Southern Tibet : vol.4 / Page 357 (Color Image)

0357	Southern Tibet : vol.4

So far, we had not seen a single tent. At *Namru,* where barley is grown, there is nobody dwelling at this season of the year. The autumn had set in with a temperature of —24.8° on the night of the 20th, which, however, was exceptional. On October 22nd, a rather severe S. E. wind was blowing from early in the morning until 11 o'clock a. m. after which the wind became S. W.

On *October 22nd,* we continued N. W. for 26 km. to *Camp CCLIV* at a height of 4,287 m. or 85 m. below the previous camp. The rate of fall is as 1 : 306, not quite as slow as the day before. During the first section of the day's journey the road passes among fluviatile terraces, after which the ground is perfectly even and consists of coarse sand. On the right bank, there is a stripe of bushes. The mountains to the left side are higher and wilder, of a dark brownish colour and with snow on a few peaks which we had already seen from *Gartok;* those to the right are lower and of pink and reddish tints. In the mouth of a valley to the left, barley is cultivated. A meadow by the river was called *Lenche. Kalung, Marale* and *Tarchung* are valleys from the mountains to the left; *Ragaltse* a peak on the same side. On the right side, two names were given later on, *Nema-ngombok* and *Kardla,* being tributary valleys. Near *Gar-gunsa* another valley has a road to a pass called *Boptsang-la,* by which it is only a one day's journey to the valley of *Lang-chu.* From *Chorten-Merbo,* the terraces retire more and more from the river, and the perfectly even floor of the valley is covered with abundant bush vegetation forming a regular steppe. Two tents are passed. We cross some small brooks from the left side valleys, and patches of swampy ground. The ground consists of clay and is overgrown with grass, where large numbers of yaks, flocks of sheep and some ponies are grazing. To our right is the ruin of a house said to be the older *Gar-gunsa,* which once was destroyed by the inundation of a tributary and, therefore, removed to its present place. The present *Gar-gunsa,* to which the Garpuns or governors and the lamas of *Gartok-gompa* move in winter, consists of a few small houses on the left bank of the *Gartang* River. Though the difference of altitude is only 182 m., the climate of *Gar-gunsa* is said to be much milder than that of *Gartok.*

For the mountains and valleys visible from *Gar-gunsa,* the following names were given, all entered on Pan. 357A, B and C, Tab. 63. *Shinkar-laoche* is a pyramidal peak, S. 25° E.; the *Shinkar* valley seems to come from it; S. S. E. is *Chong-kala,* and to the south is the region *Ganchung-karu.* These and the following names are to the left, or belonging to the *Ladak Range.* About S. 33° W., is the *Tarchung* valley which seems to be more considerable than other transverse valleys of the range. *Kula-tesum* is a sharp peak S. 49° W., and to the W. S. W. are the mountains of *Harung-kungma* and *Abi-chungtse.* To the right of them, the mighty and solid shoulders of the *Ladak Range* are seen in a foreshortened
24. IV.

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

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

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