Key Information

Two coracles made of yak hide stretched over willow frame can be seen at the edge of the Tsangpo River near Nyapso La waiting to take passengers across. The coracles would be made from six hides and two boats would be strapped together to provide stability when crossing the fast flowing river. These coracles would be used when the river was too deep and fast-flowing to use the regular flat-bottomed ferry. The extent of the flooding can be seen by the fact that a tree can be seen on a small mud bank in the centre of the image. A group of people can be seen standing in and around the boats. The man in the right hand boat is carrying a wooden-framed basket on his back, whilst the man in the boat on the left, wearing a hat, is carrying his boots, which would have been taken off when getting into or out of the coracle. This photograph may have been taken by Colonel Philip Neame, who was in Lhasa for just three weeks, from August 24th to September 15th 1936

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