Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 238 (Color Image)

0238	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

178 PEKING TO LHASA

patches higher on the hills. One small monastery

with a few fields round and half-a-dozen farms were passed. Tsen-da, 12, 500 feet, _is a hamlet con-

taining five families. From it there is a route north-

ward to Nagchuka, which is reached in nine stages.

Following up the Kam Chu valley all day on

October 9, Pereira reached Siang-ba-tang, 13 miles. The valley was from 200 to 400 yards wide and the hills from 1500 to 2000 feet above it. On

this stage many bushes of a deep red colour

added to the beauty of the scenery. It was chilly

at the start, but later again gloriously fine. At

8 miles the valley is about half a mile wide and

flatter, and with a nice grass belt. Three small

villages with cultivation were passed. Siang-batang, 13,100 feet, consists of two hovels on a level

grass belt, an ideal spot in such weather.

Numari, 10* miles, was reached on the following

day. The road still led up the Kam Chu valley

all the way. Only one house and two tents were

passed. At first the road led through a delightful

wood with numbers of dwarf cedars. Then trees

and bush gradually grew less. At 101 miles the

Kam Chu is crossed by a log bridge to the left

bank, and from it . there is a rise to Numari,

14,000 feet, a hamlet of eight families.

Pereira had determined to walk 8 miles, leaving only 30 to complete the 3500 miles, but after going

about 5 miles he was laid out with a bad touch of

sciatica. Luckily he had just got into the sun-

shine. So after lying in the sun for twenty

minutes he was able to ride a mile and then slowly

complete the extra 3 miles of walking.

The last pass, the Güng-bu-Ba La, 15,300 feet,

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