Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 231 (Color Image)

0231	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

CHAMDO TO LHASA 173

of a small official, who called on Pereira in his

robes of state bringing a present of eggs and

vegetables. Pereira returned his call. He sat

cross - legged on a divan while Pereira was en-

throned on the chair of state. He expressed

wonder at Pereira at his age walking up all the

hills, and said that he himself always rode, though

he was only forty-four. From his account Hue

did not exaggerate the terrors of the passes in

winter, when the Shiar-güng La is the worst.

The Banda La was crossed on October 2 and

Pereira marched 11 miles to Atsa. The way lay

up and down barren hills with no inhabitants,

and at 74 miles there was a steep climb to the

top of the Banda Pass, which he made, 16,000 feet

in height. Though snow covered the ground the

path was clear. There was a rather steep wind-

ing descent and a beautiful view of the Atsa

Lake lying light blue amidst the white mountains.

Atsa is a village of ten families and thirty monks

situated in a small valley at an elevation of

13,000 feet. To the south is a range about

17,000 or 18,000 feet in height.

Pereira was not well this day and walked only

2 miles. The climb up the zigzags to the top

of the pass made him gasp. And when he rode

he shivered badly. His boy had brought two

cocks from Chamdo, not for eating, but to call

him in the morning as he had no watch.

On October 3 he marched 184 miles to Guo-lê.

It was an easy stage but rocky and stony after

the first 5 miles. Except for a few nomads,

the country was uninhabited. The Atsa-shung

Chu was crossed by such a poor log bridge that

National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books