SILK ROAD -NICK MIDDLETON

As the protagonist was heading towards Mount Kailash to complete the kora in the
morning, he witnessed a beautiful half-moon in the blue sky. The clouds looked like
French bread which glowed pink because of the sun which spread a slash of rays on the
mountain tops. It looked like a rose-tinted blush. Lhamo wanted to give him a farewell
gift. One evening when the protagonist passed a message to Lhamo through Daniel,
she gave him a long-sleeved sheepskin coat which is meant for men. Tsetan looked at
him attentively while he climbed into his car. He declared yes and said Drokba to him
which means kora in the region of Tibet.
They took a short cut to cut off the Changtang. His driver knew the short route which
took them to the south-west towards Mount Kailash. They had to pass high mountain
passes. Tsetan told him that they can reach the destination only if there is no snow and
they can’t know that until they’ll reach there.

The route was filled with open plains in Ravu where Gazelles were eating grass from the
land which had little rain and disapproved while hopping back in the void. As they
moved forward, a large group of wild asses appeared. Tsetan told him that they were
approaching the wild asses long before they appeared there. Tsetan pointed out a huge
pile of dust which he called ‘Kyang’ in his local language. When they drew nearer to the
destination, they could see a large group of animals progressing in a fast and
uncontrollable manner like they were doing military exercises. Trails of dust filled with
air.

As they move passed the rocky area, they came across private Koras nurturing their
group of birds. Both men and women stared at their car and some also waved at them.
As they moved closer to the animals, the sheep would take a slippery path and would
suddenly move into another direction away from the car.
They witnessed nomads’ tents which were dark in complete isolation and a big black
Tibetan dog standing as their guard. They fixed their gaze on the approaching car and
ran behind it as a bullet fired from a gun.

Those bushy creatures were blacker than the normal black colour who wore a bright red
collar and they barked angrily at them with big jaws. Those dogs were fearless and
were running towards the car causing Tsetan to apply brakes and change direction
suddenly. The dogs ran after them for a hundred meters more and then stop to watch
them go away. These Tibetan Mastiffs became popular in China’s royal courts as
hunting dogs. They were brought along the silk route as tribute in ancient times from
Tibet.
As they passed the area with bushy Tibetan dogs, they started witnessing snow-capped
mountains. They entered the valley which was covered with Wide River covered with ice
which was white and shiny in the sun. The track was moving along the river bank as
they gained height and the valley was closing in towards them.
The driver was driving in third gear while the turns were sharper and the ride got
bumpier. Then they moved away from the road which ran along the icy river. It had
sharp slopes and big rocks coated with thick sticky orange lichen. Below the rocks were
chunks of snow. The protagonist felt a pressure on his ears, he held his nose and
snorted in order to clear them. A sharp turn came again and Tsetan stopped the car and
jumped out from his seat. David too did the same. He exclaimed “snow” in his
excitement.
A long track of snow was in front of them which was about fifteen meters long before it
diminished and the normal dirty track appeared again. The snow was on both sides of
them and it was difficult to move the vehicle in that condition. The protagonist joined
Daniel as Tsetan tried to move smoothly over the snowy surface by stamping his foot on
the surface. The protagonist saw his wristwatch, they were 5,210 meters above sea
level.

The snow was deep beneath its icy top surface. Daniel said that if they turn their car
over, they could slip off. Tsetan grabbed dirt and threw it across the frozen surface.
They pitched in and helped Tsetan until the snow with soil appeared and it loaded the
tension of Tsetan. He drove back the car and slowly drove to the more comfortable side
of the road.
After ten minutes, Tsetan stopped again as another obstacle came in front of them.
They drove around the snowy track which was steep and filled with rocks. He further
drove from the hairpin bend, moving on the higher side where the snow was still there.

The protagonist checked his watch again while he was climbing the mountain in the
bright sunlight. They move up to 5400 meters height and his head began to
pulsate/throbe again. He had a few sips of water from his bottle which helped him to
climb the slope.
They reached at 5,515 meters and a large pile of stone was decorated with white silk
scarves and some dirty prayer flags. They took a turn round that stone in a clockwise
direction as in the tradition and the driver checked the tyres of his vehicle. He stopped
at the petrol tank and unscrewed its top which made a loud hiss noise as the pressure
was making the fuel expand. The driver told him maybe it’s dangerous but told him not
to smoke around there.

His headache cleared as they descended down the slope. It was two o’clock when they
stopped for lunch at a long canvas tent beside the dry salt lake. They had hot noodles.
The plateau was disfigured and the lake was filled with salty water and thatched roof
covered with snow. It had traces of extinct Tethys Ocean which used to border Tibet
before the collision of the continent. Few men were working there with pickaxes and
shovels. They were wearing sunglasses to minimize the glare coming from blue trucks
loaded with pile of salt, salt-encrusted boots, and long sheepskin coats.
By the late afternoon, they reached Hor town and back to the east-west highway, which
was an old route from Lhasa to Kashmir. Daniel found a ride as he was on his way back
to Lhasa, both of them bid him farewell at tyre repair shop. Their car suffered two
punctures on the way from the salt lake so Tsetan was eager to get them fixed. They
had no spare tyre left and the second tyre which he changed was replaced by a smooth
tyre just like the head of the protagonist.

