Sangla Valley: Part 3 (Sangla/Chitkul)

Refreshing morning at Sangla :)

Generally in trips, the day starts at a very early morning. It is better to start early to utilize as much as time available. But morning time happens to be the most chaotic time of the trip. Most of the time shortened sleep poses difficulty, especially in mountains, where one has to fight the low temperature of an early morning and cozy comfort of the bed..for me and for others :p First somebody has to get up resisting all the temptations of sleeping more and wake others up successfully..Latter is proven to be more difficult many times :p And if all get up at the same time, chaos happens! :p This time we got up on time and synced ourselves among us to get fresh on time :) Though the morning times in mountains are chaotic, they are very pristine and beautiful. So was the Sangla morning..As I opened the window, the first thing I could see was morning soft sun rays exposing a part of a Himalayan hillock, across the Baspa river, crowded with deodar. The little hamlet Sangla was awake, still maintaining the charm of the remote place..No hustle bustle, no traffic, people sitting relaxed in a small group near bonfire, intermittently a vehicle passing over a nearby iron bridge breaking rhythm of early morning silence.. enough to give satisfactory feeling of being away from the fast city life, allowing to sync the  life to the pace you want making it an idyllic one :)

Road to Chitkul..

The plan for the day was to start 2 days trek of Sangla-Kanda. We were ready by 8:30. I called our guide. He said he was unable to get porters and it was not possible to start the trek on that day. That was kind of very unexpected to us because trip itinerary was pretty inflexible. We had no back up day. The reason of risking trek to the next day was that the trek is normally done in 3 days. Due to the tight schedule, we needed to do it in 2 days. In an extreme case, if we followed original plan, then even if trek would have gone into 3rd day, we still could have skipped Chitkul. But now we had to shift the trek to the next day. And nothing could be done about it. So we decided to shuffle our itinerary, and brought in Chitkul visit instead of trek.

After breakfast, we set off for Chitkul which is about 25km, 1-hour drive from Sangla. That small bumpy drive to Chitkul was the fascinating one which crossed  many small streams on the way through dense pine trees, which revealed the awesome serious raw beautiful countryside, later tree line disappearing opening slowly magnificent, wide and elegant valley to us as we proceeded towards Chitkul. The road was as usual breathtaking and heart stopping, carrying us from green, thickly forested hill side to barren and dusty one.

:)

The first break..

Very soon after we left Sangla, we got our the first picnic point crossing a wooden bridge at a small stream flowing from top of the mountain, throwing itself into Baspa at the bottom of the valley. It was a great point to make a small halt, to make a small hike along the stream, to try to capture some amazing photographs, water effects and to sit silently leaving  legs in cold and clean flowing water hanging freely and so the your thoughts, looking at distant alpine meadows on the other side of Baspa river. We were soon accompanied by big bunch of school children who were returning to Chitkul winning some sports trophies and wanted us to take some photographs. They came and left. We were still there at the spot, someone in trans moods, someone in a talkative mood, someone in a photo mode, and someone in a hiking phase :p A small halt turned into a very big one. Finally, we resumed towards Chitkul. And another lovely stream stopped us. And we again stopped :p Short break followed by some drive, we reached Rakcham, another amazing village where there are a lot of short picnic spots to go, unwind your lunch boxes and just chill out at Baspa bank. We planned that for Chitkul :)

Tomorrow, we will be trekking on that side ;)

This is the way!!

Sangla..

Another beautiful stream..Another stop ;)

The road has turned dusty and landscapes barren.

Valley opening up completely..We are approaching Chitkul..

