[saurabh2711]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Five minutes and thirty seven seconds..

I sometimes feel you travel to Ladakh to make your livings (--NOM--). For me (as all above have said) I am to sit here & read only your travelogues. .

I suggest you talk to BRO, to hire you as a consultant to build new roads to (& in) Ladakh. Because I don't think that there is any road (read - even a gully) left in the region that your camera has not captured, or is it?.
Start negotiating on commission with JKTDC. Cause I am sure those 5:37 are enough to motivate "someone", who will definitely say "Screw it, lets go" (avisidhu said).

Hats off to you, your writing, your photography skills.

Ever thought of writing a book "Ladakh : On a white elephant".

[AlphaKilo]

Tanveer,

An earlier pic of your white elephant (when she was new) to Ladakh was my wallpaper until now and it gets replaced with the same white elephant in the same region! I believe that says it all about your pics.

[tsk1979]

We have come barely 40 minutes from the road. Down there is the village of Nidar.


Our track gets worse, bumpier and steeper has we head towards the Thit Zarbo La, an unknown, unsung Pass of East Ladakh. Very few have heard of it, and even fewer go there.


Its the road to heaven


We let the elephant cool down again, and marvel at the landscape


Towards the mountaintop the Virga is everywhere


Disappearing as it forms


For us, this region has always been the most magical. There are no tourists here, no posters with idiots, and not even one real idiot. Nobody came here to sing and dance or make movies. This is untouched. From when we left the main road we have not seen a single vehicle


However, we are not alone. While guests like us may not be here, the residents are always here. Walking for days, setting up camp, grazing their herds. The Changpas, the people of these mountains


We still have a lot of daylight, and our destination is not very far. We set up the tripod for our Thit Zarbo sequence. The clouds and landscapes make it too dramatic to pass up


Far away towards the South, our destination beckons. Seventeen thousand feet above sea level, we will set up camp very soon. We are almost there

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by ARAY

Any word to define the pictures would be a blatent understatement, so ill leave it at that. I was about to quote avisidhu just wrote. You sir are definitely responsible for boosting ladaks photo and travel tourism. Keep traveling and sharing such wonderful experiences.

Originally Posted by TechNomad

Brilliant !! What a photolog ; each time I see Ladakh mountain pics like this , I want to go there (sigh) !! , Thanks a lot for sharing .

Thanks for your comments

Originally Posted by sudev

Can't decide which is better.... The pictures or the jibes. And oh the travails and travels of white elephant.

Welcome back story terrier on leash with white elephant. Shooting everything in sight and leaving bite sighed people lamenting on their day desks.

Haha Sudev ji, you for one should not lament. After all you "escape" quite often from your desk

Originally Posted by saurabh2711

I sometimes feel you travel to Ladakh to make your livings (--NOM--). For me (as all above have said) I am to sit here & read only your travelogues. .

I suggest you talk to BRO, to hire you as a consultant to build new roads to (& in) Ladakh. Because I don't think that there is any road (read - even a gully) left in the region that your camera has not captured, or is it?.
Start negotiating on commission with JKTDC. Cause I am sure those 5:37 are enough to motivate "someone", who will definitely say "Screw it, lets go" (avisidhu said).

Hats off to you, your writing, your photography skills.

Ever thought of writing a book "Ladakh : On a white elephant".

I wish! Ladakh is vast, and there are lots of tracks to discover. Unfortunately many are off limits now, and the track you are reading about on this page is also more or less off limits.

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

Tanveer,

An earlier pic of your white elephant (when she was new) to Ladakh was my wallpaper until now and it gets replaced with the same white elephant in the same region! I believe that says it all about your pics.

Thanks Alpha. Well, take all you want, for these are the last ones. After this it was the Good Bye

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Thanks for your comments

I wish! Ladakh is vast, and there are lots of tracks to discover. Unfortunately many are off limits now, and the track you are reading about on this page is also more or less off limits.

What do you mean off limits? Can you explain, if its possible.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Thanks Alpha. Well, take all you want, for these are the last ones. After this it was the Good Bye

I hope that this is a goodbye for the white elephant and not for Ladakh or your travels.

[Madmax_SP]

@tsk1979, though the holy grail of all driving pilgrimages still eludes me (probably courtesy i am still a newbie driver with a 1st new set of wheels), your travelogue inspires me despite my scared & jangled nerves as to whether I can pull it off!
But surely, it is on the list, and the pictures are more than enough for me to gather my guts & wits, to do the drive to Leh and Zanskar upto Padum for sure.
Thanks for sharing such wonderfully inspiring pictures.

[Rehaan]

Awesome stuff Tsk! That milky way shot at 00:41 was amazing.

Have you ever considered getting a small motorized slider for your timelapses?

Also, any chance you can share the route on a map -- just for vague reference.

[srikrishna717]

Hats off TsK !
Amazing photography and narration !

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

What do you mean off limits? Can you explain, if its possible.

Permits have gotten a lot more restrictive, especially after some people tried some high east Ladakh passes without permits and even boasted about it on Facebook

Originally Posted by Madmax_SP

@tsk1979, though the holy grail of all driving pilgrimages still eludes me (probably courtesy i am still a newbie driver with a 1st new set of wheels), your travelogue inspires me despite my scared & jangled nerves as to whether I can pull it off!
But surely, it is on the list, and the pictures are more than enough for me to gather my guts & wits, to do the drive to Leh and Zanskar upto Padum for sure.
Thanks for sharing such wonderfully inspiring pictures.

