Map created by EveryTrail: Travel Community
110 KMs Trip Meter 16511 KMs
Had put the alarm at 4.30 and snoozed many times till 5.30 am. Waned to move out quickly so that what ever water crossing is there would be with less water in the morning. Have breakfast and start by 7.30 am. Takes time to load up the bike. 5 kms from the Rangdum there is the Rangdum Gompa. Will give a skip and ride ahead. Avoid the short cut through riverbed and after like another 5 kms the ascent to panzila starts. See a board saying Panzi la 27 kms and already climbing! The path worsens like anything and only gets bad going up. Bad path with firm base is still ok, but with loose grave and stones is very taxing managing the hippo butted bike! Meet a gypsee guy who was repairing it and said the path is going to be pretty much like this! With a gulp i go ahead. There is not turning back is it? On a turn come across a board welcoming to Zanskar and another saying panzila shed. There was even a small stupa. So thought this was the Panzila and took my customary pass pix and even posed! But saw the path scaling up ahead. Thought will take a pic of gps reading when i start to decent.
After some more riding there it is the offical Panzila pass with a board saying 14k feet. Fine i scaled Panzila! After a lil riding down surprise surprise! What i see is a mind blowing view of the Dhirang Dhurang Glaciar. I had forgotten all about this glaciar in this path and it just hit me here. Boy was it mind blowing. I confess that i had forgotten the name of the glacier as well. Came to know of it only at padam! Its so smooth flowing the i wished i could ski all the way from top to the bottom :D Ohh fantasies. Went click happy with the cam. Could see the flat valley floor way below and looks like a smooth path from up here. Climb down to the valley floor and its the same rough path with loose gravel and stones. This seems much harder than the kargil Rangdum stretch. Taking a toll on body especially back. It gets only unforgiving. Still not as bad as Muktinath, but the sheer lenght of the offroading strech is killing. Really cursed the people incharge of the road here. Felting like kidnapping the PWD officer with his family and forcing him to drive this stretch! Boy don't they have any self respect to leave the path like this? Any way the beauty around it fantastic. The breaks on the wide open isolated stretches is what i really enjoyed. Mountains all around but quite far. The whole place just for me and no one around.
It was around 12 and i was hungry but absolutely nothing around. Just when i was looking for a spot to take a break, i come at police check post. There is tea stall and i get blessed with Maggie, juice and lassi! Enjoyed it with great views around. Its still 45 kms to padam and looks like i am doing like 14 kmph avg! There is some tarmac nearing padam but not much. I get going and the path gets real bad at places especially in some villages. I start cursing again. Some 15 kms to padam, there is work going on and that only means the stone layer is put. This such sick policy in Indian road building scene. Just the put the stone layer and live it good time before tarmac! The path would have been much bettor. 5 kms to padam i am blessed with black topped tarmac! Guess i offroad miseries are over for the day. Suddenly mountains around looks more beautiful. Thats cos i am actually looking at them while riding! Get to the small town padam by 3.15 suppose to have all facilities. Its takes me to visit 4th std booth to make a call! Luckily there is a room at J$K tourist bungalow. Now i go out for food and all the restaurants have is mutton mommos and chowmin! I go to a UP hotel and cant have more than a couple of spoons of that rice. Finally find a hotel which made thupka and something edible! Afternoons here is tough to find food. All the cyber cafes are closed for no reason!
Meet Shiva and his wife Karishma, an adventure architect couple who are finding their way by public transport and remote places like this! Shiva is from karnataka and one more person i got to talk in kannada :) We had dinner together exchanging out travel stories. Time flies and its 10 pm before we are back to the rooms. I crash thinking about the imposing two days ahead.
After some more riding there it is the offical Panzila pass with a board saying 14k feet. Fine i scaled Panzila! After a lil riding down surprise surprise! What i see is a mind blowing view of the Dhirang Dhurang Glaciar. I had forgotten all about this glaciar in this path and it just hit me here. Boy was it mind blowing. I confess that i had forgotten the name of the glacier as well. Came to know of it only at padam! Its so smooth flowing the i wished i could ski all the way from top to the bottom :D Ohh fantasies. Went click happy with the cam. Could see the flat valley floor way below and looks like a smooth path from up here. Climb down to the valley floor and its the same rough path with loose gravel and stones. This seems much harder than the kargil Rangdum stretch. Taking a toll on body especially back. It gets only unforgiving. Still not as bad as Muktinath, but the sheer lenght of the offroading strech is killing. Really cursed the people incharge of the road here. Felting like kidnapping the PWD officer with his family and forcing him to drive this stretch! Boy don't they have any self respect to leave the path like this? Any way the beauty around it fantastic. The breaks on the wide open isolated stretches is what i really enjoyed. Mountains all around but quite far. The whole place just for me and no one around.
