The weather cleared completely overnight, and the lake looked magnificent in the morning. It was magical, to say the least.
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This is part 2
Journey to Pangong Lake
The journey to Leh was epic, but there is more to come in this trip. The idea here was that after reaching Leh, we would take a halt for a day or two to acclimatise ourselves with the high altitude before starting the onward journey. So the next day after we woke up and had some dry fruits as breakfast, we didn’t waste any time and quickly went ahead with the sightseeing of Leh city.
Leh city itself is not that big but there are some good sightseeing places to visit and awesome eateries where you can have some good food. One such place where we went was Pumpernickel, which is a German bakery and cafe located in Leh market. Apart from that, there is a long list of cafes and food streets (Gezmo, Tibetan Kitchen, Wazwan Planet) in and near Leh market, which you can definitely check out.
Apart from the Leh market where we spent considerable time, we visited Shanti Stupa, Leh Palace and Jorawar Fort.
Shanti stupa
Everything was great, but then came a PROBLEM. Ideally next day, as per the original plan, we were supposed to travel towards Nubra valley via Khardungla, but what we heard was next day, there was a Himalayan rally planned on that route and so that route is closed for normal traffic movement. As disheartening as it might sound, this is the whole reason why we didn’t book any stays beforehand, we kept our plan flexible, as in mountains, these are things which is bound to happen. Anyways, we instantly switched our next destination and planned to start for Pangong the next day. So the next day we started early for Pangong and on the way there is Changla password (the second big pass of the trip) to cross.
On the way to Pangong, once you leave Leh city, there are quite a few ancient and famous monasteries that you should visit. Some of those are mentioned below that we visited on the way:
- Shey Gompa
- Thicksey Gompa
- Stakna Gompa
- Druk Padma Karpo School, also known as Rancho’s school (3 idiots)
Shey monastery – 12 meters tall statue of Buddha built in 1655 by a Nepalese sculptor with the help of Ladakhi craftsmen.
Thiksey monastery
Rancho School
The way from Leh to the climb of Changla was wide and in very good condition. But it’s from Changla pass ascent where the road starts narrowing and the climb intensifies. One more thing to note here is that having layered clothing is very important, as it starts getting very cold as we go towards Pangong.
In Changla Top
First view of Pangong Lake
The thing to note here is that even though we became exhausted at times, the car showed no sign of exhaustion. It delivered constant power during ascents. Brake bite is sufficient to slow down the car in steep descents as well. Till now, I haven’t found any issues driving a small 3-cylinder car in high passes as the performance is flawless. Also, another thing I mastered during this journey is how to start and move a car on a steep incline using clutch modulation and, at times, handbrake.
Divine views of Pangong Lake
We arrived at Pangong lake by 2:30 PM and quickly booked a tent for our stay. Pangong has lots of stay options spread all around its banks, so getting a dhaba tent is not a problem at all. One pro-tip is to go further down the lake before you book a tent; don’t book the first tent you see, as those will be costly. But once we arrived at the Lake, we were very disheartened as the weather that afternoon was very gloomy & cloudy. It was very chilly and windy as well. Not an ideal situation. But I guess it is what it is. We soaked up the beauty of the surroundings and ended the day with a piping hot coffee and Thupka soup that we loved.
However, the next morning brought a huge SURPRISE. The weather cleared completely overnight and now the lake looks magnificent with its exceptionally clear water, allowing light to penetrate deep and reflect the blue wavelengths, resulting in a vibrant blue hue. What followed is a marathon of photos, videos and vlog recording. It was magical, to say the least.
Now, before ending this post, I would like to quickly tell you about 1 more incident that happened.
While returning from Pangong to Leh, we went to visit the Hemis monastery. It’s another very beautiful monastery, which also has a museum which you definitely should visit. But apart from that, we had an incident there. The parking of this monastery is on a steep incline and when we reached there, it was almost full. Now we went inside the parking and there was one tiny spot where we could parallel park. But as it’s very steep and full of other vehicles, while trying to park, I came very close to a parked Innova and was about to scratch it.
Now, as it’s in a steep incline, whenever I try to back off the car instead of going in reverse (in reverse gear) simply goes forward under the influence of gravity. It was a scary moment. Now, to not hit the Innova, we put two stones in front of my rear tyres, so that whenever I let go of the clutch, the car should not go forward right away and should be in standstill just for a few milliseconds so that I can give it enough gas. It’s like a hill descent assist but with desi jugaad. Anyways, it worked finally, and we were able to park properly.
Hemis Gompa
That’s all about the Pangong Lake trip. I hope you liked it.
Next Part – Journey to Nubra Valley: Where the cold desert meets breathtaking beauty.
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