 Soon we reached Chitkul about which Outlook Traveller says "A place that gives you the feeling having travelled to the very ends of civilization". Very true!! Chitkul is a small beautiful village situated at the end of Baspa valley terminated by Great Himalaya, beyond which lies Tibet. It is the place to which civilians are permitted. Beyond this place, control is with Indo-Tibet Border Police forces though the border is pretty far, about 90km. Chitkul was used to be on ancient trade route between India and Tibet which was famously known as "Silk Route". Chitkul has characteristic houses, small and wooden built, tilt-roofed which now serves as hotels too. Chitkul is expensive from lodging point of view and tourists prefer to stay at Sangla. We left our vehicle. Some fellow travelers were already there, but a very small number. We started walking towards the bank of Baspa, the way to which, runs downwards and cutting randomly flowing streams in the village. Before leaving we gave our lunch order which was going to take another 1 hour. At Chitkul, valley opens up completely wide, two sides of rivers contrasting each other, one barren while other covered with thick pine forest. And the valley is terminated with snow capped mountains, which let Baspa flow towards Sangla. The environment was so energetic on the bank of restless Baspa carrying freezing water that Kedar, Chetan and Prachita couldn't stop themselves to make a race, a race which would be won by one who would keep bare legs in that bitterly freezing water for the longest time!! :p Everything around was so picturesque that Camera was the busiest thing at that time :p After spending incredible time, laughing, joking, posing for photos, it was the time to return. While walking back to Chitkul, I couldn't stop myself looking back again and again at those snow-capped peaks and the valley before it..I was literally stalking at Great Himalaya :p There is a small school near Baspa bank, facing those snow clad peaks. I felt really jealous for those cute little children who were playing around and studying in the lap of amazing valley. It should be the best school!

Chitkul!!

On the bank of Baspa at Chitkul..Heavens \m/

River Baspa at Chitkul!

At the end of civilization :p Village Chitkul!

Buddhist temple at Chitkul..

Why not to go to school :p The best school!

We were hungry. We had our lunch..A lot of Maggie and a lot of rice. Then we visited a nice Buddhist temple that was situated on the upper part of Chitkul. After the visit, we started back for Sangla, I vowed to go back to Chitkul in winter when it gets completely covered with snow and everything looks amazingly different though equally beautiful. This splendid drive to Chitkul made me believe Sangla valley is the best valley of Himachal Pradesh.

The famous Apples of Sangla!

Another beautiful evening, so another heart stealing sunset!

It was almost 5 in the evening when we reached Sangla. We were still left with visit to Kamru fort which is one of the main attractions of Sangla. Kamru fort is situated above Sangla and one of the oldest in this area. One has to hike there by a well-defined staircase path. The road to the base of fort is narrow and goes along line of Apple trees. Apples of Sangla are of the highest quality and generally exported abroad. We got some apples on the way and they were really good. It was getting dark. We had to hurry up. But the hike to the fort really tests your stamina. Well, it is a high altitude hike. But that really helped us to get acclimatize, which proved very important on the next day when we actually started trekking. So one lesson learned, get yourself well acclimatized before starting a high altitude trek. Chitkul visit and fort hiking did that job for us. One has to enter into fort premises, wearing a traditional hat and a white belt. We were provided with both at the entrance. At the entrance, an image of Buddha greeted us. Fort is of 5 stories. An image Kamakhya Devi, which was supposed to be brought from Guwahati is installed on the upper story. The architectural style of the fort is amazing..Layers of deodar wood placed upon each other, cementing them by fine dressed stones.The view from the fort was simply stupefying. The sun was going down on West, beyond mighty Himalaya. The magnanimity of the valley that was spread over miles could be felt from the top. A hydro-electric project is there on Baspa river just outside of Sangla towards Karccham, which people over there say it a sad thing as it is obstructing the natural flow of furious Baspa. We sat there feeling the elegance of the surrounding observing slowly happening sunset. While looking at half moon, Manali said suddenly, "All half things are perfect!". And I consider this as a one of the epic quotes I have ever heard :)

Happy!!

Kamru Fort..

Sunset at Kamru Fort \m/

As we started climbing down, it was very dark. On the way, we saw some preparation was going on to celebrate something.  Upon inquiring we came to know some kind of festival was there after some time. We were fortunate to be there. As we were waiting for celebrations to start, I got a call from the driver telling that hotel owner had given our rooms to somebody else :-o Well the story behind it was just miscommunication. In the morning we left hotel with intention of trekking leaving unnecessary things at hotel, but checking out the rooms since we would be returning on the next day. But, the trek got postponed, and we informed to the hotel owner about the same. I guess some miscommunication happened in between and he thought we left for the trek and gave rooms to some other guests. To solve the problem, two of us left the festival before it had started and we somehow managed to get rooms in the other hotel. Till we return to the festival place, others were coming back. They had heard that celebration generally would turn into alcoholic one and  it was not wise to stay there. We walked from the base of the fort to he hotel in pure darkness illuminated by light of half moon :)

A traditional festival of Sangla..

