The utility of the dzo is wildly good. Their strength is vastly helpful. They are our plant-eating companions who turn the vast majority of leaves and roots in the landscape that we can’t eat into manure, which in turn grows our food.
Caitlin and I were far away from the village last year, so we didn’t save seed. Relatives in Sabu did save seed though, and I was tasked with bringing it to Tar by plowing time. We paid them a good price, and with the help of a little Alto I brought the seed and a sack of potatoes by road toward Tar.
Tar is behind that mountain on the left.
I brought the seed by car, up away from the highway on the partway constructed new road.
Konchok and I brought the dzo down the next morning. We needed to plant the seed that day.
After the april snowstorm, the stream waters were pouring down through the gorge.
Over winter, the waters of the stream freeze in layers that grow and grow, especially in the gorges where the mountains and the cliff walls come close. This is late April.
These old well-built and well-worn walking paths were the only way into Tar until three years ago. Now we still need them, even though big sections — with the road construction — have been destroyed or disturbed by rubble.
This dzo tawo (two-color) — we call him the show dzo because he’s so pretty and it rhymes — he has been here and working since we first came to Tar ten years ago. He is over 20 now.
This is a very high flow.
Last year, the excavator made it farther than here, but the water has reclaimed some territory down to this point. This is the high point where we can now drive our cars and haul our goods by vehicle.
Those mountains out there are miles away, north across the Indus and the fault line.
These are fifty kilo sacks of wheat and seed potatoes (110 lbs).
It would be punishing to try and carry this up on our backs.
The reality here in Tar is that we need this relationship with the dzo.
Lastly, here is the group of small, nimble Ladakhi horses we passed on our way up. They are walking on the upper section of road that the high water is currently cutting through and carrying away. Their wrangler is paid this season to use them to carry sacks of sand, cement, and other materials two kilometers up to Tar.
Konchok and I made it up to the village just in time to plant wheat, with many friends gathered for our plowing day.
Thank you for these postings, Jason, which give me a better feeling for how people and materials get to Tar village. The stream becomes very powerfull after that 10 inch snowfall, overflowing and washing out part of the road. Who will take responsibility for repairing the washed out parts of the road? Will villagers have energy to hand shovel in the holes after planting? I’m curious about how electricity and internet gets to the village and where you can post these videos and photos.