As per previous days plan, I was all set by 6:15 AM & went to SBI ATM to get some cash. But ATM wasn’t working & hence headed to Indian Oil Petrol pump while entering Leh where my buddy riders were supposed to meet. But Vikas ended up coming at 7:00 AM.
“Sorry man! Made you wait…”
It was not all. His friend Sandeep was yet to join & there again we lost 15 mins. All in all, it was 7:15 AM when we were on Leh Manali route. Ride till Karu was good with smooth roads but weather made me more worry than enjoy. Before Karu, there was a plain land & we decided to get some snaps & did a small off roading.
 |
| Me, Vikas & Sundeep with our machines! |
After some clicks, got back on main track & soon after we took a diversion towards Pangong Tso, a security dude stopped us asking for permits.
“Yeh pahadiyon mein kya hain?? Kuch bhi nahin! Waha Srinagar jao. Bahut badiya jagah hain dekne ke liye..”
While Sandeep went to submit the permits, Vikas got busy getting gyan from security about Srinagar places. Meanwhile, a guy came in Yamaha bike & said he did cross Chang La last night & we got some updates on the route ahead. After submitting the process, it was time to move ahead & road with some photo breaks. It was damn cold so much that my fingers were closely getting numbL. But the good part was that the road was absolutely smooth to enjoy the hill ride. As the Kms passed on, we started to gain altitude & soon after Zingral TCP, road got worst with small water crossings & stones. Damn! In addition to that, the climb got little steep too. At last, after dealing with cold, stones & water crossings, we landed our machines in front of Chang La boardJ. Man! We did it. As you might have guessed it right, it was a photography session after that. I dint mind clicking snaps even in freezing climate. There was a board which said ‘Complimentary Tea’ & we dint give second thought about it. Although it was not a milk tea, we were ok with anything that would be hot.
 |
| Z-crossing... |
 |
| Changla conquered :) |
 |
| 2 more passes remaining... |
While we were about to move, a jawan came close & fired few questions.
“Kaha ke ho aap???”
“Haryana…” was the response from Vikas.
“Haryana main kaha? Main bhi wahi ka hoon…” said the jawan & then their chit chat followed for few mins.
Jawan also confirmed that the road is good once we cross Tsoltak TCP. As we started to decline, the road was even worse with big stones this time. There was one stretch which had huge stones & was very steep. I was thinking about how to return on this route tomorrowL. As said by the Jawan in Chang La top, the road got smooth as soon as we crossed Tsoltak TCP. I should say it was bliss to ride between hills which give verity of scenic splendour with smooth road. It was already nearing NOON & we all were quite hungry. With our appetite being the high priority, stopped at Durbuk for lunch. That’s where I met a Bangalore group who were waiting for the cook to get their puncture fixed.
“Munde road tumba chennagide! 45 mins to 1 hour saaku… (The road ahead is very good! 45 mins to 1 hour is enough to reach…)”
 |
| Beauty on the way! |
 |
| More of hills |
After making sure that our stomach doesn’t ask anything till night, continued ahead till we were stopped at Tangtse check post for permits again. After completing the submission process, rode ahead & when it was around 3 to 4 Kms, got to see a deep blue lake between the hills. Wow man! This is just out of the world. The yellow board beside read ‘First view of world famous Pangong Lake’. Boy! It’s just wonderful. Couldn’t wait to go ahead & soon we were beside the lake. It was brown hills with ice on top of them & blue lake with different shades of that colour. Man o man! My 2 eyes were not enough to witness themJ. I clicked bundle of snaps in different angles & I am sure all might be worth a wall paper.
 |
| Permit check at Tangtse |
 |
| Poser dude! |
 |
| First view of the famous lake |
 |
| Pangong Tso |
 |
| Different shades of Blue |
 |
| Some birds spotted! |
 |
| Spell bound landscape |
 |
| Clean water! |
After all the posing snaps, we continued ahead to Spangmik where we had planned to stay. But as soon as we moved ahead, the road got completely off road track which was quite painful but could compromise for the scenic beauty in front of my eyes. After 10 Kms of off roading, we were in Spangmik & it was all about tents in this tiny village. With very little search got the deal done as 100 bux per person in a tent in Padma Home Stay. After resting some time inside tent, we 3 got out with our cameras ready to capture everything in front of our eyes. While we were on a walk beside the lake, saw a foreign couple busy preparing something. Vikas & Sandeep got curious & Vikas started the conversation with them which was later joined by me & Sandeep. When I went close, I realized that they were from Israel & they were preparing Israeli coffee. They offered us a little of their coffee & we were ready to taste it at least for the sake of chickJ.
 |
| Pangong another view... |
 |
| I too wanted to pose :) |
 |
| No words to explain |
While sipping coffee,
“How long have you been travelling in India??” I asked them.
“I have been travelling since 5 months & he has joined since last 2 months.” Man! 5 months. Where do they get money to spend like this for months???
“India is very huge! Israel is very small. From North to South of Israel, it takes just 7 hours.” She continued & soon the topic got changed to my camera,
“If you don’t mind, can I have a look at your camera???” I couldn’t help placing my camera in her handJ. After firing some questions on my camera, we bid bye to them & moved ahead for some more clicks.
 |
| Israeli couple who served their coffee |
 |
| 3 Idiots??? |
 |
| These were found in huge number |
As it got dark, cold started hitting us & we were directly back to our tent with some spicy snacks & bottle. While having snacks, Vikas & Sandeep told about how they got into this trip & their previous biking experiences. Sandeep was quite keen on trying Merismek La & we both said all the best in unison. After spending quality time inside tent with unfussy chit chat, had our dinner & crashed hoping it doesn’t get colder in night.
No comments:
Post a Comment