[unoczar]

Originally Posted by MX6

That's loads of encouragement deky. My daughter is 1 year and 7 months old now. She has already travelled over 20K in our car. So I have another 11 months to have a shot at that record

C'mon, you got to set the bar higher than that.. GO NOW!

obviously you can't go in winters! even may/june is very treacherous in these times. so, aug/sep is probably the best time.

[evo8]

Off late lot of travelogues from Leh !!!

Just one word, Amazing. Especially the night picture. It gives such a warm feeling about the place. Is the "Hall of Fame" Open to General public aswell ?

Have been planning for a trip for quite a while. I'm sure by the time I plan it out, It will be One of the places.

Waiting for more !!

[deky]

Originally Posted by ampere

What can I say! Short of adjectives. The lake is just beyond words!

It is indeed very pretty, especially if the sun is out, then you can see it in its full grandeur.

Originally Posted by Irish

It seems, you were lucky for not getting too many clouds at Pangong. Wonderful photographs.

Thanks, yess, luckily it was a pretty clear day

Originally Posted by rkbharat

what a wonderful pics and details Deky. I am hooked. Your daughter enjoyed Pangong the most. I guess she was back to her chirpy nature

Like us even she enjoyed the most at Pangong. Luckily after lunch she was just fine.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

That is a lovely way to present Ladakh in a season raining with travelogues from this Himalayan region!

Does the captain explain any of the peaks that you cross on the way to Leh in the plane? Any idea which is the flight path and about the region that you overfly?

Where did the Scorpio get stuck? On the road between Pangong & Tangtse?

Pangong pictures are superlative, is this midday or early morning? Pangong changes colours through the day, and one has to be really lucky to be there at different times of the day to see the change happen.

What special precautions did you take on landing from Jammu? You guys seem to have got into the act straightaway without any "stay in bed" punishment?

1. Thank you for the kind words, and thanks again for helping me fix the itinerary for Leh.

2. No unfortunately the Captain made no announcements regarding the flight path and the surrounding mountains. So your guess will be better than mine

I guess he was too busy negotiating the mountains for a smooth landing. Look how an aircraft has to turn steep just after take off or just before landing



3. The scorpio got stuck when we were on our way back from Pangong to Tangtse. The exact place was where the BRO sign board reads "first view of the world famous Pangong Tso". This is 4 kms before Pangong.

4. We reached Pangong at around 1400hrs and spent approximately 2 hours there. The clouds and the sunshine were still making the mountains change colour. But I can understand that a full day there would have been amazing. Also the day we reached it was "Guru Poornima" so you can imagine how wonderfull it would be at a full moon night at the lake

5. We did not literally "stay in bed". It was more of small easy walks around the accommodation. We all (except the child) did pop in half tablets of AVVA the night before we flew from Jammu. Even that was stopped after reaching Leh. The first day rest and the second day leh sight seeing did help us in acclimatising.

My daughter did feel the affects of high altitude at Chang La and I was also a bit under the weather at Tangtse but that was the last of AMS that we saw. Touchwood.

Originally Posted by MX6

Boy oh boy. You continue to amaze me. The scorpio stuck there was a scary sight. And the unattended movement was scarier. Are civilians allowed to do boating in the lake?

It was indeed very scary, especially when the vehicle started drifting down the slope on its own. Luckily for the vehicle and the lady inside, our driver showed presence of mind and controlled it before it went down the cliff.

No civilians are not allowed to do boating. Infact that area is restricted and no one is allowed close to the boat sheds even.

Originally Posted by evo8

Off late lot of travelogues from Leh !!!

Just one word, Amazing. Especially the night picture. It gives such a warm feeling about the place. Is the "Hall of Fame" Open to General public aswell ?

Have been planning for a trip for quite a while. I'm sure by the time I plan it out, It will be One of the places.

Waiting for more !!

Yes the HOF is open to everyone and without any ticket. They also have a few souvenirs for sale at the counter

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by deky

5. We did not literally "stay in bed". It was more of small easy walks around the accommodation. We all (except the child) did pop in half tablets of AVVA the night before we flew from Jammu. Even that was stopped after reaching Leh. The first day rest and the second day leh sight seeing did help us in acclimatising.

What are AVVA tablets? Something like Diamox?

