Part 161 - Trimo, 10 November: travel via Pō La, seed records, and mail dispatch

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SUMMARY:
On 10 November at Trimo, the diarist notes seed collections and plants seen en route to the Pō La, and reports that Taylor has gathered many specimens between Sirimo and Shakti. They describe leaving Tsona, meeting the Dzongpen who discussed Tawang and Assam officials, sending mail by special runner toward Trashi-yang, and note health updates for Phunbo and the Dzongpen along with gifts from H.H. the Maharani, Padmadechen, and Phunbo Wangdi Palden.

CONTENT:
10th Nov. Trimo. seeds of R. baileyi 6656, R. tsariense 6657, R. wallichii 6659, P. pendulum 6660, R. tsariense 6661, P. strumosa 6658

Poda
things on the way to the Pō La - P. eburnea, Gent. amoena, Mec. grandis among others. And Taylor has another 150 specimens between Sirimo & Shakti! No mail reached them yet. I am sending their mail down by special runner - 1st day Le, 2nd beyond Shakti. It should reach Trashi-yang on 13th, so I hope Taylor may get it in Bhutan yet.

10th November. Trimo. Fine, much warmer in morning till 10:30, clouded. We left Tsona in true Tsona style. Everything was ready, ponies paid for & agreement signed, faithful promises to turn up by sunrise. Actually it was 9:00 before the mules loaded up & had to dig out one of the cooks & make him go in front of me till the Pō La. I went to the Dzongpen who seemed a nice man & fairly well educated. The only really interesting thing he talked about was Tawang, when he mentioned two points: one that the Tibetans felt very much that the officials visiting there from Assam were shooting so much, especially now the new Dalai Lama is expected: & the other was a complaint against the translator who was up with the Assam Govt official. The Dzongpen said that the Babu never told them the same as the Sahib said, but gave his own version. The Dzongpen talks Hindi pretty well, but he was not there himself. I left at 9:30 am, & reached the Pass at 12:30 & Trimo at 4:30 pm. Phunbo was very bad last night, but recovered quickly, & was well enough to ride here, has no fever now. But Dzongpen was ill today, with a very bad head, was sick on the way to the Pass.

Prim.
Gent.
Mec.
Rhodo
However he also is much better this evening. We found a very little of the Prim. eburnea Ludlow mentioned, some rather unripe G. amoena, a little Mec. grandis, & several Rhododendrons. To allow everyone to recover, & to give us a chance to get some seed, I am stopping here tomorrow. It is very nice to be here, because from here on it will be warm & dry & we will have no more transport troubles.

RB
The latter have loomed large with me this year, & it is good to feel they are now over. And none of us are sorry to get to a warm place again. Presents of butter, rice, cloths etc. from H.H. the Maharani, Padmadechen, Phunbo Wangdi Palden. They had been as far as Tsari Chinchu & back again looking for us.