We had our dinner and met our guide personally the first time to discuss the trek..He said everything was ready and we would start the trek next morning..We were told Rs. 1000/- per person for the trek (A great lesson is associated with this, in the next part). He said trek was too difficult to do in 2 days..But we forced him to make it in 2 days due to our stringent time constraints..But asked him to keep some ration for the third day for possible unforeseen events..Well we would be trying to cover 24km in two days!

We returned to the hotel settling all about the trek..A problem was waiting there. Some water fiasco happened. Rooms at the new hotel were not served with water. Everybody was tired. After some time, only one room got water supply and we had to manage with that. Tiredness of high altitude walking was enough to force us to hit the bed without a single game of cards :p  The day at amazing Chitkul and awesome evening at Kamru fort were highly exciting and wonderful. Though body was tired, my heart and mind were not! They wanted to bring more of excitement and thrill and so the trek was there waiting on the next morning :) 

Sangla Valley: Part 2 (Shimla - Sangla - Trek Preparation)

Justifying "a road through the mountains" :)

We started for Sangla at early morning..Something must have happened to the driver Jitoo..Possibly broken heart..At very early morning he began to play some sad old songs. But he was married :p It took us some time to settle down. Soon we were out of Shimla. Sangla is around 220 km from Shimla. The characteristics of the road, NH 22 to Sangla which is also known as Hindustan Tibet road, will not be new to those who have been to Himalaya before, but still attractive enough forcing travelers to ride there again and again...Rough, narrow, curvy with blind turns, accompanied by river sometimes on right, sometimes on left..hair-raising steep climb sometimes..literally making way through mountains..but constantly delivering breathtaking scenic views of the valleys, lovely towns in those valleys, jungles of pine trees, frequently changing ridges one after another, taking close to the destination..This road has everything.

Road to Sangla after Karchham..

On the way, one may visit popular tourist destinations like Kufri, Fagu, immediately after leaving Shimla..We had no such plans..We were heading to Sangla on the same day, on a road, situated above Sutlej valley till Narkanda. Then the road descended to Sutlej valley and became hot and dusty. But soon it again ascended sharply. At Karchham, which happens to be some 20 km from Sangla and a place where Sutlej meets her tributary Baspa, we broke away from NH 22 and Sutlej, continuing our journey on a very steep and narrow road which has to be one of the most thrilling and heart-stopping roads I have ever seen. Till we got used to this stunning climb, along Baspa river, carrying crystal clear water, suddenly we were welcomed with wide and open valley, verdant Deodar trees, distant snow-capped peaks of Kinner Kailash..That was our entry to the most charming valley of Himachal Pradesh! Sangla valley! And soon we entered beautifully placed Sangla village..If you are going by public transport, then there is only one direct bus to Sangla from Shimla, but for Karchham, buses are plied much frequently..From Karchham, NH 22 further leads you to Kalpa, beyond that to Tibet border..This is a part of the route of an amazing circuit that goes through Kalpa, Tabo, Kaza in Spiti valley, Rohtang Pass and then to Manali.

It was 5 in the evening when we reached Sangla..White icy snow peaks had turned golden in dying sun rays. Air was windy. Still weather was amazingly pleasant that I really didn't feel any tiresome signs of 10 hours of mountainous ride. We immediately set out for hotel hunt. Remember Sangla is a very small village and away from all hustle and bustle that one could find in popular tourist places..Professional tourism is yet to touch this part. So a very small number of hotels are available there. Luckily we managed to find a good hotel, Baspa Guest House. Sangla gets Bengalis as their major part of tourists. In fact, some hotels have named themselves in Bengali :)

Spiti valley circuit (One of my future expeditions)
F: Shimla, B: Kalpa, C: Tabo,
D: Rohtang Pass, E: Manali.

