Pangong

The road from Nubra to Leh is picturesque. Add to that the promise of seeing the expanse of Pangong Lake, no wonder we were thrilled. The road conditions are not very good because firstly it’s not strategic and secondly there is a road expansion going on around Pangong. We still enjoyed the long hours on the road as the landscape kept changing.

Frozen Pangong Tso

The approach road to Pangong is close to the now famous Galwan Valley which our driver promptly pointed out to us. As the road turned towards the lake, a part of lake was visible. It was frozen. This was unexpected. By the time we reached the proper point of disembarkment we were more thrilled than ever. None of us had been to a frozen lake let along walk and dance on it.

We first settled for lunch as we were all very hungry. There were few restaurants open because the tourist season was just beginning. There were fewer restaurants with washrooms that we badly needed. We ordered a variety of food that we all shared before walking downhill to the lake. It was some experience.

The frozen lake was slightly slippery but not difficult. It was definitely way colder down there than at the banks. I asked my photos to be taken sitting on the lake. One of us had an idea of creating a group dance on a popular number. We even took photos sitting on a 3 Idiots prop. We had fun. It was time to head back to Leh.

Our journey back was longer because of bad roads. We had planned a dinner party back at our Leh hotel but we were still on the road at 8. Hence we decided to have dinner there only. By the time we reached hotel we were too tired for a party and immediately slept. Next morning our flight was scheduled to take us back to Delhi.