[Joy]

How can I miss this travelogue, that too of Tanveer?

Anyway, as usual the trademark "tsk1979" stuff. Beautiful Pics along with crisp narration.

Just one sentence, Tanveer, please keep alive your adventurer self so that we, the lesser mortals, can enjoy the joy of uncommon and lesser known destination.

Kudos to you and your better half.

Wish you many more such trips and a safe driving.

[Rudra Sen]

Tanvir, like to see some of of your new camera's original shots on my machine.

Sooner the better.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Thanks Tanveer for letting us understand the true meaning of a Travelogue.

I never knew what ChanderTal meant till date, forget that, never knew a place like Chandra Tal ever existed in our country.

Amazing.......! A true learning experience

[supertinu]

Thanks for the nice travelogue Tanveer. I am a fan of your writing since I read your Leh and beyond trip. Amazing pics as well. You travelogue makes me feel that I should be in punjab more . I get to visit only couple of times a yr for a week or so and never have enough time to make a road trip.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by lsp

Spent some good time at the office going through your travelogue. Wow!! As always this one too is breathtaking. The first pic - the lake of the moon is just so awesome. If I didnt have the self imposed no wallpaper rule, I would have made it into my wallpaper for sure.

Its good to be visiting these places vicariously through your travelogues Tanveer!! Keep up the good work. Wishing you many more amazing travels.

Originally Posted by <Badguy>

Great Pics Tanveer.

I am reminded of our last year trip which I had covered on Pulsar.

The roads (did I said roads !! ok sorry tracks) are really difficult to cross from Rohtang and one needs to experience them than only one can understand.

I had decided on returning from Chandertal last year that I wont go again there because of the terrain but it seems it is calling me now.

Need to arrange for a 4X4 for that trip...

keep on posting.

Originally Posted by MohsinRoadster

great landscapes and very proffessional clicks

Originally Posted by Utopian

Awesome travelogue. Chandertal pics are simply amazing.
Bidding time to visit this heavenly place asap.

Originally Posted by Joy

How can I miss this travelogue, that too of Tanveer?

Anyway, as usual the trademark "tsk1979" stuff. Beautiful Pics along with crisp narration.

Just one sentence, Tanveer, please keep alive your adventurer self so that we, the lesser mortals, can enjoy the joy of uncommon and lesser known destination.

Kudos to you and your better half.

Wish you many more such trips and a safe driving.

Thanks for your wonderful comments guys. The updates will be coming shortly

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

Tanvir, like to see some of of your new camera's original shots on my machine.

Sooner the better.

Definitely Rudra, but beware, the new cam pics are with full in camera processing on and JPEG. Its a P&S soon. So you have an uphill task!

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

Thanks Tanveer for letting us understand the true meaning of a Travelogue.

I never knew what ChanderTal meant till date, forget that, never knew a place like Chandra Tal ever existed in our country.

Amazing.......! A true learning experience

Thanks Pavan!

Originally Posted by supertinu

Thanks for the nice travelogue Tanveer. I am a fan of your writing since I read your Leh and beyond trip. Amazing pics as well. You travelogue makes me feel that I should be in punjab more . I get to visit only couple of times a yr for a week or so and never have enough time to make a road trip.

Thanks! Even I wish I was closer to PB. Delhi is also too far away. I envy the chandigarh dwellers. They are so close to the mountains!

[tsk1979]

As I mentioned earlier, its a good 4km or more walk around the lake. We decided to go half way only.
The walk was nice, but the water wasn't still. For that you have to be at the lake by 7am, which means spending the night in a tent
Some pics





Look at the clarity of the water. I think the forest department did a good thing here!


If was early afternoon, but alas its time to turn back. We have to go to Spiti remember, and on such a road, I wanted to cover as much as possible by daylight




Prayer flags




I also caught a local bird, can't id it


After a brief stretch we started our trek back. After a smallish uphill "sprint" it was going to be level or downhill


Not so long ago vehicles did this stretch, thankfully not anymore


Probably once of the few places where I would love to offroad, and yet love not to offroad!




TO BE CONT..........

[R.I.P]

According to some of the locals & officials, the road towards chandertaal will not be made again. As per a supreme court guidelines, the whole site has come under a protected region(for migratory birds) and no further construction of road will be permitted. Further, the present road will not be repaired.

The tent site is also not permanent.