After getting fresh, we started inquiring about arrangements needed  to be made for Sangla Kanda trek that we were planning to start immediately the next day (which could have been a wrong decision, about which I will share in the next part). The next 3 days in Sangla would be splitting with the first 2 days for trek and third day for Chitkul. Normally Sangla Kanda trek is done in 3 days, comprising of 10 km of ascent from 2860 m to 4000 m and 14 km of climbing down. But due to stringent time constraints, we had to do it in 2 days. We were totally unaware of planning of a multi-day trek. After a lot of confusion and discussion in late evening with 2-3 people those arrange treks, we decided to start on the next day at 9AM. Sangla is such a small town that when I contacted to one trek arranger and then talked to another person in a span of 15 minutes, the latter knew that I had met with earlier person :p There are only two options available for the trek. First, hire mules to carry appurtenances needed for 2 days trek, like things needed for cooking, tents, which is a cheaper option..The person carrying mules also acts as your guide throughout the trek (initially we decided to go with this option with a thrill to cook by ourselves :)). If you don't want to cook, you will need to take a cook along with you. Second option is to hire porters and a guide. Hiring porters makes this option costlier than the previous one since the number of persons increases and so the necessary things. In our case, the first option was a difficult one. We needed to get mules immediately for the next morning. We needed to buy food items. Trekking demands only minimum things to be carried. So food choice should be proper. At high altitude of 3500 m, red rice cooks faster than normal rice. Carrying plenty of Maggie is a great option..Light in weight and sufficient to feed your tummy. Also, butter helps to keep one warm in chilly weather. Chocolates are tasty and excellent in providing a lot of calories. Of course cooking utensils are also to be carried and the most difficult thing was to gather all these things in the closing hours of village along with tents, sleeping bags. Tents, sleeping bags could be rented. But mule owner said that it would be difficult to arrange mules immediately for the next morning since they had just arrived from an another expedition. So we opted for the second option in which a person, Sunny Negi, was arranging everything needed for the trek and porters.

The first evening at Sangla :)

Happy B'day, Onky!

So finally settling all these things, we had a small walk through the village..We saw an amazing incident in a medical shop..The owner of the shop was fixing a broken tooth of a villager with some kind of glue!! And the tooth got fixed :-o Sangla goes to sleep quite early..We also returned to the hotel with a plan for games of cards :p Onkar had birthday on the next day..So a surprised high altitude birthday bash happened. But a normal cake became nicely decorated chocolates :) And at twelve O'clock, sleepy Onkar got a birthday song sung for him on a beautiful night, at an amazing place, located remotely somewhere in Great Himalaya :) A gift for the birthday! We called off for the day, with a plan to start trekking next day..But a twist was waiting! Let's meet the twist in the next part :) 

Some Numerical Statistics: 

1) Hotel Baspa Guest House: Can be booked online, but run time booking will be much cheaper. Got 2 family suites (4 bedded ) Rs. 1000/- each.
2) Other hotels: Rates are between Rs. 300/- to Rs. 500/- depending on bargaining skill, for a double bedded room. Some luxury tents are also available outside Sangla.
3) Renting tents: Rs. 400/- per night per tent
4) Renting sleeping bags: Rs. 25 per night per person
5) Mule charges: Rs. 400/- per mule per day
6) Porter charges: Rs. 200-300 per porter per day

Sangla Valley: Part 1 (The Beginning..)

Himachal Pradesh (HP) is one of the states in India which is always bustling with flocks of tourists and travelers round the year..And why not? HP boasts of all five mountain ranges that comprise the mighty Himalaya, making it the best state in India for me.This great Himalaya is carved by Beas, Chenab, Sutlej and Ravi along with their innumerous tributaries to form resplendent and beautiful valleys like Kullu, Chamba, Kangra, Lahaul and Kinnaur. Elevation varies from some few hundred meters to some 7000 meters. It is the state where people live in houses built on impossible slopes of mountains, simultaneously in a hut at the bank of a river alone in solitude. It is the state where one hardly finds a road that stretches over a half kilometer without a bend. This treacherous but awesome terrain has got its own color because of diverse culture it possesses from pretty old monasteries and temples. Well to state awesomeness of this state from a traveler point of view, just put your finger anywhere on the map of HP with your eyes closed and literally go there without any hesitation because every place in HP has something incredible waiting to be known to you :)

I have been to HP once before October 2011..To Chamba and Dalhousie in March 2010..After making some great trips to some other places like Ladakh, Rajasthan and North East, I decided to go for the second expedition to HP. As I said earlier, any place in HP can be chosen blindly. But I didn't do that :p I came to know about Sangla valley, a part of Kinnaur valley from one of my friends, Nikhil Joshi. He said that this valley is relatively unknown and less visited by travelers, so still maintaining its raw charm. And till then, I was also completely oblivious of it. And so my destination for mid -semester recess of October got fixed! I love to go to the places which are relatively less known. After reaching there, I felt that many of the people visiting HP were also not aware of Sangla valley, looking at the number of tourists at Sangla and comparing it to the number of tourists visiting rest of HP.

