Day 3: Leh -> Pangong Tso Lake

Pangong Tso

We rented a car to go to the Pangong Tso lake today. The agent picked us (Am, Je and me) from the homestay at 9 am in the morning. The lake is in the east of Leh, close to the Tibetan border. The lake is about 140 km long and about ¼ th of it is in the Indian side. The highlight of the lake is the turquoise colour arising from the rich mineral content. The lake has no outlet, that ie, the mineral rich water that flows into the lake from the mountains stays there. Also, due to the high mineral content the lake does not support any aquatic life.

Along with us there was a british couple who was sharing the taxi. The driver was the same person who took us to the monasteries yesterday. We started from Leh around 9.30 am and it took almost 5 hrs to reach there. The route took us through some of the most amazing landscapes that I have ever seen. We passed through the Chang La pas which is at a height of 5360 m. The pass was partially covered with snow and the wind was colder at the pass as expected. In the winter the pass is prone to avalanches. Since it is close to the Chinese border there is also a strong military presence here. We came across many army check posts and vehicles all along the way. The lake was closed to tourists till 1994. Since it was opened, the ill effects of tourism – viz. the wastes from tourists, disturbance to wild life etc. – also started. In one way you do not like to have any tourists there and on the other hand it is such a mesmerising sight that you don’t want to miss it!

We reached the lake in the afternoon and had our dinner in one of the shacks on the banks of the lake. The beauty of the lake on the barren landscape of Ladakh cannot be described in words. If there is a heaven on earth then it should be here. We had our accommodation in one of the tented camps on the side of the lake. It is a bit expensive for my budget, but it was worth every penny. I am glad that I booked it. One thing that really irritated me are the people driving their cars and bikes to the edge of the lake to take photos. Idiots, trying to look macho!!!! Other than disturbing the delicate ecological balance of the nature these people do not do any favour to this beautiful environment. I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to do that when they have the chance to enjoy this beautiful environment from a distance and help to maintain this beauty for the future generations!

After taking a short break and dumping our bags in the tent we went to explore the surroundings. Everyone on their own, and me with my ever trusted camera. I also tried to do some timelapsing, which didn’t work out during my last trip to Africa. It was so peaceful and beautiful that I didn’t want it to end.

We had the dinner in one of the tents in the evening. Then we chatted for quite some time before returning to the tent. The wind was pretty chilly. I decided to do some night time photography. Aim was to try some star trails. It didn’t work out as I wanted it to be. But I did end up taking some nice shots of milky way and a shooting star! Not bad, for an amateur photographer.