Silk Road

Nick Middleton

Introduction of the lesson

The story is written by Nick Middleton. This chapter is about the narrator’s journey from slopes of Ravu to
Mount Kailash to complete the kora. To bid him farewell, Lhamo gave him a long sleeve sheepskin coat. He
hired Tsetan’s car for his journey and took Daniel along to escort him to Darchen.

Synopsis
This chapter deals with a story about the challenges and hardships faced in the Silk Road regions. Here the
author is an adventurer but also an academician. He tries to research on the altitude sickness and he realises
that it can lead to swelling in the brain or lungs, slowly filling with fluid. The author has no religious
inclinations yet starts to speculate on Tibetan Buddhism as a prerequisite for survival at that great altitude.
This chapter gives exotic details of the Silk Road and also describes the challenges faced in the travel.

Theme
This chapter is part of a travelogue about the author’s travel along the ancient trade route called ‘Silk Road’
regions as they are now. This account of the Silk Road, with its contrasts and exotic detail, describes the
challenges and hardships the author faced while journeying to Mount Kailash on a pilgrimage.

Character List
• Nick Middleton – Author. He is a Professor of Geography at Oxford University and an environmental
consultant. He is adventurous and at the same time considers the travel a chance to research on various
topics like altitude and its effect on the human body. He describes the journey and the hardships faced on
the Silk Road.
• Daniel – He is an interpreter from Lhasa who travelled part of the time with the author. Author’s friend
who accompanied him on the journey to Mount Kailash.
• Tsetan – He is the owner of the car hired by the author for the journey, as well as being a tourist guide. He
was a driver hired by the author. He was a very good and efficient driver. He drove the car very carefully
considering the safety of the passengers. During the journey, he spoke to the author and gave important
details of the places they were passing by. When he found the author was not well, he took him to Medical
College and cared for his health. He was a good Buddhist and believed that death is not the end of life.
• Norbu: He is a Tibetan working at an academy in Beijing who wants to carry out the pilgrimage to Mount
Kailash.

Summary Event wise:

Departure from Ravu:

The author left Ravu along with Daniel, an interpreter, and Tsetan, who was a tourist guide. Before leaving,
Lhamo, the lady who had provided them accommodation at Ravu, gave the author a gift of a long-sleeved
sheepskin coat, as they were going to Mount Kailash, where it would be very cold. Tsetan knew a short cut to
reach the mountain. He said the journey would be smooth if there was no snow.

They Saw Drokbas on the Way:

As they passed through the hills, they saw individual drokbas (nomad shepherds) looking after their flocks.
Both men and women were seen. They were wearing thick woollen clothes. They would stop and stare at their
car, sometimes waving to them as they passed.

Encounter with Tibetan Mastiffs

As they passed the nomad’s tents, they saw some Tibetan mastiffs, which were dogs used by the shepherds.
When the car came close to their tents, they would bark furiously and fearlessly. They would chase the car for
some distance and would then go back. In earlier days, Tibetan mastiffs became popular in China’s imperial
courts as hunting dogs. They were brought along the Silk Road as a tax payment from Tibet.
Ice Blocks the Road
The turns became sharper and more difficult as they climbed. The author started getting a severe headache.
Suddenly snow started falling and soon blocked the route. Daniel and the author got out of the car to reduce
its load on sharp bends. The altimeter watch on the author’s wrist indicated that they were at a height of 5210
metres above sea level. The icy top layer of the snow was dangerous, as the car could slip off the road. When
they reached a height of 5515 metres, which was the top of the pass, the atmospheric pressure became so low
that Tsetan had to open the lid of the petrol tank to release the evaporated fuel.

Back on the Highway

By late afternoon, they had reached the small town of Hor on .the shore of Lake Manasarovar, which was on
the old trade route between Lhasa and Kashmir. Daniel returned to Lhasa from there. Tsetan got the flat tyre
of the car repaired there. Hor was a grim, miserable place. There was no vegetation whatsoever, just dust and
rocks. There was accumulated rubbish everywhere. Unlike the past, the place no longer appeared holy.
By 10.30 PM they reached Darchen, where they found a guesthouse to stay in. It was the end of the road. The
author had a very troubled night. His nostrils were blocked and he was not able to get enough air into his
lungs. Most of the night he sat up, as he was unable to sleep.
The next day Tsetan took the author to the Darchen Medical College. The doctor told him it was just the cold
and the altitude which were giving him trouble. The doctor gave him some medicine and that night the author
was able to sleep well
Tsetan left the author in Darchen and went back with the car to Lhasa. He did not mind if the author would
die in Darchen. He was a good Buddhist and believed in life after death. However, he was worried that the
author’s death could affect his business, as he may not get more; tourists who required to be accompanied till
where the road ended.