So a call for a trip was made..Finally, eight enthusiastic people set off for Sangla..The plan was simple from October 1-October 8..I'll focus mainly on "Sangla" part of this trip in upcoming posts.

Itinerary:

A church at the ridge in Shimla :)

1) Meet at Delhi.

2) Shimla via Chandigarh.

3) Then Sangla (230 kms from Shimla).

4) A two days Sangla-Kanda trek (24kms) and Chitkul, a beautiful place near Sangla.

5) And if time permits, visit Kalpa.

The preparation for this trip was minimal. I booked Youth hostel at Shimla in advance, but that was unnecessary. First, hotel was not worth the money though it offers great view from balcony and second, no need to book hotels in advance for Shimla. We didn't book hotels for any other places. We had our first stay at meticulously planned Chandigarh with a late night visit to Sukhna lake. Next day we made our way to Shimla. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the tickets for trains for Shimla from Kalka. A train journey to Shimla from Kalka is highly recommended, but a road trip to Shimla is also equally recommended :p 

Road to Jakhu temple..

Our entry in Shimla was happened to be preparation for Sangla trek..Carrying a lot of luggage from lower part of the Shimla to the hotel at the upper part situated on the other side :p But our efforts were praised by unexpected rains, making weather soothing, soft and more pleasant. The visit to Jakhu temple tested our stamina on steep climb through mysterious trees, giving a feel of increased age :p  The best evening for me till now was waiting for us at the ridge where a fantastic military band lost in the fog, was playing amazing instrumentals on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti (October 2), which ultimately created moods for ballroom dance in an empty balcony :) The atmosphere at that time was so cheerful and enthralling that the evening cannot be erased from memories in whole life. The best part of Shimla is the ridge, with a magnificent church, free from any kind of vehicle traffic, allowing people to take hassle free walks :) The benches were there to sit and talk leisurely simultaneously enjoying pleasant surrounding. Photos in traditional dress were taken. A pizza night arrived in front of town hall..But everything of course cannot go smooth..We faced much difficulty to find a vehicle for Sangla for next day..Because of some cycling event, many of the vehicles were already booked..At late night, we finally managed a vehicle for whole 5 days ahead, Shimla - Sangla - Shimla. At the end, a perfect day at perfect Shimla had a perfect ending..The day went to a peaceful sleep after many games of cards!! :):)

The Eight :)
Top row from left: Chetan, Sanket, Prachita, Kedar
Next row from left: Sonali, Prashant, Manali, Onkar

Some Numerical Info:
Hotels at Chandigarh: Rs.500/- per double bedded room per day (we adjusted 3 per room).

Hotel at Shimla (Youth Hostel): Rs. 1100/- per 4 bedded room per day.

Vehicle (Tavera I guess) : Rs. 14000/- for Shimla - Sangla - Kalpa - Shimla (around 550kms)
Actual cost could have been Rs. 8000/- if booked directly, Rs. 6000/- was taken by travel agent :-o. 

Ladakh : Part 9 (Nubra Valley and The Way Back)

The plan for next one and half day was Nubra valley. Nubra valley is situated at the Northiest part of Ladakh, around 150 kms from Leh. Nubra valley is the only place in India where one can find double humped Bactrian camels in a desert of white sand dunes situated at a height over 10000 ft. A high altitude desert!! Y-shaped Nubra valley separates Ladakh and Karakoram mountain range. The valley is covered by mainly two rivers, Nubra or Siachen river and Shyok river. Nubra is a tributary of Shyok and Shyok is a tributary of Indus river. The world famous Siachen glacier is few kilometers from Panamik. Panamik is the last point which can be accessed by civilians. Siachen is the highest battlefield on the earth.

