Stairway to heaven

It was our fourth day in Leh and our vacation was going well. We had taken a day to acclimatise to the climate and altitude of the place and two days to explore the city of Leh. And now, the day that we were all waiting for had dawned and we were excited about our first big adventure — a trip to Pangong Tso, which was touted to be the highlight of our vacation.

We were excited and full of trepidation. All of us had read about the lake in great detail. Many authors had described the lake, its beauty and splendour in their own way. We had also seen the vastness and stillness of the lake in movies and marvelled at the way it looked on the big screen. But since we were venturing into something unknown, I felt a knot in my stomach.

Ladakh is all about contrasts. You will find many peculiar sights there perhaps not seen anywhere else in India or outside. On one side, you will see the barrenness of the desert and lush greenery on the other side. A river with flat land on one side and mountainous terrain on the other is a common sight. Even as we started our journey, we had snow-capped mountains to our right and brown barren ones at a lesser proximity to our left.

But what remains constant everywhere is the cheerfulness and welcoming spirit of the people of Ladakh. We experienced this at the foothills of the Shyok Valley where we stopped at a roadside restaurant and treated ourselves to a bowl of piping hot noodle soup and a comforting cup of tea. Our spirits soared immediately and everyone was now looking forward to the journey ahead.

We went through the many mountains in Shyok Valley and long-winding roads snaked through the mountains as the climb became steeper and higher. As we went higher, the valley looked even better and the snow-clad peaks at a distance looked shinier. The mountains that we could see from close had beautiful designs on them thanks to the snow that had melted due to the onset of summer.

As we went further, we were ecstatic to experience snow for the first time.  There were many hidden icicles too indicating the harshness of the winter that had just gone by. After a long drive, we reached Chang La Pass — the second highest motorable road in India located at an altitude of 17500 ft. It is open only between May and October and was totally covered with snow. From here, it was a steep and dangerous descent.

The sights around left us speechless — huge boulders covered in snow; narrow, steep and sometimes slushy roads at the edge of the mountains; clear blue sky with not a single cloud and an air of expectancy and anticipation all around.

When we reached the bottom and entered the Changthang wildlife sanctuary, it was again a region of contrast — a cold desert area mildly green with grass and low shrubs. It had different species of wildlife and medicinal plants.

We soon came across a kiang — a wild ass native to the Tibetan plateau which eats sturdy grass and lives in herds with its pelage changing as per the season. When we saw them, they were a shade of dark brown and munching on fresh summer grass. At that point, I saw something move on the ground and squealed with delight. I knew it was something special. It was my first sight of the Himalayan marmot — a large beaver-like creature exploring the terrain. Its reddish brown fur gleamed in the sun and soon, we saw many of them digging their burrows in search of food. We continued with our journey and got our first glimpse of Pangong Lake.

The Pangong Tso is an epitome of natural beauty. Its name is derived from the Tibetan word ‘Banggong Co’ meaning “enchanted, long, narrow lake”. The largest lake in the Himalayas, it reflects different colours. On a clear day, one can see nearly 15 colours — from blue and green to red. The lake is surrounded by the rugged
Himalayan mountains and the water is serene. One can see mild waves at the edge of the lake and the soil around it is dusky black and rocky.

On a clear day, one can see the reflection of the clouds on the lake but sadly for us, it was a cloudy day. But we were happy to see two types of birds swimming in the lake — the bar-headed geese and Brahminy ducks. Except for their cries, there was no other sound around. We spent as much time in the serene place as we could, had a quick lunch  and started our return journey. As we left, I turned back one last time to click a mental picture of the lake as I knew that there was no other picture that could do justice to its sheer beauty.

(The author can be reached at [e-mail])