Waiting for the kora

Darchen is dusty and half-ruined, though it has a fine view of the snowy peak of Gurla Mandhata. But there are no pilgrims: the author has come too early in the season.

He has three worries: the kora route might be blocked by snow; he does not want to walk it alone; and nobody in town speaks enough English to tell him whether the route is clear.

In a cafe, he notices the walls lined with striped plastic sheeting, the kind that China exports along the Silk Road today, just as it once sent silk.

There he meets Norbu, a Tibetan who works as a scholar in Beijing. Norbu has written about the kora for years, but has never walked it himself. He suggests that they go together.

Norbu is not very fit, and he jokes about his big tummy. But he is enthusiastic, and he even suggests hiring yaks to carry their bags. For the author, he is the ideal companion: two scholars, at last, leaving the library for the real thing.