1936 - 1937 Mission Diary

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

August 20th, Thursday, Pede Jong camp.

1.4,500 feet. 161 miles.

It rained quite hard before and at dawn (about 4-45 A. M.) and went on drizzling till 8 A.M.

The 16 1/2 mile march was all the way along the shore of the Yamdrok Tso, a great lake forming three quarters of a circle some 45 miles long.

Even though the day was mainly dull, it was very beautiful in the changing light. There were many lovely wild flowers, and we saw a lot of birds, the lordly lammergeier with its enormous wing spread, bar headed geese, brahminy duck. Goosander, etc., and all of them as tame as could be. The lammergeier hopped alongside the path as we moved along,.

We had to delay our start after our usual time, because the two Jongpens of course had to go out to see us off a couple of miles from Nang-kar-tse, and we were told they would not be out of bed. We reached Pe-de-jong just in time, as a heavy rain and hail storm started. The Mess tent was up and we took refuge. The camp field is covered with white gentian and tiny mauve asters.

There are many signs round this lake of a decrease of population, numerous ruins of houses and abandoned terraced fields and irrigation channels on the hill sides testify to this.

We changed transport at Nang-kar-tse, and from there to Lhasa we shall have 38 riding ponies, 91 pack ponies, 138 donkeys, and five coolies a total of 267 animals and five coolies.

Very heavy rain set in and went on for several hours, almost flooding our camping ground in places.

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.4