[Kandisa]

Leh - Pangong Tso
--------------------
We woke up in the morning, had tea after getting fresh and got the breakfast packed from the hotel. Finally started around 7.30-8 from the hotel for the lake destination. Early morning drive through the empty roads felt good. The weather was not shiny though. It had rained slightly the previous two three days and there were couple of water logged places on the roads. At one place there was a portion which had a small stream flowing on the road. This place actually turned into a scary experience at night during the return journey.



A brief stop near the turn towards Shakti and we continued the journey


Very soon we could see the huge mountains ahead through which the climb towards the mighty Chang la would start.The moving vehicles were looking so miserably small with the mountains at the backdrop and it was a lovely scene with the morning sun beginning to shine now.





The climb as heard was not an easy task and the oxygen level was reducing. The jeep started running out of breath soon and it was time to switch to the 4 wheel drive to regain some power as we did in case of the higher passes in the Manal - Leh route. With each turn the climb was getting more interesting and scary at times. The water intake and frequent loo breaks were on and it was during one such break we could observe the famous Z curves of the ascent.

The start of the incline:




And we continued:






The famous curves of the route:







More than halfway through we could see some whitish layer at distance. And that could mean only one thing: Changla must 've been snowed out. Once again due to my slow pace, Mandeep took over the steering of the jeep and Rahul switched to driving the Cedia. My companion Travelaholic was feeling uncomfortable due to a sudden exposure to the outside cold and Sanjay came to the rescue with his homoeopathic medicines. I should mention here that Sanjay's stock of homeopathic medicines did show some good effects in various occasions since we had started from Manali.

The mighty mountains with fresh snow:









The road condition started becoming increasingly worse as we proceed towards the pass. There was snow on the sides, and icy slush with smaller and bigger rocks on the roads. Though there was very less traffic from the opposite side, at few narrow stretches, we had to stop to give way to the pick-ups and few trucks. The Wagon R was left by the side of the road at one point of time after judging the situation ahead. The temperature dropped drastically as we progressed and slowly the surroundings became all white. The warning signs of 'Avalanche Zone starts' (& ends) at regular intervals were clear indications of the possible dangers on the road. There were few patches which were really challenging for vehicle with lower GC, one in particular was really tricky as we watched the Cedia losing traction with one tyre in the air. But finally it made through without any damage







The vistas all around was breathtakingly beautiful but to avoid any exertion i didn't get down much to click photos! There was fusion of multiple colours at distant backdrop: blue sky, white snow and grayish mountain as if someone painted those in successive layers.The drive through the snowed out roads in this kind of a setting felt surreal.







Here are few videos of the drive:

YouTube - MOV07367

YouTube - changla_0.wmv

YouTube - changla_2.MPG

[Kandisa]

Leh to Pangong Tso continued...
-------------------------------
This is the point where Cedia had a tricky time:



Just before the top:





Finally we managed to reach the Changla top which was completely snowed out and the army personnel were directing the traffic to move forward to avoid any congestion. We were also not very willing to get down and spend time on the pass in that kind of a weather and carried on with the thought to stop here during return journey. The road immediately after the top was in horrible condition and even the local experienced drivers in their scorpios were struggling to clear the patch.

Chang La:







One more video:

YouTube - MOV07378

The descent:















A brief stop:



One of my favourite pictures of the jeep:



Few kms down and the snow along with the cold environment vanished all of a sudden. I got back to the jeep's steering with Rahul seating with me this time. Some time later we reached the check post at Tangstey.





Mandeep taking rest:





It was time to observe the surroundings without being in motion!

[Ragul]

This is why I got a brand new Gypsy! This is why I got a brand new Gypsy! and not a sedan. Even if its just once a year or two!! To be able to dream and plan knowing one is equipped means everything!!

Question: You mentioned that you switched to 4x4 because the going was tough anf the jeep wasnt pulling enough. Are you not scared of damaging the driveline shaft by using it on Tarmac?!! I can understand the snowy mud patches, but it seems you jumped in 4x4 mode on tarmac!!

