By VIJAYALEKSHMY S
“The mountains are calling and I must go” – John Muir
Ladakh is all about mountains. The mighty mountains stretching on for miles and miles. And among the mountains, like jewels studded in a crown, lie the beautiful blue lakes.
Day 5 : Hunder to Lukung
Today, we were going to visit the famous Pangong Lake, the highlight of our tour. And understandably we were all quite excited. The Pangong Lake which was already a tourist attraction because of its natural beauty, became more so after the release of the Bollywood movie “3 idiots”. It was again in the news following the recent Chinese encroachment into Ladakh.
From Hunder, we drove along the banks of Shyok river, through Durbuk village and Agham village, enjoying the beauty of the rocky mountains.
There were a few water crossings that would make the journey impossible on some days due to high water levels. Sometimes we drove through the rocky river beds.
A particular patch of land along the way was home to Marmots. They are cute creatures – rodents similar to squirrels. They were nibbling away at the grass, fattening themselves up before hibernating for the winter. They were quite tame creatures, allowing us to pat them, stroke them and posing for the photos and videos. They live in burrows on the rocks.
After spending some time with the marmots, we drove on to Lukung, the starting point of Pangong Lake.
We caught the first glimpse of the sparkling blue waters through the gap between the peaks of two mountains. After taking a few pictures, we continued and reached the shores of the lake.
We went straight to the famed spot where the shooting of the movie “3 idiots” took place. There were also a few yellow scooters for the film buffs.
The Pangong Lake is situated at an elevation of 14,271 ft. above sea level and is the world’s highest Salt Water Lake. It has a span of 160 km, 1/3 of which lies in India and the other 2/3 in China. The waters of the lake changes colour from brilliant blue to aqua green. The beauty of the lake waters was in sharp contrast to the dark brown mountains in the back drop.
After riding through miles of rocks, dust and mountains, reaching the beautiful blue lake felt like heaven. We spent a long time in this wonderland drinking in the beauty of the landscape and taking pictures.
Our accommodations were very near to the lake, almost on its shores.
Day 6 : Lukung to Korzok
We woke up early by about 4.30 AM to watch the sun rise. The overcast sky was a bit of a disappointment, but we did get to see the glorious sight of mountain peaks turning golden in the morning sun.
The stay at the ‘Royal Foster Cottages’ at Lukung was very comfortable with excellent service and tasty food. Also the high altitudes and low temperatures had not troubled us so far. Still we were careful not to exert ourselves too much.
After a sumptuous breakfast we checked out from the Royal Foster Cottage. Today we were going to visit Tso Moriri, another high altitude lake in Ladakh.
We visited the shores of Pangong Tso once more and then continued our journey to Chusul through the beautiful road running along the shores of the lake. After about 10 km from Lukung, we reached another village Spangmik.
Soon after crossing Spangmik, the road conditions deteriorated and by the time we reached the next village `Man’, it was only a dirt track. We lost our way in spite of having Jimmy, a native as our driver. After consulting the local people, we had to re-route and finally reached Merak village.
Merak has a few cottages on the shores of Pangong, another favorite camping spot for travellers. We stopped time and again to enjoy the beauty of the lake and take pictures.
We travelled about 35 km along the shores of the lake after which we turned away and the lake continued right into China.
After the village Chusul, the road conditions improved and we gained altitude gradually. Then came the switchbacks and the climb became steep until we reached Satatho La, marked by prayer flags.
The view of the valley left behind as seen from the pass was majestic. The winding paths while climbing up the mountains reminded us of the ancient Silk Route.
We continued at the same altitude for some more time and soon came upon another beautiful lake with sandy beaches in the high mountains, the Mirpal Tso. The sight prompted us to take a pit stop and click some pictures.
The road continued and then started rising steeply until we reached yet another high mountain pass, the Kakasang La at an altitude of 17,851 feet.
Even though the pass stands very close to Khardung La in altitude, there were no tourists and hence, we were able to enjoy the beautiful view of mountains, valleys and a high altitude lake, undisturbed by crowds.
After Kakasang La, we headed downwards and on one side, we saw the remnants of dead glaciers. A small stream kept us company till we reached the small village of Mahe.
We then crossed the river Indus and proceeded towards Sumdo. The road from Sumdo to Korzok was in a bad shape and BRO was working on it. After crossing the easy mountain pass, Namshang La, we reached the tiny lake of Kiagar Tso. We stopped, clicked some pictures and moved on.
Finally, we reached Korzok and checked into the Hotel Grand Dolphin on the banks of the Lake, Tso Moriri.
After a late lunch of Maggi Noodles at 4 PM, we decided to take some rest. It had been a long drive with no Café or Restaurants on the way. By 6 PM, we were ready to visit the lake.
Tso Moriri is yet another salt water lake situated at an altitude of 14,836 feet above sea level in Ladakh. It is as beautiful as Pangong Tso, but less famous and hence less crowded. So, we were able to enjoy the serene beauty of the place; the sparkling blue waters and the expansive beaches in the twilight.
After spending some time at the lake we went back to our rooms. It was another long and tiring day and after dinner, we retired to our rooms.
Day 7 : Korzok to Leh
On the final lap of our tour, we were glad that we could visit all the places we had planned to and did not face any major health problems. We were going back to Leh today.
Again, we woke up early to watch the sun rise at Tso Moriri. The cool breeze on the shores of the lake and the sun rise over the mighty mountains charged us up for the long drive.
We checked out from Hotel Grand Dolphin after breakfast by about 8.30 AM. Before leaving Korzok we went to the shores of the lake once again and clicked some photos.
On our way back, we came across a herd of Pashmina Goats – from the fur of which we get the famed Pashmina Shawl, known for its softness and warmth.
The goat herd was an old man – a Ladakhi native in his traditional attire with a prayer wheel in his hands. The spartan life of the old man was in sharp contrast to the luxury you associate with a Pashmina Shawl.
After clicking a few photos with the goats and the old man, we travelled on. The ongoing construction work by BRO slowed down our pace a bit.
We then reached the famed Hot Springs of Chumthang Village. The surroundings looked dirty and shabby and so we didn’t stay there for long. We had an early lunch of Fried Rice and Noodles from a local restaurant – there was nothing more on the Menu. We continued our journey with our constant companions – the rocky mountains and the age-old Indus River.
The beautiful landscape was so breath taking that we kept halting at many places and kept clicking pictures. By about 2.30 PM we reached Upshi on the Manali – Leh highway.
Our next stop was Thiksey Monastery, the largest Gelugspa Monastery in central Ladakh. Situated 22km from Leh, it is known for its resemblance to the Potala Palace in Tibet. It is famous for the 15 m high Maitreya statue, situated inside. It also contains many stupas, scroll paintings and wall paintings.
We did a tour of the monastery and went up to its roofs to get a bird’s eye view of the town.
The monastery also has a school. Young kids attired in their traditional robes were leaving the school after classes and posed for us to take a few pictures.
We soon reached Leh and visited Leh market once more to buy some apricots, apples and a few souvenirs to take back home.
Finally, we returned to Jimmy’s Homestay, had a hot shower, a delicious dinner and took to our beds. All of us returned home the next day morning. The trip to Ladakh had finally come to an end.
Ladakh, the land of majestic mountains, turquoise blue lakes, historic rivers, magnificent monasteries and highest mountain passes remain permanently imprinted in our minds. The people battling the harsh cold climate and hard rocky land reminded us of the comforts we all take for granted. Now back in our homes, the adventure that was Ladakh seemed like a distant dream.
Photos courtesy : Jayaprakash, Ramesh, Rekha, Rehan and Sandeep
Nostalgia EE 84 