Pangong Tso, The beautiful Lake in Himalayas
A place too easily arrived at, is scarcely worth travelling to at all. Consider the ‘tired tourist’ who simply seeks solace in much talked about destinations, where he tends to relax and stroll the evening’s away, buy a few souvenirs and sample the cuisine from the endless menu. And there’s the ‘tireless traveller (Probationer)’ - learning by living person who opts for a destination in order to explore and experience the unknown. The 160 km trip to Pangong Lake from Leh was one such experience. The topography throughout the journey shoots up so abruptly that they throw off all calculations of distance. At times, it appeared as if so many of nature’s forces were warning us away at the steep slopes and uneasy bends and the great chunks of ice appearing static and frozen in time. Not to forget the funny (but informative) road side boards indicating to go slow. The Himalayan marmots were grazing in the marshy areas and peeping out to welcome the probationers. Villagers were seen here along with their large herds of Pashmina sheep and long tailed yaks.
Pangong Tso (or Pangong Lake) is a brackish lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,250 m (13,900 ft). It is 140 km long and extends from India to China. Two thirds of the length of this lake lies in China. The lake is 5 km wide at its broadest point. In winter, the lake surface freezes completely despite being salt water. The road traversed through the third-highest pass in the world, the Changla pass, where army sentries and a small teahouse greet visitors. Indian Armed forces maintain the roads in this region and have done commendable job to upkeep these roads. The journey to Changla was tough and upon reaching the top, we were greeted with a Sign that says "You have reached the Mighty Changla". The road Down from Chang-La was very good and passed though Tangste and other smaller villages. The final hurdle on this road was called Pagal nala or "The Crazy Stream". It has been known to wipe away trucks and other large vehicles in its flow. Crossing it is at times difficult. Once we crossed the stream we were welcomed by the first View of Pangong Tso. The spectacular lakeside is open during the tourist season from May to September. In fact it’s even said that the border security forces stationed around the lake use the frozen surface as roads for a bit of adventure during the slack and laid back winters. The lake was surrounded by barren mountains all around. Sri. Balaji, IFS informed that there is no aquatic life in the lake, no fish, except for some ducks and gulls over and on the lake surface. The lake is in the process of being identified under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance. This will be the first trans-boundary wetland in South Asia under the convention. The brackish water of the lake is devoid of any micro-vegetation. The lake acts as an important breeding ground for a variety of birds including a number of migratory birds. During summer, the Bar-Headed goose and Brahmini ducks are commonly seen here. The region around the lake supports a number of species of wildlife including the Blue sheep and the Himalayan Marmot. It was indeed photographers’ paradise notwithstanding the skills of photography thanks to the absolute clear sky, barren mountains, snow laden China border and bluish Pangong Lake. The journey back to Leh was full of memories of picturesque Pangong Lake.
(Vasantha Reddy, K.V., IFS(P))
(Photo by Prabuddha)
A place too easily arrived at, is scarcely worth travelling to at all. Consider the ‘tired tourist’ who simply seeks solace in much talked about destinations, where he tends to relax and stroll the evening’s away, buy a few souvenirs and sample the cuisine from the endless menu. And there’s the ‘tireless traveller (Probationer)’ - learning by living person who opts for a destination in order to explore and experience the unknown. The 160 km trip to Pangong Lake from Leh was one such experience. The topography throughout the journey shoots up so abruptly that they throw off all calculations of distance. At times, it appeared as if so many of nature’s forces were warning us away at the steep slopes and uneasy bends and the great chunks of ice appearing static and frozen in time. Not to forget the funny (but informative) road side boards indicating to go slow. The Himalayan marmots were grazing in the marshy areas and peeping out to welcome the probationers. Villagers were seen here along with their large herds of Pashmina sheep and long tailed yaks.
Pangong Tso (or Pangong Lake) is a brackish lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,250 m (13,900 ft). It is 140 km long and extends from India to China. Two thirds of the length of this lake lies in China. The lake is 5 km wide at its broadest point. In winter, the lake surface freezes completely despite being salt water. The road traversed through the third-highest pass in the world, the Changla pass, where army sentries and a small teahouse greet visitors. Indian Armed forces maintain the roads in this region and have done commendable job to upkeep these roads. The journey to Changla was tough and upon reaching the top, we were greeted with a Sign that says "You have reached the Mighty Changla". The road Down from Chang-La was very good and passed though Tangste and other smaller villages. The final hurdle on this road was called Pagal nala or "The Crazy Stream". It has been known to wipe away trucks and other large vehicles in its flow. Crossing it is at times difficult. Once we crossed the stream we were welcomed by the first View of Pangong Tso. The spectacular lakeside is open during the tourist season from May to September. In fact it’s even said that the border security forces stationed around the lake use the frozen surface as roads for a bit of adventure during the slack and laid back winters. The lake was surrounded by barren mountains all around. Sri. Balaji, IFS informed that there is no aquatic life in the lake, no fish, except for some ducks and gulls over and on the lake surface. The lake is in the process of being identified under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance. This will be the first trans-boundary wetland in South Asia under the convention. The brackish water of the lake is devoid of any micro-vegetation. The lake acts as an important breeding ground for a variety of birds including a number of migratory birds. During summer, the Bar-Headed goose and Brahmini ducks are commonly seen here. The region around the lake supports a number of species of wildlife including the Blue sheep and the Himalayan Marmot. It was indeed photographers’ paradise notwithstanding the skills of photography thanks to the absolute clear sky, barren mountains, snow laden China border and bluish Pangong Lake. The journey back to Leh was full of memories of picturesque Pangong Lake.
(Vasantha Reddy, K.V., IFS(P))
(Photo by Prabuddha)
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