Nubra Valley, source: Wikipedia

In earlier centuries, there used to be trade passing through this area to Central Asia. Famous Karakoram pass lies northwest of the valley. In fact, Bactrian camels were brought to the valley by Mangol invaders in 17th century. 

We left early morning for Nubra valley. The charges for SUV were Rs. 5500/- (fixed). The way to Nubra goes through Khardung La which boasts "Highest Motorable Road" (though it is a debatable issue). Our permits were checked soon at North Pullu (There is no need of Inner Line Permit for only Khardung La). The check post on the other side of Khardung La is called South Pullu. The road between these two is pretty tricky. Landslides are very common..So it is advisable to cross this area as early in the morning as possible. We reached Khardung La in some one and half hour or two. But we could easily spot Leh lying in the lap of Indus valley with snow capped Zanskar range standing magnificently behind it. The signs at Khardung La show that it is the "Highest Motorable road" with some dispute attached to the claim. Never mind, still it was a proud feel :)

From Leh to Khardung La in a glance :)

Finally :)

At Khardung La..

We had a short break at Khardung La..Bought key-chain displaying "Highest Motorable Raod - I was there" :) It was a magnificent feel being at 18380 ft from mean sea level!! And that too without hiking :p Staying there for a long time may cause dizziness. Be sure you are hydrated all the time. We started downward journey to Nubra valley after breakfast. For some time, road was routine..Winding along treacherous mountains..Then came a divergence..One road went to Diskit/Hundur and other Panamik..We headed for Panmik where a hot spring was the main attraction..But it failed to amaze us..Frankly speaking, we all were pretty disappointed with it..We had enough time..So what to do?? Nothing to do?? Hike somewhere!! And we exactly did that..We tried to hike mountain tracing the path of hot water stream :p We aimed for top, but as we hiked to the top, another top was waiting for us..So real peak was eluding us :p We left with no drinking water after some time, so we gave up..Started climbing down..No one was expert..Result? It became a pretty tough task, but somehow we managed it :) It was fun to override our disappointment :) We were hungry and thirsty..So we left immediately to Hunder..

The way to Nubra!

Hiking desire stuck with obstacle :p

Where is the top buddy??

Y-shaped Nubra valley..Behind, it is Karakoram range..

Panamik lies on the right side of Y-shaped Nubra valley, while Hunder and Diskit lie on the left side. At Hunder, the high altitude desert begins..White sand dunes for several kilometers, clear blue sky above elegant Karakoram with Shyok river at the base :) Maybe a unique place on the earth!! Desert, mountain with snow, river all at one place! Bactrian camels were amazing, though we didn't take a ride..Flocks of fellow travelers were already there..We sat relaxed at water stream..Looking around at landscapes was a sight seeing..Played a paper boat race, a real race in the water, then a WWE in fine sand :p Then was the time to test our athletic skills..We couldn't resist ourselves to have a long jump and deep jump competition..Yup! Deep jump! :p It was a very incredible fun :) Though at Nubra valley, there was not much for specific sightseeing, we created our own fun & the time we spent at Hunder, jumping here and there, was one of the best times I have ever spent, one of the best fun I ever had :) It's true what Martin Buber says,

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”

Bactrian camels at Hunder..

Deep Jump competition :p

What a jump it was!

White sand dunes with snow capped Karakoram behind!!

The temptation!

Dude, let's have long jump competition :p

We stayed at a guest house in Diskit as we couldn't find cheap tend accommodation..Guest house rate was Rs.1200/- per room per night including dinner. Next day early morning, we left for Leh. A nostalgic feeling was there because I didn't know whether in future I would come back to this amazing remote place again where we had a great fun..

We reached Leh in the afternoon..We found out Leh-Manali road had just opened, but it was risky to go that way..It was a big risk..The probability of getting stuck somewhere among remote area was very high.. So we cancelled that plan with very very very heavy heart and decided to return by the same road we came..We found a Sringar bounded taxi, which cost us Rs. 8000/-. We covered whole 440 kms in day, starting 4AM at Leh and reaching Sringar at 7PM on the same day..On the return, everything looked very different than what we experienced before a week..Snow had melted..Rivers had become more furious and roaring.. Tourist traffic had increased dramatically..We successfully managed to escape a traffic jam at Zozi La by a small margin, which I later heard that it lasted for whole one day!! 

