Pangong Tso - Tso Beautiful (Day 5)

 We had breakfast around 8 am, packed our bags and were set to leave to Pangong Tso. Believe me, this is the most breath-taking journey that we experienced in the last few days. We had to take a detour near Khalsar to go straight towards Agham to proceed to Pangong. 

The drive was through the mountains but this was very different – we were at an attitude of 11,000 feet and ascending to 14,500 feet (the altitude of Pangong Tso) and hence the drive was not through steep mountain roads but on roads or what was left of the roads that existed across valleys. 

There is a fear of rocks falling at several places. Also because of the warm temperature, the snow was melting, and the water was trickling down the mountains as streams and waterfalls washing away rocks on the way. There were several places where there were no roads and people had to place stones to make path for the vehicles to go. Driving on these roads is possible only on vehicles that have a high ground clearance. There were traffic jams in some places while there was no sight of another human being is some others. 

The road ahead wound through the mountains but appeared very scary though well-asphalted. We could see the deep gorge on one side and steep slopes on the other. Paljor casually pointed out to the far left and mentioned ‘Ye side sir, Galwan valley ko jane keliye’. And went on to explain the tension that prevailed between India and China due to the airbase that was constructed in the recent past.

 We stopped at several places to take photographs. Someone said – ‘this whole area looks like a wallpaper, simply point and click. The pictures will be beautiful.’ The way the mountains were formed here was incomprehensible. The rocks bore different colours and textures in different parts of the same mountain. 

Durbuk

After a few hours, we stopped at a settlement called Durbuk for lunch. We had thukpa, momos , Rajma Chawal and Kahwa in ‘Renchow restaurant’. There is no mobile network signal enroute but we luckily got network here as it was close to the army camps. We needed the network to pay for the lunch as we were running low on cash. (Note : please carry enough cash from Leh as usage of any digital payments platform or ATM withdrawals are not great outside Leh).

After a good 30 minute break, we started off only to be stopped by a flat tire just outside the army settlement. Paljor quickly fixed the stepney, but we had to get the main tire repaired (knowing the condition of these roads). So we started off from Durbuk and reached a village called Tangste. All vehicles take a detour outside the village to Pangong but we had to drive into the village to get the tire fixed. The whole process felt like we were a decade back in time. We spend a good 30-45 min here and left after making sure that we were well equipped for the road. On the way, in just a few hundred meters we saw the Tangste Gompa on a hill-top. The Gompa was magnificent to look at. Unfortunately, we did not go in as we had been on the road for almost 6 hours by then. As we drove further, the road levelled, and we were feeling a little safer. 

Out of nowhere I could see pages from Enid Blyton right in front of my eyes – the snow clad peaks, the streams running parallel to the mountains, beautiful meadows and prettier horses grazing, the sun shining brightly, the mildly cool breeze. 

As we continued to savour the beauty and click pictures, we saw an animal that we hadn’t seen elsewhere – Marmot, it belongs to the rodent family, moves like a beaver but stands on two legs to watch people. Cute-looking animals. Petting these animals or offering food to them is a punishable offence.

Pangong Tso

Another 30 minutes on the road, as the patience levels were slowly being put to test, we caught the first glimpse of the Pangong Tso, between the mountains.

 It was a deep blue water body visible between the brown colored background and foreground. Another 10 minutes and we were at Pangong Tso! - the world’s highest salt water lake at an altitude of 14,500 feet above sea level. Only 1/3rd of this 160 km lake is in India while the rest 2/3rd is in China. We drove towards the lake took a few turns and finally reached our tents. These were functional tents made of tarpaulin that could withstand the cold and the wind, but not the sound / howl of the winds that kept us awake through the night! We checked-into our tents, relaxed a little due to the long journey and decided to go to the lake. Pangong Tso has become famous in the recent years particularly after the movie ‘3 idiots’ (the last scene when Kareen Kapoor drives a scooter in a wedding saree on the sand). Pictures do no justice to the experience, the charm and the subtle beauty it holds. When we arrived at the lake, we could see a few shades of blue predominantly turquoise blue. 

As the sun set, the colour of the water turned dark blue and then purplish. We couldn’t stay out for more than an hour here near the water – the winds were blowing hard and though we were completely covered, we couldn’t handle it as the altitude playing its part. We returned to our tents only to realize that the fresh air outside, though thin, was much better than the closed environment inside the tent.

 

Of course, just like in Nubra Valley, each of us were given multiple blankets and comforters. There was no fan- who would need one here! The toilets and the makeshift bathrooms attached to the tents were in good condition. Of course, electricity is provided only in the evenings for 3 hours through generators. We had dinner around 8pm and walked outside a little but couldn’t breathe too well. We ended up not sleeping well that night due to mild breathlessness throughout. 

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Ready, Set, Go

Leh, Here we come (Day 1)

Salute to the Army! (Day 2)

Khardungla and Nubra Valley (Day 3)

Panamik and Samstanling Monastery (Day 4)

Hemis Tsechu and Thiksey Monastery (Day 6)

The Palace and the Market (Day 7)

Julley, Leh (Day 8)