- "There
- never
- was
- anybody,"
- wrote
- the
- Spectator,
- "who
- had
- adventures
- as
- well
- as
- Miss
- Bird."
- In
- Among
- the
- Tibetans
- you
- can
- see
- why,
- as
- Isabella
- Lucy
- Bird
- writes
- of
- her
- journey
- through
- the
- Himalayas
- on
- horseback
- and
- of
- her
- four
- months
- of
- living
- with
- "the
- pleasantest
- of
- people."
- She
- offers
- evocative
- and
- colourful
- descriptions
- of
- Tibetan
- rituals
- and
- culture,
- along
- with
- vivid
- descriptions
- of
- its
- villages,
- monasteries,
- temples
- and
- palaces.
- "Up
- to
- Kargil
- the
- scenery,
- though
- growing
- more
- Tibetan
- with
- every
- march,
- had
- exhibited
- at
- intervals
- some
- traces
- of
- natural
- verdure;
- but
- beyond,
- after
- leaving
- the
- Suru,
- there
- is
- not
- a
- green
- thing,
- and
- on
- the
- next
- march
- the
- road
- crosses
- a
- lofty,
- sandy
- plateau,
- on
- which
- the
- heat
- was
- terrible
- -
- blazing
- gravel
- and
- a
- blazing
- heaven,
- then
- fiery
- cliffs
- and
- scorched
- hillsides,
- then
- a
- deep
- ravine
- and
- the
- large
- village
- of
- Paskim
- (dominated
- by
- a
- fort-crowned
- rock),
- and
- some
- planted
- and
- irrigated
- acres;
- then
- a
- narrow
- ravine
- and
- magnificent
- scenery
- flaming
- with
- colour,
- which
- opens
- out
- after
- some
- miles
- on
- a
- burning
- chaos
- of
- rocks
- and
- sand,
- mountain-girdled,
- and
- on
- some
- remarkable
- dwellings
- on
- a
- steep
- slope,
- with
- religious
- buildings
- singularly
- painted.
- This
- is
- Shergol,
- the
- first
- village
- of
- Buddhists,
- and
- there
- I
- was
- 'among
- the Tibetans.'"
pro-mbooks3 : libris
