The alarm woke us up at 4:30am. . .but we didn't actually get up until closer to 5. We quickly found that our hot water was NOT working 24h a day. . .but we didn't have time to make use of hot water anyways. We quickly got dressed and packed a few extra warm clothes, water and biscuits for the road.
Outside of our guest house, the morning air was cool and fresh. The sun had not yet risen over the mountains and although the day was starting off cloudy, it was still bright enough to see clearly. Most of Ladakh was still, quiet and sleeping. . .but as we neared the parking lot across from our departure point we saw many taxis and drivers getting ready for the long day of mountain driving that was surely ahead. We arrived only 5 minutes late but our driver wouldn't arrive for another 10 minutes.
When our driver arrived we piled into the 8 seat jeep and prepared ourselves for the 5 hour drive to Pangong Lake. Our driver began chanting a mantra (I'm not certain why, but I would guess it had to do with protecting us from harm on our journey) that he continued until we arrived at our first rest-stop (at least 30min from Leh!). We had some Aloo Parathas, some Chai and were ready to carry onwards and upwards.
We began to climb. We drove from one mountain up and up until we could reach a common ridge to the next and climb that one as well. We felt our ears pop a number of times and our heads were beginning to ache from the rough terrain and airlessness. The valley was disappearing below us, becoming more and more art-like. Is it possible that this is still real life? We stopped for a picture before heading on to Chang La, the third highest motorable pass in the world.
The clouds had still not cleared and were in fact, getting thicker as we neared the highest point in our journey. When we finally reached Chang La, 5360m above sea level (complete with warning signs informing that it was dangerous to stay longer than 20min at this altitude), it was cold and we were unable to see much of anything because of the clouds. Fortunately, there was free tea supplied by the Indian army stationed at Chang La. Unfortunately, I needed to use the bathroom. Generally I tend to use the "hand/water" method in India as, it just makes more sense. . .but on this particular occasion, the water had a not-so-thin-layer of ice on it which made for a very cold hand and behind.
Back on the road! and we started going down. The mountains were still snow-covered for a while but slowly the snow was fading away. Not only that, but the clouds were beginning to recede in some places and bright blue sky started peeking in and out between mountain peaks. We stopped to see yaks and marmots on the way, but the most memorable thing for the remainder of the trip, was the scenery.
After another 3 hours on the road, we saw the first glimpse of the sapphire blue Pangong lake. When we arrived at the lake however, the clouds had taken over and the lake was a dull navy. We went into a tent set up beside the lake for tourists to get out of the cold and wind. There were beds for tired, acclimatizing tourists and also food. After about 15 min and another chai, we ventured outside again where the sky had cleared a little and the sun had come out, lighting up the mountains and lake creating a completely changed landscape of perfection.
Outside of our guest house, the morning air was cool and fresh. The sun had not yet risen over the mountains and although the day was starting off cloudy, it was still bright enough to see clearly. Most of Ladakh was still, quiet and sleeping. . .but as we neared the parking lot across from our departure point we saw many taxis and drivers getting ready for the long day of mountain driving that was surely ahead. We arrived only 5 minutes late but our driver wouldn't arrive for another 10 minutes.
When our driver arrived we piled into the 8 seat jeep and prepared ourselves for the 5 hour drive to Pangong Lake. Our driver began chanting a mantra (I'm not certain why, but I would guess it had to do with protecting us from harm on our journey) that he continued until we arrived at our first rest-stop (at least 30min from Leh!). We had some Aloo Parathas, some Chai and were ready to carry onwards and upwards.
We began to climb. We drove from one mountain up and up until we could reach a common ridge to the next and climb that one as well. We felt our ears pop a number of times and our heads were beginning to ache from the rough terrain and airlessness. The valley was disappearing below us, becoming more and more art-like. Is it possible that this is still real life? We stopped for a picture before heading on to Chang La, the third highest motorable pass in the world.
The clouds had still not cleared and were in fact, getting thicker as we neared the highest point in our journey. When we finally reached Chang La, 5360m above sea level (complete with warning signs informing that it was dangerous to stay longer than 20min at this altitude), it was cold and we were unable to see much of anything because of the clouds. Fortunately, there was free tea supplied by the Indian army stationed at Chang La. Unfortunately, I needed to use the bathroom. Generally I tend to use the "hand/water" method in India as, it just makes more sense. . .but on this particular occasion, the water had a not-so-thin-layer of ice on it which made for a very cold hand and behind.
Back on the road! and we started going down. The mountains were still snow-covered for a while but slowly the snow was fading away. Not only that, but the clouds were beginning to recede in some places and bright blue sky started peeking in and out between mountain peaks. We stopped to see yaks and marmots on the way, but the most memorable thing for the remainder of the trip, was the scenery. 
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| Pangong before the sun came out |
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The ride back from Pangong Lake was long and tiring because of the rough mountain road conditions. When we arrived back at Chang La we were all tired and ready to be back at home. Fortunately though, the sun had stayed out for the remainder of our trip and we got to see the glacier that was previously hidden behind the clouds.It was a long and tiring trip, but the natural beauty that we saw on the way there and back was definitely worth the time and headaches. After arriving back in Leh around 5pm we took an early dinner and headed to bed for the next day. . .stay tuned for Part III
Back from Ladakh Part III Back from Ladakh Part I
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