(The travelogue first appeared in Mumbai Mirror, Sep 2014)
No sooner the airplane finished its ascend, it was over the Himalayas and was circling above Leh, waiting its turn to land. It took less than 45 minutes for us to get from sweltering Delhi to stunning Ladakh.
As I emerged from the small airport and its barbwired compound, I felt a disquieting pang. Widening before me, was the unending expanse of all embracing beauty.
This was cheating, I thought. A journey to a place so remote, so raw and so striking should be made piecemeal by piecemeal. It should be earned over time. Perhaps after crossing a few hills, glades, mountain passes and streams. Not parachuted upon, the way I did, plonking in the midst of splendor in less than half an hour from home.
But this is just as well. Ladakh now gets tourists not travellers. So planes are the preferred mode of transport for most visitors. After the last of the snows melt here, starting mid-May, low cost airlines ferry thousands of tourists into Ladakh, till late September. The land of monasteries, lamas and high passes is now the most accessible inaccessible place in India.
The lakes cradled in Ladakh’s high mountains are remoter still. But there is no romance of discovery anymore. Roads have spread their tentacles everywhere.
Not too long ago the joy of reaching any mountain lake (or summit) in India was on foot. You trekked for hours through the cold desert wilderness often following a dubious trail and just when you lost hope, someone would point the shimmering lake far ahead in the valley. Exhausted, you could sit all day, watching the emerald waters change colors with the day. The small rewards that adventure brings are sublime.
But adventure is not what brings most Indians to Ladakh, much less to Pangong Tso. Its Bollywood. Ever since the Aamir Khan starrer 3-Idiots was filmed here, Pangong Tso (meaning long and narrow lake in Tibetan) has seen an unprecedented upsurge of domestic tourists. Middle class Indians with ageing parents and babies in tow, make a long journey to this endorheic (land locked) lake from Leh, crossing Chang La (5360meters)– the third highest motorable pass in the world. And after a few selfies at the lake and a broth of Maggi at one of the many tent- restaurants, that have sprung up on the lakeside in recent years, they make a dash back to Leh.
Very few stay back for the night. But if you do, you witness the full grandeur of the lake. The sunrise at Pangong is simply stunning. And the night sky is bejeweled with stars that seem so much brighter and closer. The lake may be salty, supporting negligible marine life but it attracts birds including the brown- headed gulls. The silence meanwhile is eerie broken only by revelers on the lake.
Women laborers maintain the high-altitude road to Pangong. They remove debris, cut ice, or level the roads. Ladakh.
It is 175 kilometers to Pangong from Leh . Its therefore advisable to begin the trip early. You need a permit which has to be flashed at several check-posts along the way. Many remote outposts that fall near the Indo- China border need permits in Ladakh. Pangong Lake which is 134 kilometers long, is 60 percent in Chinese controlled Tibet. A 20 kilometer stretch of the lake on the Indian side of Line of Actual Control is disputed and controlled by China. Tensions sometimes run high even in such serene surroundings when the Chinese make incursions here throwing the Indian army into a tizzy. There is therefore extra surveillance here. There are perennial army outposts at high passes like Chang La.
But for many hours on the narrow, looping road, its just you and your jeep. There are of course nomadic shepherds along the way. If you are lucky, as I was they can invite you into their yak-hair tents and offer you yak tea. Others like an old woman I met, stand holding up baby lambs, enticing travellers to stop to take the exotic photos for a few bucks.
How to get here:
The best way to get to Ladakh is to take the 400 kilometer Manali – Leh highway. One can fly or drive up to Manali from New Delhi. From Manali one can drive or hire one of the many cabs to Leh. From Leh, Pangong Tso is 175 kilometers.
Where to stay:
Leh is littered with budget hotels with tariff starting at 2000 rupees in the peak season.
Pangong Lake has modest tents that charge 500 per person per night. For a more comfortable stay one can try Pangong Inn. The tariffs here start at 2500.
Ladakh still gets many travellers. It’s just that the number of tourists has increased radically.
“Woh Three idiots wali lake kahan hai ladakh mein”, is the most common questions i get from the tourists visiting Ladakh.
Before 2010 leh market was beautiful with many rooftop cafes with ladakhi food. Now there are many new punjabi dhabas selling the same old parantha you get everywhere.
I was told that there are more then 400 travel firms registered in Leh. All I can request from the tourists is to take back the litter they are so used to throwing out of the window of their car.
True Himanshu..I wish I had seen Leh before 2010
Nice blog