born2lead

Day 5 - 13 August ’08
We woke up at 6:30am. Had a nice breakfast of Laddakh ki Roti and butter with tea. Laddakh ki Roti is a special preparation more like a baked Roti crust with thick bread like filling. It is quite easy to store it and is an important part of the meal during the winters there. After having that quite filling breakfast we started from Diskit at 8am. Sun was shining and with a beautiful & even bluer sky we proceeded towards Khalsar. Our very own Vivek Sharma (xBhp id - Viveksh) had told us about an alternate route to ChangLa via Aagham, when we asked at the Khalsar TCP, they told us that though it’s a shorter route in terms of distance but we anyways would land up travelling for the same duration as the roads aren’t in good state. This alternate route skips K Top and LEH, and straight way meets the LEH – ChangLa route at Shakti.

Laddakh ki Roti




TCP at Khalsar

After Khalsar we reached at a T Point with a sign board stating right to K-Top and left to Aagham. Though I could sense a discomfort in Ankur’s tone, looking at my inquisitiveness towards the unknown he gave a nod. As we proceeded like just a kilometer we realized that this route wasn’t being used much. There was sand over the road with almost no tyre trails. After a few kilometers sand almost engulfed the entire road and it became quite tough to ride on it. We even saw, if not sand dunes then big heaps of sand on the road and then we got to know that this route wasn’t been used at all. With all this it became quite a lot difficult to ride and second thoughts started to pour in my head. When I stopped and looked back at Ankur, he was as usual smiling at me rather at my decision of taking this route. We had already covered like 6-7kms from Khalsar. He said lets do it like the old days and took out a coin from his pocket. Heads we turn back and go via K-Top and tails otherwise. Well like I always say at such situations it was GOD who wanted us not to precede with that route it was Heads and we came back to our previous day route. It started raining when we were somewhere in between Khalsar and Khardung and we stopped immediately to switch to rain gears. Though it didn’t rain heavily but surely the drizzle would have made it quite tough to cross K-Top. We crossed K-Top at 11am and as we started descending towards LEH, not only the rain clouds went away but the shining Sun made us to stop and get rid off the rain gears. While doing that we saw an Army Convoy descending from K-Top, with the very first look I was sure that it is bigger then the Convoy passed the day before. The trail of trucks descending down from the barren mountain seemed more like ants slowly crawling down an Ant Hill. While we were busy clicking, the trucks overtook us and as we couldn’t have started riding in between the convoy, I couldn’t help it to start counting the trucks. 35 trucks right behind a Jypsy crossed us and just when the convoy was like a 100mtrs ahead of us, all of a sudden they stopped. Even before I started to think why, Ankur pointed towards 2 more trucks coming down. The next thing that came to my mind was that we should rush otherwise not only riding behind this 37 truck long convoy would be boring but that would also eat up a lot of our precious time.





We reached LEH at 1:30pm only to find that there was a huge queue at the Indian Oil fuel pump (more like the peak hour CNG station queue at Delhi), because only 1 out of the 2 fuel stations was working. After confirming that the fuel station at Karu was working we proceeded further. Meanwhile we had lunch at LEH, and by the time we got the bikes tanked up at Karu it was 3pm, almost all the locals said it was too late to leave for Pangong Tso and that we wouldn’t want to get stuck at the Pagal Nala. At the Upshi T Point from where there is a left to Pangong Tso saw an Esteem car coming, after confirming about the Pagalpan of Pagal Nala we started at 3pm. Soon after covering 20kms it again started raining, we stopped at Shakti and switched to rain gears yet once again. As we started to proceed up towards ChangLa with rains it started to be quite chilly. Gradually as we went further up the fingers and toes went numb and it was raining even heavily. For like almost 10kms we were riding in hope of a shelter. Finally we reached at the ZangriLa TCP, where the kind Army men helped us with the much needed shelter and the even warming tea. We waited for the rain GOD for almost ½ hr post which we resumed our journey towards ChangLa. Next 20+kms were the toughest so far for us and even for the bikes. ChangLa (height – 17800fts) happens to be the Third Highest Pass on the World. It was snowing when we reached at ChangLa at around 4:30pm.







