Silk Road: Class 11 English (Hornbill) Q&A

Answer: The author, Nick Middleton, travelled along the ancient Silk Road route in Tibet because he wanted to reach Mount Kailash to perform the 'Kora' (a sacred circumambulation of the mountain). This route through the Himalayas offered the most direct, though rugged, path to his destination.

Answer: The author paints a very bleak and depressing picture of the town of Hor. He describes it as a grim, miserable place with no vegetation, just dust and rocks. It was heavily littered with years of accumulated rubbish. It stood in stark contrast to the beautiful, sacred stories he had heard about the shores of Lake Manasarovar.

Answer: Upon reaching Darchen, the author suffered from severe cold and high altitude sickness. His sinuses were blocked, he had a heavy chest cold, and he struggled to breathe when lying down. He was so terrified that he might die in his sleep that he had to be treated by a Tibetan doctor at the local medical college.

Answer: Norbu was a Tibetan working in Beijing who was also travelling to Mount Kailash to perform the Kora. Meeting Norbu was a huge relief for the author because Norbu could speak English, unlike the locals. Furthermore, neither of them wanted to do the Kora on foot like traditional pilgrims, so they agreed to hire yaks and travel together, making the journey much easier.