Taplejung, April 14:

Nepalis travelling to Tibet via Olangchungola entry point are facing difficulties due to the unseasonal snowfall, accompanied by rain.

Kipa Sherpa of Olangchungola said residents here have not been able to go across the border for the past one week, as entry points to Tibet have all been blocked by snow.

Residents here travel to Tibet with their Yaks and Chauri cows around mid-March. Pasang Sherpa, a carpet trader who reached Taplejung from Olangchungola said residents of Olangchungola were baffled by the snowfall during this season and added that the snowfall has created problems related to the movement across the border.

Pasang added that he came to Taplejung Bazaar to get rice, as there is almost nothing left in the village. The cost of rice which usually gets imported from Tibet, including the delivery expenses, costs upto Rs 19 per kg in Olangchungola. But, to bring rice from Taplejung, it costs about Rs 60 per kg, including transportation.

Also, it takes almost a week to travel to and from Taplejung, which is why residents of Olangchungola prefer Tibetan markets, Pasang added. He said Tibet is nearer for them because of the motorised road connecting the border areas to Lhasa Bazaar.

Olangchungola residents also go to Riu city in Tibet for trading purpose.

The main occupation of residents here is rearing yaks and chauri cows, make Churpi and weave carpets. The only thing that can be cultivated here is potato. Olangchungola, which lies at an altitude of 3,240 metres above the sea level, is at a distance of some 55 Kms from the district headquarter. Sherpas are the native residents of this remote village in Taplejung.