After a few kilometers down further the roads were amazing and the valley was even beautiful. Riding through we reached at the Tangtse TCP, where we were asked to submit a copy of the permission. They even suggested that we should consider staying at Tangste or Mugleb (20kms further) for the night and go to PangongTso only next morning. It was already dark by the time we reached Mugleb but then we saw a milestone stating PangongTso 20kms. And who would want to stop just 20kms before, after travelling all the way till here.
In the past few days we have had crossed many water streams and I wont say all were comfortable to cross, but still we managed through, and now it was just the PagalNala all over my head. I have heard earlier that bikers landed up with burnt out clutch plates and even the 2.6liter Scorpio at times fails to cross it. Just like 4-5kms before PangongTso, we saw road ahead of us going down into what I could call a Pond. Yep you read it right Water Pond, almost like 100mts in front of us - under water. Is it PagalNala? The water was still like dead and with just moon as the only source of light around it looked a little scary. Surely the name PagalNala doesn’t go with the image of this Pond. Ankur’s ZMA’s HID came to rescue and we saw tyre trails (probably MUVs) at both the ends. We had no choice but to go ahead with our chances, with a slight fearful nod towards Ankur, I shifted to 1st gear and just before entering the water shifted to 2nd gear. Now all I had to do was balance and in no circumstances let the accelerator come down. Engine was sounding stressed and at one point in time I saw water going over my knees. Without any further hassles finally I made it to the other end and after parking my bike, I waved back at Ankur and asked him to just be at the middle of the entire thing and do just what I did. Looking at Ankur managing through was even scarier. I saw water splashing by the sides and with the pin drop silence around just the engine roar and water displacement, at one point in time water was striking at ZMA’s HID. When Ankur reached by my side after crossing it all, I thanked GOD for our safety and just then Ankur said “this surely isn’t PagalNala”. And I was thinking if it isn’t then only GOD knows what is waiting for us ahead.
After covering a couple of kilometers the tarmac vanished and it was as if we were rallying around in dark. Soon we realized that there was no sign of roads or directions and we were like almost lost in the middle of nowhere. What we could see in front of us was rock bed, and when we tried a little harder by pointing ZMA’s HID we saw a huge water stream more like what you can expect at the foothill of a Waterfall ahead of us. My mind was wondering at the past few kilometers if we have missed a turn somewhere but even Ankur didn’t remember seeing anything. While we were looking around and walked a little away from the bikes further much nearer to water through the rock bed, I saw a road coming from a distance and reaching at a place which was almost like 40+ feet above us and after which it was all washed away by this water fall. Ankur rushed towards me pointing out that there is a road that he saw behind and it’s quite above us and when I pointed out the washed away area to him he went silent. This was PagalNala and to reach to that road, we had to cross almost like a river of say 150mtrs. Not to mention that the flow was enough to wash away anything of size and weight of my helmet. Well I had to go all the way to the other end with a torch on my hand to see the exact path we should take the bikes to. Water was upto knee levels at few places, and there was no sign of life around. After deciding on the path we removed the tank bag from both the bikes and I started with my bike. As I cautiously placed the front tyre into the water with a “thud”, almost up to 1-2 inches of the front disc went underwater, and then the rear tyre came down. It was quite difficult to balance the bike as the rocks below the water were not firm and as I placed my foot over them, at times the rocks used to roll over. I am 6ft tall and with both my legs almost acting like 2 more tyres to support by the side of my bike, I was revving the poor engine below me. Even had to retract upto 6-8inches and launch the bike even harder, when the bike used to give it up to climb a bigger rock. With all this going on for some time and just the engine roar with that water sound around, I made it to the other end. It was dark, quite cold but when I reached at the other end not only my heart was pumping loud, I was sweating too. After parking my bike at the other end, I came back to Ankur and then it was his turn. After a quite OK start, don’t know why I was confident that it won’t be as hard for him and I went back to pick up the tank bags. It was a mistake I should have actually helped Ankur till the very end of this crossing, because in between I saw a 5.7” tall guy trying his best to be able to hold the 223cc ZMA on his left foot while the rock below his foot was slipping away. I just got enough time to place the tank bags on a rock, which was slightly above the water level and rushed towards him to save him from the fall; and held the falling bike from the rear. Well though we both managed to save the bike from falling Ankur had to place his hand into the foot deep freezing water and just topple over leaving the bike to me. While I was a little scared with all this don’t know what made Ankur laugh, and when I was about to ask him to get the tank bags while almost climbing on to the riding seat of ZMA, he said “back off and let me finish the job”. When I asked him if he was hurt he said nothing just the cold water got inside - well quite inside. Finally we made it through the PagalNala - The Crazy Stream.
Finally we reached at the Pangong Tso at 8pm. There were options ranging from tents to concrete rooms. We checked into a lake side room for Rs450/-, and soon after getting rid of all the riding gears went for a pre dinner stroll. There were clouds all over the sky and it was just water in front of us stretched up to my vision limits. The sound of the waves make you believe that you are actually standing on a beach – beach at 13000+fts. I remember Darth Lucifer giving so much stress on staying at the Pangong Tso for at least one night, that too a full moon night. Though the full moon night was falling on 17th August and we were there on 13th August.
During the dinner a guy told us that PangongTso is 140kms long salt water lake and that 2/3rd of its part is in China. Indian Army patrols in the lake on speed boats. After having dinner we decided to go for another stroll but with a camera this time. First thing I saw as I came out was a bright shining Mountain; we soon realized that the clouds have cleared up a little and that the moon light was falling on to this mountain. With clouds playing hide and seek with the moon light, we had a heavenly experience looking at the shining mountains. Right now I am feeling as incapable of words to express my experience as the camera was that night to capture all that.



While we were both lying at the bed finding it hard to get to sleep, we both had this thought…
All you Guys, once in your life time do visit The Majestic Pangong Tso and spend a night there (probably on a full moon night). You ought to go there to experience it all.


This picture was clicked on the next morning.
Sorry for disappointing, but all the pictures of Pangong Tso would be coming with next write up.

Click here for The Mighty Pangong Tso...

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I'd rather be riding my motorcycle thinking about God than sitting in church thinking about my motorcycle.
Ride often, ride well, have fun.