The Author Looks for a Companion and Meets Norbu

Like Hor, Darchen was dusty and a lot of rubbish could be seen all around. The town appeared to be sparsely
populated. There were no pilgrims there, as the season had not yet started. He had reached there too early. He
actually wanted to reach Mount Kailash to do kora to get a feel of what a pilgrimage was like. But he didn’t
want to do it alone. He was looking for someone who could speak or understand English.
When he was sitting in the only cafe at Darchen, Norbu, a plump Tibetan working in Beijing at the Chinese
Academy of Social Sciences, saw him reading an English book. So Norbu introduced himself to the author.
He also was there to do kora, although he was not a religious person. So both of them decided to do kora
together.

Silk Road Chapter Highlights

• The author left Ravu with a gifted long-sleeved sheepskin coat accompanied by Daniel and Tsetan.
Tsetan said that the journey would be smooth if there was no snow on the way.
• As they passed by the hills, they could see the lonely drokbas looking after their herds.
• As they passed the drokba tents, their guard dogs, which were Tibetan mastiffs, chased their car for
some distance.
• Soon the turns became sharper and bumpier as they climbed.
• The sudden and unexpected fall of snow blocked their way a number of times.
• After passing through the top of the pass, they went down to reach the small town of Hor, on the shore
of Lake Manasarovar, by late afternoon.
• It was a grim, miserable place without any vegetation; it only had a lot of accumulated rubbish, dust
and rocks. Daniel went back to Lhasa from there. They repaired the puncrured tyres and carried on.
• They reached Darchen at 10:30 PM and found a guesthouse to stay in.
• The author had a very troubled night because of the cold. So the next morning, Tsetan took him to
consult a doctor at the Darchen Medical College.
• The doctor gave some medicine and that night he was able to sleep well.
• Tsetan left the author in Darchen and went back with the car to Lhasa.
• As the pilgrim season had not started, the author felt lonely. He was looking for someone who could
speak or understand English as well as accompany him to do kora.
• Then he met Norbu, a Tibetan who understood English and was there to do kora at Mount Kailash.
• Both of them decided to go together.
Summary in detail
The author of the story, Nick Middleton, describes his journey to Mount Kailash in Silk Road. In order to complete
his Kora, the author wishes to visit Mt. Kailash. Thus, he hires Tsetan so that he gets someone for driving him up
to the mountain. While he was parting with Lhamo, he receives a long-sleeved sheepskin coat. In order to get
companionship, the author takes Daniel with him till Darchen.
Upon starting their journey, Tsetan takes a short-cut to the south-west. He says it is a direct route to Mt. Kailash.
In order to reach their destination, they would have to cross the high mountain passes. However, Tsetan assures
them that due to lack of snow, it would be easy to do so. On their way, they cross through a small number of
gazelles, a herd of wild asses and shepherds that were tending the flocks.
Upon reaching the hill, they notice dark tents. They learn they were nomad’s homes and see a Tibetan mastiff
guarding the tents. When they reach near the tents, the dogs with large jaws ran after their car. Upon entering the
valley, they witness mountains and rivers covered in snow and ice.
The ride on the hill starts turning sharper and bumpier. As they reached higher, the author could feel the pressure
and noticed they were at 5210 meters above sea level. After clearing the first hurdle of snow-filled roads, they
were on and about. The author starts feeling uneasy due to height and pressure. At around 2 o’clock in the
afternoon, they stop for lunch.
Finally, they reach a small town ‘Hor’ in late afternoon. The author took a break in Hor and sat at the local café
sipping on tea. During this time, Tsetan got the car fixed and Daniel left for Lhasa. The author did not like Hor
too much. Upon resuming the journey, they stay the night at a guest house in Darchen. We see how he suffers
from nose-congestion due to the altitude change and chilly weather. He goes to see a Tibetan doctor and receives
a five-day course medication.
After that, he feels better and enjoys his stay at Darchen where he meets another pilgrim, Norbu. As Darchen had
no pilgrims, the author finds relief and decides to complete his pilgrimage with him. Finally, they hire yaks for
their luggage and Norbu gives up while collapsing across the table and laughing. Norbu’s says it would not be
possible for him and he also had a big tummy.

Conclusion of Silk Road

To sum up the Silk Road summary, we learn about the author’s journey through the silk road and the
determination of pilgrims and the hardships they face.