For our next day in Leh, Zeeshan arranged for us to drive out into the country. While the ride was lovely and we had some wonderful moments, it view was not as spectacular as the day before. Our destination was Pangong Tso (lake), situated at a height of 14,270 feet above sea level, is said to be one of the highest brackish water lakes in the world.
The ride out to the lake had us pass by many monasteries perched on beautiful mountain sides. But I also saw the extensive manual labor toiling to clear rockslides, reminding me of how cheap and plentiful labor is in India.
I confess! I slept through part of the trip out to the lake! The following photos were taken by Zeeshan using my camera.
Halfway to the lake we had to stop at a gate of a military base to register our vehicle. As there was a small village here, Zeeshan and I decided to look for water and a snack. Instead, we found a local cultural exhibit sponsored by the Vibrant Village Program!
One of the local tribes was selling their wool and showing their culture and crafts. I believe the tribe name is Changpa. They are semi-nomadic and raise yaks, pashmina goats and other animals. The program highlighted how, for the woman of Ladakh, yak and other wool has become a valuable source of income through their spinning and weaving of traditional products. What interested me was watching them make their own wool.
Two funny moments during this joyful stop: Using hand gestures I asked one woman if I could buy a traditional hat on the table she sat behind. She gave me a funny look, then put the hat on her head. That’s when I realized it was her hat! Soon after, I was buying wool for my friend Kathy – a super knitter – but I couldn’t buy one of the spools because the vendor needed it for her own knitting! While she wasn’t ready to part with that spool, the vendor was happy to sell me 3 others (yak and sheep wool).
At one point, a young lady asked me where I was from. When I said, “the US,” she gave me a packet with information from the local tourism board. When I excitedly said, “Oh this has all the information on it,” her response was, “Well, not ALL but some.” It’s funny how the nuance of an idiom doesn’t translate!
Being here, so close to China and Tibetan cultures, my belief that Chinese babies are THE cutest was confirmed:
The women were all so welcoming and their smiles warmed up everything around them.
After the village the terrain was a bit different, so I enjoyed taking even more landscape photos!
When we arrived at the lake, the view was surprising and stunning: this magnificent body of water was every shade of blue I could imagine. The lake shares the border with China (hence the Chinese name, Pangong Tso) and we watched the expected military boat coming back from its daily patrol. We bathed in the view and relished our time here.
Look at all the blues of the lake!
I am dividing the photos of the lake into three sections: the left, center, and the right, because the views were so drastically different.
The Center
THE RIGHT
The photo below shows the enormity of the lake: do you see the people in the bottom right corner?
THE LEFT
And now for some miscellaneous photos from our visit here.
On the way back we stopped several times: for lunch, to photograph some animals, and to stand at the peak of the local mountain.
Lunch again was very delicious thanks to the driver. It also impressed both Zeeshan and me – that soldiers were eating here and paying rather than have a free meal on base!
This is where we stopped: the high point of Mount Changla. At 17,688 feet, the altitude made me dizzy when I got out of the car.
Here are my animals photos!
It is a migratory bird, wintering in the Indian subcontinent and breeding in southeastern Europe and central Asia, though there are small resident populations in North Africa! It was hard to get a photo, so I took some and then Zeeshan took my camera and went a little closer.
And I end this post with some more beautiful photos from the ride back to Leh.