So all you folks wanting to reach here in the next season will have to take a trek of about 17Kms(provided 4X4s are incapable)

My 2 cents.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by R.I.P

According to some of the locals & officials, the road towards chandertaal will not be made again. As per a supreme court guidelines, the whole site has come under a protected region(for migratory birds) and no further construction of road will be permitted. Further, the present road will not be repaired.

The tent site is also not permanent.

So all you folks wanting to reach here in the next season will have to take a trek of about 17Kms(provided 4X4s are incapable)

My 2 cents.

Hi RIP,
Earlier the road was 12kms, and 1km was trekking.
Now the lake and 3kms around it is protected area, so the trek is 3kms now.
Even if the whole road is closed, from the main road the lake is 13kms.
From the top (Kunzum Pass) its 9kms trekking.
The 17km figure does not make sense.,

[subhashnm]

Chandratal is truly magical. That leaves me wondering, if it is so awesome to see, how would it be to take a dip in it?

Has anyone here taken bath or seen/heard of anyone doing so in Chandratal? I so badly wanted to do it when I visited the tal in mid-Aug, but the weather wasn't conducive and the driver didn't encourage it fearing I would fall sick after a dip.

[R.I.P]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Hi RIP,
Earlier the road was 12kms, and 1km was trekking.
Now the lake and 3kms around it is protected area, so the trek is 3kms now.
Even if the whole road is closed, from the main road the lake is 13kms.
From the top (Kunzum Pass) its 9kms trekking.
The 17km figure does not make sense.,

My bad, was referring to a round-trip. A total trek of 17Kms.

[ampere]

Water looks pristine! Which is camera you used? P&S?
I thought you had a DSLR.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by ampere

Water looks pristine! Which is camera you used? P&S?
I thought you had a DSLR.

You are right. I have a DSLR.... And a P&S!
Canon 350D with 10-24 Tamron
Panasonic FZ-35

So all the shots which are not wide or ultra wide, are shot with the Panasonic!

Originally Posted by subhashnm

Chandratal is truly magical. That leaves me wondering, if it is so awesome to see, how would it be to take a dip in it?

Has anyone here taken bath or seen/heard of anyone doing so in Chandratal? I so badly wanted to do it when I visited the tal in mid-Aug, but the weather wasn't conducive and the driver didn't encourage it fearing I would fall sick after a dip.

2000 years ago(or maybe more) there was a river called Yamuna.
It was big blue and had water which shone like diamonds.
The river smelled of life.
One fine day a man came.
He said, the water looks so clean. Let me take a bath in it.
IT was good. He was cleaned.
then came his village, and they also took a bath in the water.
They were cleaned.

Then came another man. His toilet was smelly, but here was a toilet so clean.
He decided to take a dump.
Then his entire village decided to take a dump.
The river was little dirty, but still clean.

Then came another man, who thought, my house is full of garbage.
Let me throw some in it.
And then his entire village threw garbage.

Hamlets became villages, villages became cities, and garbage dumps grew.
They all decided to dump it in the river.

And 2000 years later, there was no water, only a dirty nallah.

Please do not take bath in the Chandertal. Its still beautiful. I am hoping it stays this way 2000 years later too.

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Definitely Rudra, but beware, the new cam pics are with full in camera processing on and JPEG. Its a P&S soon. So you have an uphill task!

You didn't shoot RAW? Why, what was idea?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

You didn't shoot RAW? Why, what was idea?

I shot RAW with the Canon 350D and ultra wide.
With the panasonic, I wanted to take "touristy shots".
So the wide angles and most landscapes are RAW.
The JPEG shots are from Panasonic only.

Right now I am overwhelmed by the number of shots from the Canon. Once I learn better management, and get more memory, I guess I will be shooting RAW with the Panasonic also!

[bhogalrajnish]

Originally Posted by subhashnm

Chandratal is truly magical. That leaves me wondering, if it is so awesome to see, how would it be to take a dip in it?

Has anyone here taken bath or seen/heard of anyone doing so in Chandratal? I so badly wanted to do it when I visited the tal in mid-Aug, but the weather wasn't conducive and the driver didn't encourage it fearing I would fall sick after a dip.

I would not recommend doing so for the reasons stated above, well if you go with the rituals, it is very important to take a dip in the lake as it is holy and that goes for most of the water bodies in the himalayas. I was lucky to do so some years back, do have some photographs will post them later.