Leh Trip N ALTO …. Yup!! —- Part V

Be soft on my curves – sign – road to chang-la pass; it’s among the highest passes in the region after Khardungla. The glacier was the last melting pieces of the season and we walked under it for some Kodak moments. This was more Snowy in comparison to Khardungla….. But the Best was yet to come.

Unbeatable Pangong Tso

After a long gap of more than 6 months I finally managed to write and share our experience of last few days experience of our Leh Adventure.

Day 8 : Mighty Chang-la Pass

Next day morning we all geared up to visit Pangong and to go to Pangong, a permit is needed since the area is close to China border. We got it arranged through our Hotel people (A 7 day permit is usually arranged by a travel agency for 150 rupees or so.)

Pangong II

Pangong III

We started around 6 in the morning and drove down the Manali highway past Shey and Thikse after which the we took a left turn. We stopped at a junction where the road forks – one of them going towards Hemis and the other towards pangong – and had breakfast at a small roadside shop.The mountain road starts about 20 km away from Leh and passes above Solang valley.

Road to Changla

The weather looked fine and we were happy to go. However as we started to climb up the mountains there was a steady light snow fall which became more persistent as we climbed up and up. A thick blanket of mist enveloped the pass and and icy winds kept blowing.

Snowy Morning

Alto was constantly in 2 gear to climb the elevation. We stopped there briefly to take a tea break. The temperature was in the minus perhaps -10 degree C.

Road ... Where

The Changla Pass or Chang La Pass (el. 5,360 m (17,590 ft)) and is on the route to Pangong Lake from Leh. It is named after the sadhu Changla Baba, to whom the Pass temple is dedicated. The small town of Tangste is the nearest settlement. The Changla Pass is the main gateway for the Changthang Plateau situated in the Himalayas. The nomadic tribes of the region are collectively known as the Changpa or Chang-pa. – Wikipedia

ChangLa Baba

I also requested army personnel posted there to get some clicks with me.

I m Honoured

After spending some time we left for Pangong as we wanted to return to Hotel on time and with Alto we were not sure of whats coming up and never wanted to take unnecessary risks.

Day 8 : Pangong Experience

The high point of the trip was the drive along Pangong Lake. It’s famed for the color of the water which is a very striking shade of blue. We traveled along it for quite a while before we stopped. We chose the spot quite at random.

Pangong Tso IV

Once we reached the lakeside we were in no hurry and kept stopping along its banks to enjoy the lake and take shots. As we kept driving along the lake its colours kept deepening and I can guarantee that no photograph can reproduce what it does to your senses when you’re there in person.

Pangong V

The lake is over 130 km long they say, although none of the books we had were in concensus on the actual size. It is a huge lake though, and only one third of it is in India with the rest of it being in China.

Pangong VI

The return journey was also beautiful with spectacular views. We slowly crawled back towards the foot hill and Leh. The clouds were hanging so low over the hills creating a magnificent vistas all around. They were a sight to behold indeed.

Pangongo VII

Day 9 : Back to Delhi

“time flyes when you are having fun!!!”

Apart from adventures, there was something about the pure and re-vitalizing about this trip. Limited accessibility combined with limited telecom connectivity make it an ideal getaway from the grind of daily life and professional stress.

Lastly, one thing that has been helping us along past the various checkpost (in Srinagar and Anantnag…. Cerfew area) is the fact that the ALTO has Gurgaon number plates. On occasion, we would see cops coming forward to flag us down, and then letting us go after a look at the number plates.