Trust me, its much harder than it looks. Most modern automobiles can do this route without breaking down

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Awesome stuff Tsk! That milky way shot at 00:41 was amazing.

Have you ever considered getting a small motorized slider for your timelapses?

Also, any chance you can share the route on a map -- just for vague reference.

Yes, i am going to buy a panning mount. Sliders are a bit too much to carry unless its a 1000$ Elekdrone kindof stuff. Panning mount works better for milky way anyways.

As for route map, here you go

Originally Posted by srikrishna717

Hats off TsK !
Amazing photography and narration !

Thanks!

[tsk1979]

If you have ever been to Ladakh, you will notice about something called "First glimpses".
Its somewhat like a cliche now. First glimpse of Pangong Tso. First glimpse of Tso Moriri...

However, Kyun Tso is not like that. You do not get Peek a Boo. As you descend down the track, the lakes come into view at once. Two jewels of the crown on top of the world


A closer look at the twins. This is truly a sight to behold. No matter what camera what photographer, this is one of those places where no justice can be done on the screen. You have to be there. And look at the wonders in person.


However, seeing and reaching are two different things. The track looks easy, but is quite bumpy and sandy in places. Amongst the grass lurk sand traps, and if you get stuck, you are truly stuck as the next vehicle can be days away


However, I wonder if anybody would complain too much about getting stuck in this magical land


This is the road to Heaven, if there is is one


This is the playground of light, the canvas of nature. You may see many signs and wonders in Ladakh, but what you see here is unparalleled. For a moment, you do not realize that you are gasping for breath due to the sheer beauty or lack of oxygen


But remember, this is a deadly place. A place where you can easily get life threatening AMS if you are not acclimatized. A place where even the elephant demands rest


And who cares about resting, when you have all the time in the world. Its not even half past three, and this gives us enough daylight to explore and set up camp. Tonight, we will stay here. On the roof of the world. Tonight we will shoot the heavens.

[sudev]

@tsk1979 ... better not get shot first for leaving us in a lurch like this. This is one place I have not been to and would like to include it in my next "leisure" trip. Hopefully next year. This year's planned trip for the Raid leaves one breathless enough not to spend extra nights over and above.

[PointZero]

Hats off to you tsk1979 Sir. The first Five minutes and thirty seven seconds tells a lot about the trip and the rest is just outstanding .



Thanks for sharing such video, snaps and writing.


Regards -

Point Zero

[krish3]

Wonderful travelogue and brilliant, mindblowing pics. Have enjoyed every one of your travelogues posted here.

Kashmir trip is something that I planned for 10 years back but hasn't yet happened for me. I keep following every travelogue , and hope to fulfill my dream at least by next year.

Are you settled in San Jose or went back to India permanently? I'm currently in San Ramon, CA.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by sudev

@tsk1979 ... better not get shot first for leaving us in a lurch like this. This is one place I have not been to and would like to include it in my next "leisure" trip. Hopefully next year. This year's planned trip for the Raid leaves one breathless enough not to spend extra nights over and above.

Its not that big a detour actually and is doable with a couple of extra days!

Originally Posted by PointZero

Hats off to you tsk1979 Sir. The first Five minutes and thirty seven seconds tells a lot about the trip and the rest is just outstanding .



Thanks for sharing such video, snaps and writing.


Regards -

Point Zero

Thanks!

Originally Posted by krish3

Wonderful travelogue and brilliant, mindblowing pics. Have enjoyed every one of your travelogues posted here.

Kashmir trip is something that I planned for 10 years back but hasn't yet happened for me. I keep following every travelogue , and hope to fulfill my dream at least by next year.

Are you settled in San Jose or went back to India permanently? I'm currently in San Ramon, CA.

Thanks Krish
I am settled in San Jose.
I guess there are enough bay area Team-BHPians to hold a meet.

[tsk1979]

Ladakh has always been defined by its tow big lakes, Pangong and Tso Moriri. After the three idiots went there, three million followed, and some even went to Tso Moriri.
However, even before them, you could never find true solitude at those lakes. There was always somebody.

To find true solitude you really have to leave the beaten path. Since 11 am in the morning, we had not seen a single vehicle. The Nomad on the Pass was our last human contact.

We were all alone now. With just the earth and the sky.
This was our private slice of heaven, Visually

In reality, this is harsh and forgiving, and you have to prepare. For example, if you do not wrap up your ride, you may have to end up waiting till noon the next day for the fuel to warm up enough before you can proceed. This Tarp will keep her warm for about 6-7 hours, which means we would need to keep warming up the engine every few hours


But that gave us enough time to just marvel at the Surroundings. It was breathtaking


The Kyun Tso lake is a truly a wonder, and this landscape is not found anywhere else in Ladakh.


There are short hills all around, and we did contemplate climbing that, but even walking a little bit around the lake was enough to trigger breathlessness. The lack of oxygen at this altitude is no joke. Its like spending the night at Khardungla


But never mind, there was enough to view all around without climbing the hills


One of the wide angle timelapse sequences is shot here. Can you spot it. The clouds really made the scene perfect


Our Lonely camp site. There we are all alone, with not a soul in sight. With the white elephant, new ECU and Jugaad welded brake booster. Life is an adventure they say


That said, for all it beauty, the sky was worrying me. There was some thunder and light sleet, and there was the risk of it turning out to be another Zanskar


Towards North loomed dark clouds


They did cast some really amazing shadows.


As the Sun went down, the clouds took on the typical ladakh colors. Though we never really saw orange


Will the night be dazzling, or grey? Can't say for sure. Only time will tell


For now, we await the darkness, and cook the standard dinner of Ladakh. Maggi