The way back at a beautiful morning :( 

Zozila Kargil war memorial near Drass..

In Srinagar..At boat house in Dal lake!

Dal Lake!!

At Srinagar, finally our one uncompleted wish came true..We found a cheap boat house for Rs. 800/- at the outskirt of Srinagar, which was a great experience..Sitting silently at the deck, revising the beautiful and unforgettable memories of last 10 days..Ahh! I was gonna miss those beautiful and elegant landscapes, curvy and breathtaking roads leading me to those amazing terrains of Ladakh, amateur trekking efforts, the heat in a chill weather, the bike ride, heavenous Pangong lake, the highest motorable road, the feeling of reaching within a few kilometers of Siachen glacier, the high altitude desert and a silent evening at a boat house in Dal lake at Srinagar revising all the memories!! And today also I miss all these things as strongly as I missed them on  last evening in Jammu and Kashmir. The scenic beauty is not enough to keep you to attach to a place..It is because of the company of people you experienced at that place..It was a worth taking trip, but amazing and cheerful friends with me made it "A Life Time Trip" :)

Ladakh : Part 8 (Heaven of the Heaven - Pangong Tso)

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson

I had heard about Pangong Tso (Tso => Lake) so much even before deciding on Ladakh trip, I couldn't resist myself to pre-pone the plan of Pangong before Nubra valley..So again Nubra valley was postponed..And we decided to go Pangong lake on 18th June..

Fortunately, it didn't rain that night and weather was crystal clear..I had heard and read about beauty of Pangong lake that I thought of spending a night over there, to have two days for it..It is said that if you are at Pangong on full moon night, you are one of the luckiest persons on the earth..It was neither a full moon day and given time constraints and because it was said 'one day would suffice', I gave up the plan of spending 2 days for Pangong and decided to come back to Leh on the same day..Pangong lake is situated at about 170kms from Leh which generally takes 5 hours, climbing up to Chang La (5360 m) and then climbing down to the lake (4350 m)..

We started early in the morning..At 6 AM..It is better to cross Chang La before noon, since the possibility of snow melting during the noon period is large and you might get stuck..We had Scorpio..The trip to Pangong lake cost Rs. 4500/-..It was the fixed rate..Till Karu, the road was plain, which we traveled on previous day..There, we took left diversion from Leh-Manali highway and immediately we began climbing up..At Karu., we had light breakfast..Soon our permits were checked after Karu..Road to Pangong was rough and tough..It was highly curvy and steep..Driving skill was surely tested..There was a thin layer of snow on the road which made road slipperily..Mind it! We had a very deep gorge on our left..And as soon as we started climbing up, we realized the decision not to go to Pangong on bikes was a wise one..None of us was that much expert to drive in those treacherous conditions..And we could see that there was heavy snowfall at Chang La on the previous day as the snow was quite fresh..Though the road was breathtaking, the surrounding was more exciting..We were somewhere on the road amidst snow clad hills..Snow was everywhere and as we moved to climb up, it got colder and whiter :) Clouds seemed to be within reach of our hands..

Thrilling journey begins!

We have come here crossing all those road..

Beginning of snow..

Leaving those barren mountains behind for a while..

Snowy and slippery road..

It has got whiter :)

Now my words are powerless :p

I guess we were among the first ones to leave for Pangong since we didn't meet any traffic on the way..A tipper was moving ahead of us..That portion of the road was pretty steep and suddenly the tipper stopped and started slipping down towards us..Whoaa!! Our driver, Tashi immediately reacted and he also let our vehicle slipped down in a controlled way!! Fortunately, tipper driver managed to control his vehicle and after a short break checking tire conditions, we resumed to Chang La..Soon we passed an abandoned skeleton of a vehicle that got completely buried in snow avalanche :-o Tashi got more attentive and proceeded very carefully..

