Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 227 (Color Image)

0227	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

CHAMDO TO LHASA 171

a poor village of eleven families on a small plateau

at the end of a hill dividing the Nok Chu and

Ja-bu Chu valley. The length of this march was 22 miles.

Continuing up the valley of the Nok Chu, on

September 28 Pereira reached A-la-dor-tu, 181

miles. It was well wooded up to 14 miles and

then the trees and bush got less and less till at the

end of the march there was only scrub on stony hills.

The going was fair for 9 miles, then stony and

rocky. There was a rather steep climb of 700 feet to Ta-ké La, 15,250 feet, at 74 miles. Six miles

farther on the I-fü was crossed by a rickety brush-

wood bridge. The road then ascends the narrow

stony Nok Chu valley to A-la-dor-tu, where Pereira camped at an elevation of 15,200 feet beside three

nomads' tents. On this march he overtook a

caravan of 150 ponies on their way from Batang

to Lhasa.

Another difficult pass had to be crossed on

September 29. This was the worst stage Pereira

had ever been on. The going was appalling.

For 4 miles the path still led up the Nok Chu

valley between barren stony hills and over many

rocks and boulders. Then it turned to the

W.N.W. and the ascent became steeper through

a veritable sea of boulders, rocks and stones in

an open valley. Finally there was a steep ascent of 400 feet to the summit of the Nur-güng La,

the Chor kou La of Huc. Pereira had exhausted his spirits of wine so could not . use his boiling-

point thermometer, but he estimates the altitude as 16,800 or perhaps 17,000 feet. On the top of

t he ridge and extending some 200 yards down

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