Hor was an ugly and miserable place which had no vegetation and just dust and rocks.
It is scattered with gathered refuse and it was luckless that it was on the shore of Lake
Mansarovar which is Tibet’s most respected water. According to ancient Hindu and
Buddhist cosmologists, it consists of four Indian rivers – the Indus, the Ganges, the
Sutlej, and the Brahmaputra. Sutlej River flows from this lake and other three rivers rise
near the sides of Mount Kailash. They were in a remarkable distance and he was eager
to build ahead.
He waited for Tsetan while having some tea at Hor’s café which was constructed badly
from painted concrete and three broken windows. Although, it had a good view of the
lake.

The protagonist was served by a Chinese boy who was wearing a military uniform. He
spread the grease around his table with a dirty cloth and brought him a glass and a
thermos of tea. Tsetan freed him from his private detention and they started their
journey ahead passing more rocks and rubbish.
The protagonist’s experience was opposite from what he read on traveller’s first
encounters of the town. Ekai Kawaguchi was a Japanese monk who arrived in the town
in 1900, he was so moved with the purity of the lake that he cried. After few years,
similar effect was on Sven Hedin a Swedish who didn’t have such an emotional
outburst.

When they resumed their journey from Hor, it was dark at that time. After 10.30 pm
they decided to stay in a guest house in Darchen which turned out to be a difficult night
for him. The rubbish dump in Hor made his cold worse and herbal tea also didn’t help
him. One of his nostrils was blocked as he lay on the bed. He wasn’t getting sufficient
oxygen and he checked his watch. He was at 4760 meters above sea level. The height
was not more than Ravu but he would be out of breath several times a night. He was so
familiar to these night time disturbances and he was scared this time.
He started breathing from his mouth, he was tired and hungry. He switched back to
breathing from single nostril and as soon as he was about to sleep, he would wake up
shortly. He was not feeling well as his chest felt heavy. He sat up and it cleared his
nasal passages. He was curious.

He tried again by laying back on the bed. The same thing happened. He was in the land
of signals where something told him not to do it. He wasn’t able to go to sleep this time.
When he was sitting up, it made him feel better as he could breathe properly and his
chest felt light. The opposite happened as soon as he laid down. He held himself up
against the wall but he wasn’t able to relax. He was afraid to sleep now, a voice inside
him told him that he might die if he would try to sleep so he stayed awake all night.
Tsetan took him to Darchen medical college the next morning. It was new and looked
like a monastery with a door which lead to a large courtyard. They went to a dark and
cold consulting room filled by a Tibetan doctor who wore nothing kind of random
articles which he expected. He was wearing a thick pullover and a woolly hat. He asked
him a few questions while feeling his veins. He told the driver that it is cold and he had
an effect due to cold and altitude change. He gave him some medicine and reassured
him that he will be able to do the kora.

The Tibetan doctor gave him a five day course. He came out with a brown envelope
which had fifteen screws of paper. After having breakfast, he opened the ‘after
breakfast package’ which had a brown powder which he had to take with hot water. It
tasted like cinnamon and the lunchtime and bedtime packages were nearly the same.
They looked like sheep dung, both had small spherical brown packages. After taking the
full day medicine, he slept peacefully that night.
Tsetan left him in Darchen when he came to know that he is going to be fine. He told
him as a Buddhist that if he had passed away, it would not matter but it would be bad
for business.
Next day, Darchen wasn’t looking so bad. It was dusty, partially ruined and had loads of
rubble and refuse everywhere. The brightly shining sun in the blue sky gave him the
vision of Himalayas. Gurla Mandhata, he was able to see a little bit with clouds
suspended over it.

Darchen had some basic general stores selling Chinese soaps, cigarettes, and strings
of prayer flags. Every afternoon men would gather for a game of pool. They would sit
around a shabby table looking strange in the open air while women washed their hair in
iced water of a small stream which flowed all the way to his guest house. Darchen had
no pilgrims which were a setback for him. He was told that in the peak season of
pilgrimage, in this town was filled with visitors. Some brought their own accommodation
such as tents which were set up in the plains. He felt that he had arrived at that place
way too early. One day while he was thinking about his options while having a glass of
tea at Darchen’s only café, he concluded that there are limited options for him as he
made little progress on the self-help program on positive thinking.