[suman]

Dhiraj, lest I get infracted for spamming, I'm going to say this just once more & then keep quiet till the Travelogue is complete - AWSEOME PICS!!!
Scary about the Scorpio & the lady having to jump off

Originally Posted by deky

We crossed the Pagal Nallah which has a bridge over it now.

Sigggghhhhh....so, unless the bridge breaks down, crossing Pagal Nullah would be devoid of any excitement in future. Ah well, you win some & you lose some I guess.

[anantu2001]

Logged in just to post this comment....... I must say, each and every photo is this thread is just mind blowing.... priceless!!
Be it your trek to Mt. Kailash or the other trek in the himalayas... u never stop to amaze me!! How I wish I could do even 10% of what you have done.....

Those lake pictures are a sight to behold... Just wonderful. A 5 star to this thread.

Anant.

[Indian Ranger]

Fantastic pictures of the lake and I really likes the one of your daughter with the wonderful background of the lake and the hills. Superb shot. Scary experience for the passengers of Scorpio there and nicely handled by your driver.

Keep sharing...

[ranjitp1]

Excellent tlogue devoid of the usual Himalayan twists & turns.Simple & straight and yet so very informative.

You have a couple of priceless pictures in there,the one of your little lady at ChangLa,then the night shot of the airport from your accomodation.amazing.Looking forward to more.

I am following your tlogue ever so keenly because I dont think I would drive to these regions ever all by myself,I would rather fly there and do it the way you did,hire a vehicle and go around,so I am ever so hooked onto this tlogue.Thanx for sharing all the information.

[deky]

I had given dinner a miss and slept by 1900hrs the previous night. I got up at 0200hrs in the morning feeling really really hungry. It was a good sign as whatever affect the high altitude had was getting over.

One good thing travelling as a family is that our Indian ladies tend to carry everything possible to eat on the journey. So instead of tool kits, spanners and tow ropes we had lots to eat with us. I had a choice ladoos, fruits, chips my daughters left over Paranthas etc etc. After enjoying a mid night meal in torch light it was time to sleep again.

Next morning I was feeling wonderfull and fresh. Whatever bad feeling I had last night had disappeared. It was time to move on but not before we clicked pics of the surrounding.



We also had an option of boating here as these guys had channeled the river to form a lake, but the water was very dirty plus no one in the family was interested.


They had also put up a board depicting the places of interest around.


Few flowers along the fresh water streams broke the monotony in the vistas


Soon we were approaching ChangLa


I must say BRO is always at work against all odds making the journey as enjoyable as possible. Three cheers for them


Isnt it hard work being a tourist?


Ice walls were a big disappointment.


At ChangLa wifey insisted to have her photo clicked with the prayer flags.


Leh side of the valley from Chang La


It was sleep time again for my daughter. Again hard work being a kid, Lol!!


So after passing Sakti and Karu we reached our first destination for the day i.e Hemis Gompa. We had started at 0930 hrs and it took us 4 hours to reach here.



We cant even walk for 5kms and these people cycle at such heights. Amazing!!


It was time for tea/coffee snacks before we visited the Gompa.


Bad decision to have snacks before as by the time we reached the ticket counter it was stuck as they have lunch from 1300-1400hrs. So while we waited some pics from Hemis.








Hemis is considered to be one of the best monasteries here, but unfortunately the main chamber was closed for renovation. But still it was nice.




After Hemis next stop was Thiksey. The route along the Indus was scenic


They also have a hydel power project along the route. But this only gives electricity during summer months as in winters the river freezes.


Day4- Contd in next post!!!

[deky]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

What are AVVA tablets? Something like Diamox?

Yes same salts as Diamox but from a different company (INTAS) I find it more affective than Diamox and its half the price.

Originally Posted by suman

Dhiraj, lest I get infracted for spamming, I'm going to say this just once more & then keep quiet till the Travelogue is complete - AWSEOME PICS!!!
Scary about the Scorpio & the lady having to jump off

Sigggghhhhh....so, unless the bridge breaks down, crossing Pagal Nullah would be devoid of any excitement in future. Ah well, you win some & you lose some I guess.

Thanks for the appreciation. Yes it was really scary. Infact it was a moment where all of us saw the vehicle rolling down but all froze. Luckily our driver regained his senses quickly and controlled it.

