“That’s it!” a shriek goes. A blue speck discovered amidst the shining sandy mountains. Yes it was the first glimpse of the mystic lake that kept reverberating in our mind for a long time. And the speck grew bigger and bigger to a long blue strip of never ending water body that challenges our eyes to think beyond the horizon. The eerie silence of the region could make you feel like a castaway-standing all alone amidst these mighty mountains.
It was 7th of July 2014 when we started our journey from Leh Town to this mystical lake. The arduous terrain en route to this land lock lake is like icing on the cake for adventure freaks, surpassing the steepest ascent of Changla pass, the third highest motorable peak in the world(17586 ft). The expedition starts at Leh early morning via Choglasmar to Karu which was at around 36km. Riders, trekkers and travellers from all over the globe lands here to quench one’s insatiable cravenness to conquer. We encountered people from Belgium, Japan, Egypt, Scotland etc at the common viewpoints. They use to greet us every time with the gesture “Namaste” and usually topic of discussion was the then ongoing Football World Cup. And then there was that Japanese lady who fell unconscious by the road. She was on a scooty all alone. We gave some water and helped her to recover the fatigue. She was quite comfortable within few minutes.
Gradually the ascent starts to the “pass towards the south” .On reaching the pass, we were literally shivering. The peaks were all snow capped and roads were drenched by the melting ice. The chilling breeze hitting across your face reminds you of the mountaineers whose zeal needs to be saluted. The only oasis was the Changla tea stall where we relished some hot noodles. There we were amazed to meet the same Japanese lady again. Hats off to her undaunting spirit! She thanked us in Japanese bow down gestures.
The road seems never ending and despair gripped in many a time. But the cheerful attitude of our driver was the source of inspiration every time we felt deemed. He used to sing and tell a lot about Ladakhi food. The road after that was descending in altitude which added to our comfort. Crossing Durbuk we reached Tangste where we collected our permits for the lake. The arid beauty of the detour amidst the grey golden mountains is immensely exhilarating and forces you to contemplate upon the God’s creation. We travelled miles and miles through the curves and contour of the mountains and finally the most picturesque landscape I caught in my camera at Lukung. An army cantonment welcomed us where prasad distribution was taking place on the occasion of some puja. We took some prasad and proceeded towards the lake.
The blue spec I mentioned at the beginning is none other than our very famous lake “The Pangong Lake” at a height of 14270 feet in Ladakh District of Kashmir. This lake falls in the category of Endorheic Lake with brackish water and spreads about 134km in length across border to China. Reaching there you have to admit that India truly is a land of diversity in every respect. The topography of this lake is breathtaking –an impeccable landscape. It was like a masterpiece painting created by God. It was 3 PM and there was ample time in our hand on account of its geographical location being at latitude 33.7 N. The drive by the bank of the lake was indeed a lifetime experience. We stopped by the bank and spent some quality time .The crystal clear water was void of aquatic life. The only fauna to be seen were those migratory birds .The gushing wind were creating ripple all over the lake and the sound of the ripples hitting the banks were so soothing to the ears. Gazing at the shadows of clouds forming different shapes on the mountains, we were almost in a state of oblivion. As dusk was falling, ripples were growing bigger and wind faster.
We had some clear soup in the small stalls at a distance .It was named the 3 idiots restaurant, definitely alluding to the film. It reflects the craze of Bollywood movies even at such remote areas. The owner was a Nepali guy who was very gullible. He regaled us with lots of tales about Bollywood shootings there and about his day to day life. The soup was perfect at this moment to boost up our zeal. We bade adieu to him and looked forward to our camp. After few kms the hoarding displaying “Pangong Delight” stood there. The emerald coloured camps were standing in rows. We got the no. 15 tent behind their big tent kitchen. It was a well equipped camp with all basic amenities and a very cosy bed. The evening stroll in the nearby Spangmik villages was another “thing of beauty”. The pashmina sheep, the villagers dwelling places and the famous ladakhi “gur gur chai” (yak butter tea) were other such things that made my day all the more wonderful. The spell of this dreamlike place stayed with me for many days with a promise made to myself that will return to this place someday.
tour place in jammu & kashmir This holiday package promises a little bit of everything. Thrilling drives in the rugged mountains, breathtaking beauty in the barrenness of the landscape and a slice of adventure with stays in tents pitched at the most picturesque locations...Ladakh is a memorable destination. The Nubra Valley is dotted with monasteries while Pangong Lake changes colour with the passing hours of the day.
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tour place in jammu & kashmir
This holiday package promises a little bit of everything. Thrilling drives in the rugged mountains, breathtaking beauty in the barrenness of the landscape and a slice of adventure with stays in tents pitched at the most picturesque locations...Ladakh is a memorable destination. The Nubra Valley is dotted with monasteries while Pangong Lake changes colour with the passing hours of the day.