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| Pangong lake |
For millennia, humans have tried to break down what they see
& perceive into basic building blocks, fundamental causations; elements if
you will. Artists would capture earthly beauty in different forms, and men of
science would strive to find the reasons for their existence. But, the elements
themselves were rarely an object of praise and awe, in fact they are more
likely to be described in stories of destruction – tornadoes, hurricanes,
tsunamis etc.
But, now in 4 days, we were to experience them as never
before, in the world’s highest ecosystem – Ladakh, a barren wasteland that
rarefies life itself so that the elements might surface in all their glory!
Now, a 4 day trip is quite normal for most places, but here
one element was going to make that a bit tougher – Oxygen. It’s a precious
commodity at 3500mts in Leh, dropping by about 40% in density from sea level.
AMS is common and we had to rest on day 1 to acclimatise, but the threat was
always around the corner as we took on the passes of Khardungla and Changla. But
as the air gets thinner, life giving water comes forth in more ways than one.
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| Snow near Khardungla |
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| Enjoying the snow after Khardungla |
We travelled in September, the shoulder season, when the
weather transits from a pleasant summer to the blistering cold that freezes all
activity quite literally. The passes though, are still open and Khardung la,
once the highest motorable road in the world, promised a lot. It is a fairly
quick ascent as you leave Leh behind, soon a little larger than a speck on the
barren landscape. But, after South Pullu, the frost begins to appear – as
icicles, retreated glaciers and finally hardened snow at Khardung la itself.
But, the real treat was to come during the descent from K-la. Mere moments
after we crossed, the normally blue skies gave way for grey clouds and fresh
snowfall that followed us for at least 1000m of descent, and as the earth gets
covered in sheets of snow, it becomes for a coast dwelling Bombayite nothing
short of winter wonderland. Lower, down towards Khalsar en route to Nubra,
small villages appear amidst the barren landscape, clinging like parasites to a
river along the slope or one flowing through the valley. And so they must – in
this moonland of a world, water is a precious resource. But not all water is
life giving. The next day we travelled to Pangong lake – a high altitude salt
water lake that does not support much life (no fish). It’s only fitting that
here surrounded by lifeless mountains, the lake does the same. But the hues of
brown with the strikingly blue water lashing upon the shore of balancing stones
is an allure for most. So much that it brought the production team of the
Bollywood movie ‘3 idiots’ here. The movie was successful and made Pangong
famous. But, with that came hordes of more idiots to her shores, many looking
for that selfie on Kareena’s scooter or for that award winning accomplishment –
to tell the world they stood where the 3 idiots stood! On the fourth day, my
travelling colleague overheard a tourist screaming out a famous line from the
movie – “All is hell” (All is well). Please
save Pangong lake.
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| A sparkling river in a lifeless gorge |
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| Night sky @ Pangong |
The colours of Pangong aren’t specific to the lake. Our trips
along the Skyok river and in Panamik were a feast for the eyes. Red to purple
to green – who says the earth is just brown?! For a change, it was the rocks,
boulders and sand rather than the flora that gave us colour. Speaking of sand,
we got yellows and greys too – amidst the dunes of Hunder. These are the images
that can test a Sony Bravia!
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| Shades of Panamik |
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| Crossing the dunes |
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| The Shyok route throws some wide valleys at you |
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| Sunset at Tsemo Gompa |
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| Mist at Panamik |
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| Leaving a mark @ Hunder |
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| Apples from the hotel garden@Hunder |
The elements tested us too, physically. But, they left us
better and in rapture. Earth, water & air left us with a high. Before you
ask about fire – well, yes we didn’t get fiery sunsets or an orange autumn.
Perhaps, we needed more time.
*Thanks to Sidney & Nyzel for the photographs
ITINERARY
Day 1: Fly to Leh + Acclimatize
Day 2: Leh to Panamik to Hunder (via Khardungla)
Day 3: Hunder to Pangong (via Shyok)
Day 4: Pangong to Leh via Changla
Day 5: Fly back to Bombay