The pic below shows where the original road was (encircled) and now the bridge

Originally Posted by anantu2001

Logged in just to post this comment....... I must say, each and every photo is this thread is just mind blowing.... priceless!!
Be it your trek to Mt. Kailash or the other trek in the himalayas... u never stop to amaze me!! How I wish I could do even 10% of what you have done.....

Those lake pictures are a sight to behold... Just wonderful. A 5 star to this thread.

Anant.

Thank you. I think its all about passion. I am pretty passionate about hills and find time to do what I enjoy doing the most

Originally Posted by Indian Ranger

Fantastic pictures of the lake and I really likes the one of your daughter with the wonderful background of the lake and the hills. Superb shot. Scary experience for the passengers of Scorpio there and nicely handled by your driver.

Keep sharing...

Thanks

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Excellent tlogue devoid of the usual Himalayan twists & turns.Simple & straight and yet so very informative.

You have a couple of priceless pictures in there,the one of your little lady at ChangLa,then the night shot of the airport from your accomodation.amazing.Looking forward to more.

I am following your tlogue ever so keenly because I dont think I would drive to these regions ever all by myself,I would rather fly there and do it the way you did,hire a vehicle and go around,so I am ever so hooked onto this tlogue.Thanx for sharing all the information.

Thanks. I am keeping this TL very simple. But if you do have any specific questions, do let me know.

[TaureanBull]

Deky, these are some good pics. The best part I like is that wherever you have been you seem to have done it at leisure rather than just rushing through.

Some of the information provided is unique to this thread. Keep it up.

[Judemayne]

fantastic log and most explicit and wonderful pic not to forget the flow of your descriptive language.
Thank you for a pictorial and language feast.

Regards,

Colonel J H Mayne

[unoczar]

Awesome! 5 star!

got a little bored of LEH logs... but this one is a bit different, definitely interesting!

You inspire me a lot, i've already become a member of YHAI!! Shall go to the trek this winter.

[deky]

After finishing Hemis it was time to visit Thiksey Monastery. It was getting late for lunch so we stopped for a bite at the cafe inside the monastery. The food was pretty good with choice of Indian, Chinese, Italian and the usual Maggie and eggs.

Thiksey for me was the best of all the monasteries that I visited. Monasteries are kept pretty clean and organised by the Lamas staying there.





All the prayer halls depicting various forms of Buddha were also very nice and gave a very serene feeling, you actually feel like sitting down and meditating in such at atmosphere.




The main attraction of this Monastery was the 2 story high Buddha Statue.


Also I thought the silver Chorten's in one of the rooms were very nice.


Also what makes an amazing sight is the views of the valley below from the Monasteries.



A room with a view


Look how the road divides the barren land from the greenery.


Stakna Gompa as seen from Thiksey.


Another Gompa seen from Thiksey, but I do not remember the name. It starts with an "M" Can anyone help?


As per the locals this particular bird helps in curing some disease (where the patient keeps laughing). Our taxi driver told us that a few years back, some foreigners took a few of these birds back to their country and paid USD10,000/- for each. Dont know how true is that.


Flowers blooming around the Monastery made it look even prettier.



Beautifully decorated Chortens at the entrance of the monastery.


Finally it was time to bid adieu to the monastery and head back home.


Our two days to Pangong and back was over. Obviously the highlight of the trip was the lake. It was now time to rest and prepare our selves for KhardungLa and Nubra valley for next 2 days.

[deky]

Originally Posted by TaureanBull

Deky, these are some good pics. The best part I like is that wherever you have been you seem to have done it at leisure rather than just rushing through.

Some of the information provided is unique to this thread. Keep it up.

Thank you. Yeah, no point in deciding to start at 0600 hrs when you know you have a kid who will make you late no matter what, after all kids are kids . But mind you Aira (my daughter) was very well behaved through out and took all the traveling and changes to her routine very nicely

Originally Posted by Judemayne

fantastic log and most explicit and wonderful pic not to forget the flow of your descriptive language.
Thank you for a pictorial and language feast.

Regards,

Colonel J H Mayne

Thank you Colonel Sahaab for the kind words. So have'nt you ever been posted in Leh area? Which Corps? Still serving or retired?

Originally Posted by unoczar

Awesome! 5 star!

got a little bored of LEH logs... but this one is a bit different, definitely interesting!

You inspire me a lot, i've already become a member of YHAI!! Shall go to the trek this winter.

So Bhai Jaan, should we plan the Sar Pass trek via YHAI together in May 2011? Would be good fun.