Silk Road Main Synopsis Character List Theme
Silk Road Main 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.
Silk Road Main Character List
Nick Middleton –
Author. 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 –
Author’s friend who
accompanied him on the journey to Mount Kailash.
Tsetan –
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.
Silk Road Main Theme
The author Nick Middleton, left Ravu
in the company of Daniel and Tsetan. Before leaving the place, Lhamo gave him a
gift. She gave him a long-sleeved sheepskin coat. Their next destination was
Mount Kailash and Tsetan said he knew a short cut. He said the journey would be
smooth if there was no snow. As they passed by the hills, they could see the
lonely ‘drokbas’ tending their flocks. They were men and women who would pause
and stare at their car, occasionally waving as they passed.
As they passed the nomad’s tents
there were the Tibetan mastiffs. They would start barking as they neared the
tents; chased the car for some distance and then go silent. The turns became
sharper and bumpier, and sudden and unexpected snowfall started blocking their
way. The author and Daniel got out of the car for Tsetan to drive it safely.
The icy top layer of the snow was very dangerous; the car could slip off the
road, and the snow continued blocking their way.
They reached a guesthouse in Darchen.
The author had a very troubled night. His sinuses were blocked and he was not
able to get enough oxygen and he could barely sleep. The next day Tsetan took
him to the Darchen Medical College. The doctor told the author that it was just
cold and the altitude was causing him troubles. He gave him some medicine and
that night he was able to sleep well.
Tsetan left the author in Darchen and
went away to carry on with his work. He was a good Buddhist and believed in
life after death. However, Tsetan was worried it could affect his business, as
he may not get more tourists and may cause his business to fail terribly. The
author was worried as Tsetan left, he felt lonely and deserted in Darchen.
The author wanted to reach Mount
Kailash to do kora but he did not want to do it alone. He was busy looking for
someone who could speak English as it would be easier to communicate. In a
cafe, Middleton met Norbu, originally a Tibetan who was working in Beijing at
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He too was there to do the kora but he
was not religious. The author decided to accompany Norbu to climb Mount
Kailash.