Thanks

[Kandisa]

Leh to Pangong Tso continued...
---------------------------------
I grabbed some bytes of the sandwich packed from the hotel with a can of coke. The brief break with the food and drink intake felt nice.
Few more snaps at Tangstey:





Line up of the vehicles just after the check post:



Another snap of the jeep:



After the formalities were over we restarted towards our destination though the Tangstey village. The road was flat but it was not possible to pick up much of speed as there were sudden deeps which were not possible to spot from a distance! And with the jeep one got to be even more careful.
The surroundings in the meanwhile changed to a flat greener plane with Yaks grazing here and there and small streams running through. Really nice spots to stop by, but we didn't have much luxury of time, so moved ahead.









Roads were at its worst just before and after the Pagla nallah and a look below the present bridge gave some idea what could have been the situation when the nallah used to be in full flow and there was no bridge in place!
Jeep in this landscape:





The 1st view of the lake was really thrilling and finally few kms later we reached the destination, the much talked about Pangong Tso.
The lake:







The mountains on the other side:



A close up:



Right from the day the jeep was picked up, it was always a dream for us to be on the shore of this lake in this vehicle. Though breathings were heavier and physical conditions were not perfectly normal, needless to mention we were really happy. And here it goes, the 1st snap of a Jeep in front of the Pangong Lake:

[MohsinRoadster]

Nice to see you after the break.. was waiting for your return.

As usual.. very nice pics. Pangong seems like heaven.
Your dream of clicking the Jeep at Pangong has finally come true.

Post some more pics of Pangong if you have!! The more i see Pangong , the more i want to see.

cheers

[jacs]

Kandisa, good to see the next lot of photographs. Mindblowing drive, really liked the curves cutting a "Z" on the mountains as in Mask of Zorro

[MohsinRoadster]

Originally Posted by jacs

Kandisa, good to see the next lot of photographs. Mindblowing drive, really liked the curves cutting a "Z" on the mountains as in Mask of Zorro

Took a re-look a the "Z" .. didnt observe this on the first sight.
Yeah.. great pic.

[lordofgondor]

Great to see that you folks got sunshine during your travel for a change! Chang La seems real snowed out, were there snow walls at the pass? Pangong looks great with the Jeep alongside it.

Originally Posted by Kandisa

... a look below the present bridge gave some idea what could have been the situation when the nallah used to be in full flow and there was no bridge in place!

What! There's a bridge there now! A year too late for me.

[Kandisa]

Originally Posted by RROD

...@Kandisa
Thanks for you advise man. The reason I said i cannot make it is, i have never driven on long distances in India. I drove about 300 or 400 KM's but that's it. And you need a lot of energy for such a long drive..

Just for your information, i learned driving in 2008 and before the Ladakh trip, my total driving experience was for around 18000 kms or so! And the maximum distance covered at one stretch was in a similar range as yours! As per the energy thing, you are absolutely right. You really need to have loads of those to cover this patch.

Originally Posted by raveen_2023

nice write up and good photography. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

Thanks raveen.

Originally Posted by Ragul

This is why I got a brand new Gypsy! This is why I got a brand new Gypsy! and not a sedan. Even if its just once a year or two!! To be able to dream and plan knowing one is equipped means everything!!

Congrats my friend, a brand new Gypsy is really something worth cherishing. Best part, it comes with the Maruti back up. Yes the feeling of being equipped does help, though Murphy's law can highly be applicable in routes like these!

Question: You mentioned that you switched to 4x4 because the going was tough anf the jeep wasnt pulling enough. Are you not scared of damaging the driveline shaft by using it on Tarmac?!! I can understand the snowy mud patches, but it seems you jumped in 4x4 mode on tarmac!!

Oh yes initially i was, because of the part time 4 wheel drive aspect. Apart from Rohtang and Tanglang la, we used this while climbing Barlachala and Gata loops where roads were relatively better. But the rain ensured that not much of traction was available. So higher gears in 4low was required and it was not supposed to do any damage. In case of Chang la, well it was not exactly a smooth tarmac, rather broken roads at most of the places. And i used it after getting a green signal from 'renegade' whose experience with 4x4 is enormous. Apart from a minor humming sound, i didn't observe anything and the driveline components are all safe and sound as checked after the trip.