The tipper who frightened us :p

Just before Chang La, we found another vehicle, a Jeep, stuck in snow..People were trying to get rid of snow with the iron chain rounding tires of the Jeep..Finding this opportunity, we got down from our Scorpio and threw ourselves into the white sea of fresh snow..It was an incredible feeling..I had never seen or touched such soft and fresh snow :) We jumped, ran, slept in snow..Snow bombardment happened..We raced with shoes getting stuck half feet under snow :p That was fun unlimited!! After some time, Jeep managed herself to remove from shackles of snow and we soon reached Chang La, which boasts the third highest motorable road in the world (there is controversy about its rank) after Khardung La and Tanglang La..This pass is at 17586 ft (5.38 kms from MSL!!)..We were welcomed by Indian army soldiers, offering complimentary tea..

Way to Chang La..

Snow and snow and snow!!

:)

5.3 kms from MSL!! More than half of Mt. Everest height :p

Chang La..

The only color everywhere!

After spending half an hour at Chang La, we left for Pangong..We were climbing down to the other side of the hill..We yet to be out of effect of snow and Chang La, we reached Tangtse..A small town around 40 kms from Pangong..We stopped for breakfast and guess what we met those 3 sardarji who asked us on the previous day for a bike trip to Pangong..We were surprised to see them there..One of them had a plaster on his right hand..We inquired and came to know about an accident happened with them..Initially, they got stuck in rain and snowfall at Chang La with no provision of clothes for snow..And when they were climbing down from Chang La later, breaks of bike of a sardarji got failed :-o Luckily speed of the bike was about 40km/hr, he  managed to jump away from the bike and got out of trouble with his hand fractured! Thankfully everything rest was fine with him :) They had stayed at Tangtse for the night..We all had breakfast together..We came to know that those 3 guys were professional musicians and singers..And they sang Punjabi songs and Hindi oldies for us..They were incredible..We enjoyed their company a lot..When asked by us about their Manali plan, they answered typically in sardarji attitude, "Oye, ekahi bande ka haath fracture hua hai, hum do aur hai " (Dude! Only one's hand is fractured, other two are fantastic) :p So they would be going to Manali on bike! We then left for Pangong lake..Sardarji said they would catch up later..

After an hour ride crossing Pagal Nala (known as Mad stream because of its unpredictability), around 12 PM, that glimpse came! The glimpse for which I waited eagerly..That clean blue color stretching itself beyond horizon..Yeah! We had arrived at Pangong Tso!! Words are powerless to express the beauty that lake and those landscapes own! Having read about it in a great deal, seeing many pictures and even knowing what to expect after reaching there, we were taken by complete awe and surprise..

Pangong is a brackish water lake..It is said that lake changes color as the day progresses..It wears deep blue when the sun is bright and loses its color gradually as day progresses and becomes dull when the sun reaches horizon..It is surrounded by brown hills and they can see their reflections in that clean water..The blue expanse of the water is stretched over 125kms, extending from India to Tibet with 40% of parts in India and remaining in China..One can see the faraway peaks that lie in China..When we reached there the breeze was cool, sun was bright..Flocks of ducks were enjoying idly..Lake had acquired complete blue color..Clouds had formed black shadows on brown still hills..Snow at peak was shining..Group of gulls were flying intermittently in the sky towards the east, to Tibet, sometimes smoothly landing on water, unknown to the boundaries of countries, restricted access to humans, imposed on each other..A thought came to mind..

What would the first explorers have felt who came here without any kind of map and presented with this breathtaking unknown blue expanse suddenly!!

 We sat there relaxed, with legs in chill water, looking and trying to pick the elegance and beauty of the surrounding landscapes..It was a sense of a great achievement, just being there :) Let me show you my achievement!

The first glimpse!

Finally, I'm here /m\

Shiny peaks :)

The ones with no barriers..

heaven of the heaven!!

Can't stop myself :p

The dominating landscapes!!

After a long peaceful time at the bank admiring landscapes, we had our expensive lunch at Pangong :p One can stay near Pangong lake at Spangmik village in tented accommodation...We headed back to Leh at 3PM..Reached Leh by 8PM..Yet we were not out of Pangong effect and still even till today too :p

Next day, we would be heading for Nubra valley..We were on the edge of saying Ladakh a goodbye within 2 days..And still Leh-Manali highway was not opened..Rohtang, Baralacha la was closed due to snow fall..We were praying it would open before we leave Leh for Manali..Let's wait for some time to see whether we could make to Manali and how Nubra valley was :)