after we have been to Tona Dz, at Be on the 10th, then all go to Trulung where Bob will go to Gompo Ne, then follow East up the Trulung valley. Then to Lari for a few days and back to Tongkyuk by 15th March. After that we plan for Ludlow to go up towards the Nambu La, while we do the Tongkyuk and perhaps Tsunsabe and Soshela areas. Then by 15th-20th May, Elliot is to go via Tse La Dz to the Dujang La and Budi Soshela, returning by the end of July. Bob will go to Showa and work all available passes in May, June, and July: Ludlow works the Yigong Range. We all meet about here about August 15th to discuss the future. So much for our plans: we will see how they work out. We also think of leaving the country by two parties by the Doshong La and Chimdro La, but that all depends on local conditions and many other things, and can only be guessed at now.

29th-30th January. Halt. Very quick changes in the weather. 28th bleak and miserably cold, followed by two perfect days. Minimum temperature has varied in three nights 13° - 30° - 14° F! We hope to be off tomorrow morning for the Yigong Tso for a change. There cannot be much to collect there that is not here, but it will be nice to move again.

31st January. Chara, on Yigong Tso North bank. Beautiful day again. Transport only half came, but we got off at 9:00 and on to the trail at 11:00. It took us till 1:15 to get to the other end, round the bottom of the very steep hill. Two boats were joined together, though usually only one is used. In the two we had 5 ponies, about 15 loads of kit and 15 men. We could have taken a little more. Rowing is a slow job. I doubt if we went 2 miles, although it took over two hours. The lake looks deep, up till the West end where the silted up part starts. From there westwards the river wanders about from side to side in the sand. The soldiery here are very unpopular indeed, and perhaps to appease us, they staged a reception, all turning out lined to meet us, in full dress uniform, topis and all - a comic sight. I have talked with several locals, and all are unanimous that the soldiery are a curse. If they don't give the requisite amount of butter or whatever it is, soldiers come and