He was having difficulty in sleeping which hadn’t made it easy for him. He had no
option other than to wait until the peak season of pilgrimage. The trail was much
frequented by the travellers. He could do kora alone but it was a seasonal session
because of the route blockage by snow. He had no idea if the snow was cleared and he
was not feeling good about dirty ice that still recided on the bank of Darchen’s small
streams. He had been facing communication problems since Tsetan left. No one knew
much English to answer his basic question.
He met Norbu in a café which was small, dark and vast with long metal stove. The walls
and ceilings were twisted in multi-coloured plastic sheets of different coloured stripes. It
was made into a firm and big shopping bags which were sold over China and in many
other countries of Asia and Europe. Plastic was China’s successful export along the Silk
Route.
That café had only one window which he would take so that he could see his notebook
clearly and he would also bring a novel with him to pass time. Norbu once saw his book
and asked if he could sit opposite him at his unstable table. He asked him if he is
English after he ordered tea. He told him that he was English. The protagonist guessed
that he must not be a local as he was wearing a windcheater and metal-rimmed
spectacles which were of western style.
Norbu was a Tibetan who worked in Beijing at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
in the Institute of Ethnic Literature. Norbu told him that he had come here to do kora.
The protagonist was happy. Norbu was writing academic papers on Kailash kora and its
importance in various Buddhist literature works. He had never done the kora himself.

Norbu was excited when he got to know why the protagonist was at Darchen. He said
they could be a team who are two academists who escaped from the library. The
protagonist believed his positive thinking strategy was working.
Norbu was also staying at a guest house just like him and Norbu was as ill-equipped like
him. Norbu kept telling him that he was too dull, boring and tired to walk and he was
fat. Norbu was not a practicing Buddhist but he was an enthusiast.
Originally, the protagonist predicted that the trek would be good in a company of any
deep believer but he found Norbu to be an ideal partner. They decided to hire some
yaks to carry their luggage and he had no intention of lying down flat all over the
mountain. Norbu finally said it is not possible for him while he collapsed across the
table, laughing hilariously. His tummy was also too big.

I. Give reasons for the following statements.

1. The article has been titled ‘Silk Road.’

Ans: The article has been titled ‘Silk Road’’ because the protagonist explored the region
of old silk route which was one of the historical routes for trade. The route connected
Afro-Eurasian land. Trade of Chinese silk, spices, teas and porcelain, Indian textiles,
pepper and precious stones, Roman Empire’s gold, silver, glassware, wine, carpets, and
jewels were done.

2. Tibetan mastiffs were popular in China’s imperial courts.

Ans: Tibetan mastiffs were popular in China’s imperial courts as big hunting dogs. They
were fearless and furious with big jaws. They were brought along the Silk Road as a
watchdog from Tibet. They were a tribute in ancient times.

3. The author’s experience at Hor was in stark contrast to earlier accounts of

the place.
Ans: Hor was an ugly and miserable place which had no vegetation and just dust and
rocks. It was scattered with gathered refuse and it is luckless that it was on the shore of
Lake Mansarovar which is Tibet’s most respected water. Ekai Kawaguchi was a Japanese
monk who arrived in the town in 1900, he was so moved with the purity of the lake that
he cried. After a few years, similar effect was on Sven Hedin a Swedish who didn’t have
such an emotional outburst.
The protagonist’s car suffered from two punctures in that place. When he reached that
place’s only café to have some tea, the place was filled with badly painted concrete and
three broken windows.

4. The author was disappointed with Darchen.

Ans: He was disappointed with Darchen because he was having health issues due to
change in altitude. He had a cold and was unable to sleep at night. The place had no
pilgrims and it was filled with loads of remains and trash.

5. The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all.
Ans: The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all
because he finally met someone who understood his language and was there to
complete the kora just like him. He met Norbu at Darchen’s only café. Earlier, he got ill
as soon as he reached the place. No one understood English well. He felt lonely as there
were no pilgrims around.
He decided to team up with him to complete his journey. He was glad he maintained his
positive thinking approach in life.

II. Briefly comment on

1. The purpose of the author’s journey to Mount Kailash.

Ans: The author wanted to go to Mount Kailash to complete the kora which is an
essential display in Buddhism. Buddhists believers are to be performed meditation in
this process.

2. The author’s physical condition in Darchen.

Ans: The author was ill when he reached Darchen. His sinus was were blocked because
of the cold weather and altitude change. He didn’t sleep well and the next day, he went
to the Tibetan doctor who gave him some medicine.

3. The author’s meeting with Norbu.

Ans: He was feeling lonely in Darchen as Tsetan left for Lhasa. No one knew the English
language much in that place. There were no pilgrims at that time of year. He met Norbu
at local café. Norbu was an academic from Beijing who worked for the Institute of Ethnic
Literature. He was at Darchen to complete the kora.

4. Tsetan’s support to the author during the journey.

Ans: Tsetan played an important role during the author’s journey. He was an efficient
driver. He took care of the author when he got ill after reaching Darchen. He took him to
the medical college and got medicine for him. He also informed him about the places
they were visiting in their journey.

5. “As a Buddhist, he told me, he knew that it didn’t really matter if I passed
away, but he thought it would be bad for business.”
Ans: Tsetan was a Buddhist who believed that death is not the end. He might have
gone directly to heaven as Kailash is a holy place. He thought it would be bad if the
author died because it might affect his business and he would not get any customers in
future. He could have lost his credibility.