Sunday 2nd May 1982: Ringmo to Khinza (11 miles)
I was up at 05:50 and on the trail at 06:20 but took a wrong turning within 5 minutes and, not realising this immediately, spent half an hour retracing my steps. Once on the right trail I found the bridge across the Salung Khola almost broken, making for an anxious crossing. The trail then seemed to go off in the wrong direction and so I took a short cut across a ravine and after a steep climb rejoined the trail and finally reached Salung (c9000 ft) at 08:25 where I found an excellent lodge. Here I bought biscuits and had tea, an omelette and, after a wait, alou (boiled potatoes) to prepare me for the Lamjura Pass and getting to Sete, the first village the other side, before nightfall. I didn’t then need to stop in Junbesi (the next village and only one before the pass). According to plan I reached Junbesi (8800 ft) by 12:00 giving me enough time to cross the pass and get to Sete. I crossed the Lamjura Pass (11,600 ft) which was rather windswept, hence mainly birdless, and decidedly spooky. On the pass I was caught up by a Tibetan Nepali called Tamding who I’d seen at Periche and on his advice we went down the river past Sete to Khinza (5400 ft), arriving at 17:50. I found descending 6000 ft at one go a bit hard on my knees but it put me closer to Kathmandu. I said goodbye to Tamding, who had friends in Khinza, and stayed at the Sherpa Hotel where the daal baht was surprisingly good. It was very hot at night, quite a contrast to being frozen at Gokyo just four nights before, although the resulting poor night’s sleep was the same.
Birds recorded: Hen Harrier 1, Kestrel 1, Impeyan Pheasant 1 male and 1 female, Rufous Turtle Dove 15, Large Hawk Cuckoo h, Common Hawk Cuckoo h, Common Cuckoo 2, Oriental Cuckoo h, Himalayan Swiftlet 5, White-throated Needletail 6, Fork-tailed Swift 1, Little Swift 10, Red-rumped Swallow 1, Olive-backed Pipit 10, Grey Wagtail 3, Rufous-breasted Accentor 3, Plumbeous Redstart 1, Grey Bushchat 8, River Chat 2, Blue Whistling Thrush 4, White-collared Blackbird 2, Striated Prinia h, Golden Spectacled Warbler 4, Blyth’s Crowned Leaf Warbler 1, Lemon-rumped Warbler 5, Beautiful Niltava 1, Verditer Flycatcher 1, Slaty-blue Flycatcher 1, Ultramarine Flycatcher 1, Rufous-gorgetted Flycatcher 8, Yellow-bellied Fantail 2, White-throated Laughingthrush 2, Streaked Laughingthrush 2, Black-faced Laughingthrush 1, Red-headed Laughingthrush 4, Chestnut-tailed Minla 2, White-browed Fulvetta 1, Black-capped Sibia 10, Stripe-throated Yuhina 5, Rufous-vented Yuhina 1, Black-crested Tit 1, Green-backed Tit 4, Fire-tailed Sunbird 1, Long-tailed Shrike 1, Grey-backed Shrike 10, Bronzed Drongo 1, Large-billed Crow 20.
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| the bridge across the Salung Kola, I was relieved to cross it without incident! |
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| near Salung |
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| en route to Junbesi |
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| approaching the Lamjura Pass |
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| Lamjura Pass - windswept, deserted and decidedly spooky |
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