Originally Posted by MohsinRoadster

Nice to see you after the break.. was waiting for your return.
As usual.. very nice pics. Pangong seems like heaven.
Your dream of clicking the Jeep at Pangong has finally come true.
Post some more pics of Pangong if you have!! The more i see Pangong , the more i want to see.

cheers

Thanks a lot. Yes it was dream come true to be at Pangong with the Jeep. More pics coming right away.

Originally Posted by jacs

Kandisa, good to see the next lot of photographs. Mindblowing drive, really liked the curves cutting a "Z" on the mountains as in Mask of Zorro

Thanks a ton. Yes i saw that 'Z' thing many a times in travelogue pictures, but seeing in reality was indeed special.

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

Great to see that you folks got sunshine during your travel for a change! Chang La seems real snowed out, were there snow walls at the pass? Pangong looks great with the Jeep alongside it.

Ahh it was a big relief from the gloomy mood we encountered in the entire Manali - Leh journey. As per i remember, no, there was no snow walls but it was all white all around, really chilling weather. Ha ha, the beauty of Pangong has surely increased because of the JEEP!

What! There's a bridge there now! A year too late for me.

Yes, and it looks like a pretty rugged structure. May God bless the Army and BRO. Seriously i could imagine what was the situation when this bridge was not in place! If i remember correctly, you lost your clutch here only?

[AarEmm]

A very well written travelogue and I am enjoying reading it and viewing the photographs... reminds me of my trip to Leh. Doing Leh in a jeep is very interesting and challenging and kudos to you to have completed the same.

I must really say that Mandeep has done a good job on your jeep. I had the pleasure of seeing it built by Mandeep

[rahultomahawk]

Great write up Soumen. whenever you post new pictures and a write up It makes me wonder how did I , Smita and especially Antara pulled it off without hiccups.
Keep the good stuff coming.

[Kandisa]

Pangong Tso
-------------

For the 1st few minutes we just stood at the shore and tried to absorb the beauty of the surroundings. Seeing the jeep in front of the lake felt something uniquely great. The tourist taxis and most of the vehicles were standing on the extreme left side. Actually i didn't see the movie "3 Idiots" beforehand (saw it after coming back from Leh..!!) so didn't know that the interest in that portion of the land was because of the shooting place of this movie. Everyone was having a spin around the lake, so did i. After the initial euphoria settled down, we clicked good number of pics.

A glimpse of Pangong:

YouTube - MOV07501.MPG

And a drive around in the jeep, albeit against Sanjay's warnings of not shooting the jeep alone:

YouTube - MOV07509

Various moods of the Lake and it keeps on changing even due to a slight change in sunshine:
























And different poses of the Jeep:
























Pangong captured in the side view mirror of the jeep:



Few pics of the line up of the EOW convoy:









Poser shots:

Me:



Sanjay:



The next agenda was the lunch. Out came the ready to cook packs of dal makhani, palak paneer along with the cooking utensils and butane stove from Sanjay's LC. But we didn't have enough breads and had to buy slices at a premium from one of the dhabas at a distance. The 'cooking place' was surrounded by the vehicles. Though neither me nor 'Travelaholic' was in much of hunger, still had little bit of everything.
The 'Secret' cooking place:



The cooking apparatus:

[Kandisa]

Pangong Tso...continued..
---------------------------
Once the food saga was over,we decided to drive a bit further towards the Spangmik stretch (wish we had the time and permit to go in that trail till Chushul). Here are two videos of the convoy slightly in a filmy style ..

YouTube - MOV07513

YouTube - MOV07514

View of the lake from this side:









Sanjay with his LC:



The Jeep:





Jeep and the Cedia:

[lordofgondor]

The pics at Pangong are fantastic. Having Dal Makhani & Palak Paneer would have been heavenly in there.

Originally Posted by Kandisa

Yes, and it looks like a pretty rugged structure. May God bless the Army and BRO. Seriously i could imagine what was the situation when this bridge was not in place! If i remember correctly, you lost your clutch here only?

