Class Notes
Class: XI Topic: ‘Silk Road’ by Nick Middleton
Subject: English
About the Author:
Nick Middleton (born 1960) is a British physical geographer and supernumerary fellow of St Anne's College,
Oxford. He specialises in desertification.
Nick Middleton was born in London, England. As a geographer, he has travelled to more than 50 countries.
‘Going to Extremes’ is a television programme for Channel 4 about extreme lifestyles, in which Middleton
experiences life in the hostile conditions.
He won the Royal Geographical Society's Ness Award in 2002.
He has appeared on BBC 2's ‘Through the Keyhole’.
The extract ‘Silk Road’ has been taken from his book ‘Extremes Along the Silk Road- Adventures off the
World’s Oldest Superhighway (2005)’
Characters:
1) The Author: He is a Professor of Geography at Oxford University and an environmental consultant.
2) Tsetan: He is the owner of the car hired by the author for the journey as well as a tourist guide.
3) Daniel: He is an interpreter from Lhasa who travelled part of the time with the author.
4) Norbu: He is a Tibetan working at an academy in Beijing who wants to complete his ‘kora’
(pilgrimage) at Mount Kailash.
Summary:
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, the 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 calm down only after they have seen the car off their master’s property. In earlier
, days, Tibetan mastiffs were 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 there was a snow fall that blocked the route. Daniel and the author got out of the car
to reduce its load on sharp bends. The altimeter on the author’s wrist indicated that they were at a height
of 5210 metres above the 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.
Next Day
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 Tibetan medicine and that
night the author was able to sleep well.
Tsetan left the author in Darchen and went back to Lhasa. He did not mind if the author would die in
Darchen. He was a devout 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 pilgrimage season had not yet started. He had
reached there too early. He actually wanted to reach Mount Kailash to complete the ‘kora’ and 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 in the Institute of Ethnic Literature, saw him reading an English book. Norbu
introduced himself to the author. He also was there to do ‘kora’, although he was not a religious person. So,
both decided to do the ‘kora’ together.
Theme:
This chapter is part of a travelogue about the author’s travel along the ancient trade route called ‘Silk
Class: XI Topic: ‘Silk Road’ by Nick Middleton
Subject: English
About the Author:
Nick Middleton (born 1960) is a British physical geographer and supernumerary fellow of St Anne's College,
Oxford. He specialises in desertification.
Nick Middleton was born in London, England. As a geographer, he has travelled to more than 50 countries.
‘Going to Extremes’ is a television programme for Channel 4 about extreme lifestyles, in which Middleton
experiences life in the hostile conditions.
He won the Royal Geographical Society's Ness Award in 2002.
He has appeared on BBC 2's ‘Through the Keyhole’.
The extract ‘Silk Road’ has been taken from his book ‘Extremes Along the Silk Road- Adventures off the
World’s Oldest Superhighway (2005)’
Characters:
1) The Author: He is a Professor of Geography at Oxford University and an environmental consultant.
2) Tsetan: He is the owner of the car hired by the author for the journey as well as a tourist guide.
3) Daniel: He is an interpreter from Lhasa who travelled part of the time with the author.
4) Norbu: He is a Tibetan working at an academy in Beijing who wants to complete his ‘kora’
(pilgrimage) at Mount Kailash.
Summary:
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, the 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 calm down only after they have seen the car off their master’s property. In earlier
, days, Tibetan mastiffs were 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 there was a snow fall that blocked the route. Daniel and the author got out of the car
to reduce its load on sharp bends. The altimeter on the author’s wrist indicated that they were at a height
of 5210 metres above the 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.
Next Day
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 Tibetan medicine and that
night the author was able to sleep well.
Tsetan left the author in Darchen and went back to Lhasa. He did not mind if the author would die in
Darchen. He was a devout 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 pilgrimage season had not yet started. He had
reached there too early. He actually wanted to reach Mount Kailash to complete the ‘kora’ and 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 in the Institute of Ethnic Literature, saw him reading an English book. Norbu
introduced himself to the author. He also was there to do ‘kora’, although he was not a religious person. So,
both decided to do the ‘kora’ together.
Theme:
This chapter is part of a travelogue about the author’s travel along the ancient trade route called ‘Silk
