1936 - 1937 Mission Diary

The official diary of the Gould mission to Lhasa sent by the British government. Read more about the mission diary.

17th August, Monday, Ralung camp.

14,800 feet, 1512 miles.

We made an easy start to enable good camp bandobast to be made the other end. Up at 5 A.M., we left with the last of the baggage at 7 A.M. and had an uneventful march via Shuto and Lung Mar along the Nyeru stream.

The Ralung camping ground is a most spacious and level plateau over 1,000 yards long and some 130 yards broad. If the width is sufficient it would make an emergency landing around as at the north end where the prevailing wind comes from, the valley opens out and would afford room for an aeroplane to rise clear of the surrounding hills. The plateau is covered with a lot of small stones which would have to be cleared for a safe landing. This camp has been commonly used by the Tashi Lama in his journey from Shigatse to Lhasa and back.

It has been overcast with cloud all day.

There were beautiful flowers on the way notably a small bright yellow poppy which abounded 1 1/2 miles from Gobshi.

Author: Philip Neame [see handwritten annotations in Diary by Hugh Richardson in MS. Or. Richardson 2, Bodleian Libary, Department of Oriental Collections, University of Oxford]

Page Reference: Pt III p.3

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