It was around 12 and i was hungry but absolutely nothing around. Just when i was looking for a spot to take a break, i come at police check post. There is tea stall and i get blessed with Maggie, juice and lassi! Enjoyed it with great views around. Its still 45 kms to padam and looks like i am doing like 14 kmph avg! There is some tarmac nearing padam but not much. I get going and the path gets real bad at places especially in some villages. I start cursing again. Some 15 kms to padam, there is work going on and that only means the stone layer is put. This such sick policy in Indian road building scene. Just the put the stone layer and live it good time before tarmac! The path would have been much bettor. 5 kms to padam i am blessed with black topped tarmac! Guess i offroad miseries are over for the day. Suddenly mountains around looks more beautiful. Thats cos i am actually looking at them while riding! Get to the small town padam by 3.15 suppose to have all facilities. Its takes me to visit 4th std booth to make a call! Luckily there is a room at J$K tourist bungalow. Now i go out for food and all the restaurants have is mutton mommos and chowmin! I go to a UP hotel and cant have more than a couple of spoons of that rice. Finally find a hotel which made thupka and something edible! Afternoons here is tough to find food. All the cyber cafes are closed for no reason!
Meet Shiva and his wife Karishma, an adventure architect couple who are finding their way by public transport and remote places like this! Shiva is from karnataka and one more person i got to talk in kannada :) We had dinner together exchanging out travel stories. Time flies and its 10 pm before we are back to the rooms. I crash thinking about the imposing two days ahead.
My big cozy room at Dorji's place.... with great panoramic view...
Supposed to be my breakfast.. could finish only the cut out portion and i got maggie instead....
Riding towards Zanskar....
The tricolored Gompas...
Love these open spaces...
The weather looks kinda bad but improves as the day gets heavier....
Some delux tenting acco 2 Kms after Rangdum, starts from 700 bux a night!
The Rangdum monastery....
Lots of these on the way....
An old man i met on the way...
And i ride on....
Crazy mountain....
Smokey isolated house...
The ascent to Panzila starts....
The path only gets worse....
Now where are my Zanskar colors????
The climb to Panzila goes on. Ascent starts like 27 kms before the pass!
Still on....
Looks great from up there.....
The path only moonscapes!
up up and away!
I am at Zanskar!!
I thought this was the panzila pass...
So i posed... but the place still looked good...
But the path was still climbing up....
Aaaah... now this is this is the point... 14714 feet says my fone...
Nice looking mountain range but a surprise awaits me below it...
WOW! Dhirang Dhurung Glacier! i had naively forgotten all about it!! This was all pleasant surprise surprise....
The path only gets bettor in worse!
Getting to see more of the Glacier by the turn...
The ripples at the end...
Now the proof that i was there... with cloud play with the sun the exposer was getting messed up...
The valley floor on the other side of Panzila....
Dhirang Dhurung glacier up close...
Some small green lake....
The deceptive path looks smooth from above....
A snow shed by the road....
Its worse than then suru valley... Lot of loose gravel and stones on the path...
A small snow gate....
Loved these isolated breaks in wide open spaces...
N i take a hike!
Long way to go....
Small detour on a meadow....
Only thing human like after 50 kms!... have my fill there....
Its a police check post
Sheep herders in one of the villages....
Plenty of these...
and plenty of these as well...
But pretty on either side of the path....
One of the villages....
Its gets real rough some times....
Nice parking! Kinda permanent....
Another break....
Take a blind plunge... but they were ok...
Villages nearing padam....
Some tents and picnics....
Reach the open area...
Just one lazy buldozer and a handful of people working on building the road!
Finally some tarmac nearing padam just 4-5...
Some cute kids on the way...
Finally in padam...
Mountains around Padam....
This is Padam's Glacier, and all the villages near by gets water from this glacier only.
Vertical travel for the day....
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