Yup, this is where the slipping became too much to climb the steep incline right after crossing the Nullah. The real damage was done when I'd been stupid enough to panic when gotten royally stuck in sand at More Plains. *sigh*

The Army/BRO/GREF/Police are simply too good in there. You know what, Pagal Nullah had become a real pain for the Army folks. Too many civilian & some army vehicles were periodically breaking down or getting stuck in there. While I was in the army workshop, getting the CP replaced & having a chat with the OC, they had to send two recovery vehicles to help stranded vehicles. Then the OC told me that he's decided to station one recovery vehicle there permanently. I saw one army gypsy, and two civilian cars being towed to the workshop in a single day. I considered myself lucky that I was in a Maruti vehicle, cause the Army mechanics told the other civilians that there car won't be able to get fixed in that workshop. Reason, one was a Chevy & the other was a Ford, which their mechanics weren't comfortable with.

EDIT: Can't resist posting a couple of pics of Chang La shot through my lens. We'd enjoyed snowfall at the pass while the road was being cleared by a monstrous bulldozer as it had snowed heavily some time before we got there.

Cloud covered Chang La!



The road ahead!

[Kandisa]

Originally Posted by AarEmm

A very well written travelogue and I am enjoyjing reading it and viewing the photographs... reminds me of my trip to Leh. Doing Leh in a jeep is very interesting and challenging and kudos to you to have completed the same.

I must really say that Mandeep has done a good job on your jeep. I had the pleasure of seeing it built by Mandeep

Thanks Rohit. Ladakh journey in a jeep is indeed an adventurous and challenging journey. Indeed a lot of dedication, time, money and hard work have gone into the build up of the jeep and i was lucky that someone like Mandeep was there.

Originally Posted by rahultomahawk

Great write up Soumen. whenever you post new pictures and a write up It makes me wonder how did I , Smita and especially Antara pulled it off without hiccups.
Keep the good stuff coming.

Thanks Rahul. Even i was amazed to see how Smita and even importantly Antara managed everything without any hitch at all.

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

The pics at Pangong are fantastic. Having Dal Makhani & Palak Paneer would have been heavenly in there.

Nice to hear that you liked the clicks. Tell you what, i didn't have any apetite during the lunch and also the slices we had to buy from the tent dhaba there were probably a week old or so! So not much of cherishing memory of the lunch except the can of Thums Up But yes the very fact that you are having the food standing in front of the lake is mesmerizing in itself.

...Yup, this is where the slipping became too much to climb the steep incline right after crossing the Nullah. The real damage was done when I'd been stupid enough to panic when gotten royally stuck in sand at More Plains. *sigh*

Yes i recall it now.

...The Army/BRO/GREF/Police are simply too good in there. You know what, Pagal Nullah had become a real pain for the Army folks. Too many civilian & some army vehicles were periodically breaking down or getting stuck in there. While I was in the army workshop, getting the CP replaced & having a chat with the OC, they had to send two recovery vehicles to help stranded vehicles. Then the OC told me that he's decided to station one recovery vehicle there permanently. I saw one army gypsy, and two civilian cars being towed to the workshop in a single day. I considered myself lucky that I was in a Maruti vehicle, cause the Army mechanics told the other civilians that there car won't be able to get fixed in that workshop. Reason, one was a Chevy & the other was a Ford, which their mechanics weren't comfortable with.

Hmm indeed this might be the reason of getting a good bridge fixed there. After all its the Army who takes all the pain while the tourists get stuck in these regions. And yes, Maruti rocks, more because of the existence of Gypsy in the Army. Thats why Gypsy is the ideal 4x4 vehicle to travel in this zone. Even if some problem crops up the army guys will definitely settle the same.

EDIT: Can't resist posting a couple of pics of Chang La shot through my lens. We'd enjoyed snowfall at the pass while the road was being cleared by a monstrous bulldozer as it had snowed heavily some time before we got there.

Wooh, that is some real good fresh snow wall! Nice to see the pics.