Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 212 (Color Image)

0212	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

162 PEKING TO LHASA

The river is full of fish, but the Tibetans are not

allowed to catch them.

Shobando was reached on September 18 in

19 miles. At 12 mile the Salween is left, and

there was more interminable climbing among

scrub and bush, and on the highest slopes firs,

amidst which a leopard was seen. There was a

descent to the beautiful little Yim-da valley,

dotted with occasional fields among the bush and

with the clear stream like a blue riband running

down the middle. Pereira crossed it by a log bridge at 104 miles at 11,300 feet, and then had another climb to the Ba-tou La, 12,100 feet, at

14 miles. Here the mountains slope down steeply

on the left to the Dze Chu coming from the E.S.E.,

with the main Chamdo road along it, while in

front is an equally steep descent to the Do Chu.

Pereira went rapidly down this last and, joining

the Chamdo road near the stream, followed it to

Shobando.

He had had to make a long detour for the last

fortnight, but he was now again on the main

Lhasa road immortalised by Hue ; and he had

studied it so thoroughly during his stay at

Chamdo that it now seemed like an old friend.

Shobando has a population of three hundred

families, and there are three hundred monks and

about a dozen Chinese. The Kalon Lama was

here. Major Bailey had told him about Pereira

and he sent many greetings, and his representa-

tive brought Pereira a present consisting of

stacks of vegetables, red turnips, a kind of

lettuce, potatoes, eggs, butter, tsamba, a carcase

of a sheep and a huge piece of beef.

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