Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Trail Maps
132 KMs 17840 KMs
Hardly had a proper look on the map and dunno how but thought decided on Nyoma as the destination for the day. Got up pretty early but with the added chore of tying the petrol cans my bike loading time has increased. Scuttle out by 8.30 am after having a last look at the Pangong lake. Pagal nala is in for the menu for deserts. Reached the rough path and start of Pagal nala. There water was not according to its standards, but for a guy with Nala phobia it was too much. Wanted to keep shoes dry so tied them to the grab rail and wore just the gaiters. It was a long crossing over lot of rounded stones. Managed it huffing and puffing and boy was the water cold! Glad that the shoes are dry. Then wait for feet to dry and then wear shoes. The Nala crossing process took like 20 mins! Any was i did not seem to be in hurry and started taking the pix of the ride to Tangse as i was in a hurry the when i coming here the other day. Its strange, one min its sand dunes and next its marsh land. Took many photo breaks. Reached Tangtse like 10.30 am. Well the BSNL tower there is still a show piece. The internet is not open yet. Wanted to try my lucky at the Brigade for a call to dad. It was like a good 3 kms towards Leh. A long walk inside the brigade and the phone's out! Chat with the army personnel a bit and ride back to have some food. All this makes sure that its 12 by the time i can ride out. Even fill up petrol and i again have 25 ltrs of petrol. Request the owner of Naamsay guest house for the internet, as he was in charge. wanted to atleast send SMS through yahoo to my dad. It seems the watch man locked the main gate and went off some where. Any way since he wanted to help me out, we both jumped over a wall and he started the generator and computers. It was slow but served the purpose. Thanked him a lot and left to Chushul.
It was looking late already. Chushul may take 3 hours and crossing Tsaga La close to evening did not seem ok. But wanted to see about it later. I am now in the road where tourists dont normally venture. Foreign tourists are not allowed so hardly any traffic. The weather was already threatening. Atleast the road was good. The landscape was going crazy and the weather adding to the dramatic effect. It was cloudy and could rain any time. It seemed that as and when i looked back it was raining there! At one point i was made to get into my rain gear. Stopped many times just clicking around. Almost no traffic at all. Prolly saw one per hour. Soon rode out of the rain cloud. I seem to be heading up a valley. It was wide open space and but could not enjoy taking leisure breaks as the weather was not looking good and i had a long way to go. I see some blue holes in the sky ahead and that was encouraging. 33 kms before Chushul, there is a ITPB check post and Jogender singh was very impressed by my journey and hosted very well. Tea, biscuits, lots of chocolates, tinned pineapple, jalebi and what now. When i said my tummy will go for a toss, i was even given a bottle of eno! Guess not many visitors around and they are pretty happen to see new faces. But cant just ride ahead, have to get a confirmation before i can go. Some more wait for that. And finally i get a go ahead by like 3.30 and soon its starts raining! I was told there it was long long time since it rained here else it only snows. Well i am the raingod you see!
The rain lettoff and i bid byes to Jogender and ride ahead. Its kinda lika pass but very gradual and when the decent starts it was actually like 5000+ meters! yet it was not a pass. The weather on the other side did not look good at all. The winds picked up like crazy and i could see rain clouds advancing from the mountains and coming over what looked like a village below. It was actually Chushul brigade and the chusul was to the left of it. Some 15 kms to go its raining on me now. Its windy n and freezing. Did not want to get my leather gloves wet so wore surgical gloves. Which kinda very uncomfy. Could of switch backs down and the rains out! Ride down to the town by like 4.30 and it was decided that i will stay in chusul today. Went to the ITBP check post and the same questions and surprises and nice treatment with tea and biscuits. They even cut the Q and let me make a call to Bangalore! I was told if i dont get acco at the village i could come there.
Went to the village and no place to stay near the mandir and went to Daak Bungalow. But the watch man had gone some where. The winds were terrible now. Did not feel like going any where and preferred to wait there. The weather was really crazy with hard blowing wind, cold and light rain. Sat by the side of the building sheltering from the wind. Waited for like an hour while the watchman's wife went to lookout for her husband. Thought of riding out to ITPB but the weather was very bad and was in no mood to ride even a couple of kms. After quite some time the watch man was spotted. I am escorted to him by his daughter. He was busy tying a run away yak bull! Stay is possible at the Daak bungalow but food to be eaten at the hotel. Man i did not want to walk out in that weather. Any way when i went to checkin i was escorted to another building and the one i was thinking of was for VIPs only. Any way what i got was very good. It was like house with no kitchen. Settled in for some rest. The watchman Tashi came by 7.30 pm and walked me to the hotel and looked like the hotel only prepared Maggie. There are hardly any tourists to the village except stray Indians like me. I am introduced to other as Indian tourist! While foreign tourist are not allowed here at all. Any way he was very helpful. Even helped my fill up my stock of petrol. Even met cops from the police check post and gave them the copy of the permit. I was warned not to stray of the main path and not to take trails going to the left else i would endup in China! Its all offroading till Tsaga village some 45 kms and even a couple of Nalas thrown in. Must say i was bit scared of the route to be taken tomm. But that will not make me turn back so crashed in the cozy bed for the night.
It was looking late already. Chushul may take 3 hours and crossing Tsaga La close to evening did not seem ok. But wanted to see about it later. I am now in the road where tourists dont normally venture. Foreign tourists are not allowed so hardly any traffic. The weather was already threatening. Atleast the road was good. The landscape was going crazy and the weather adding to the dramatic effect. It was cloudy and could rain any time. It seemed that as and when i looked back it was raining there! At one point i was made to get into my rain gear. Stopped many times just clicking around. Almost no traffic at all. Prolly saw one per hour. Soon rode out of the rain cloud. I seem to be heading up a valley. It was wide open space and but could not enjoy taking leisure breaks as the weather was not looking good and i had a long way to go. I see some blue holes in the sky ahead and that was encouraging. 33 kms before Chushul, there is a ITPB check post and Jogender singh was very impressed by my journey and hosted very well. Tea, biscuits, lots of chocolates, tinned pineapple, jalebi and what now. When i said my tummy will go for a toss, i was even given a bottle of eno! Guess not many visitors around and they are pretty happen to see new faces. But cant just ride ahead, have to get a confirmation before i can go. Some more wait for that. And finally i get a go ahead by like 3.30 and soon its starts raining! I was told there it was long long time since it rained here else it only snows. Well i am the raingod you see!
The rain lettoff and i bid byes to Jogender and ride ahead. Its kinda lika pass but very gradual and when the decent starts it was actually like 5000+ meters! yet it was not a pass. The weather on the other side did not look good at all. The winds picked up like crazy and i could see rain clouds advancing from the mountains and coming over what looked like a village below. It was actually Chushul brigade and the chusul was to the left of it. Some 15 kms to go its raining on me now. Its windy n and freezing. Did not want to get my leather gloves wet so wore surgical gloves. Which kinda very uncomfy. Could of switch backs down and the rains out! Ride down to the town by like 4.30 and it was decided that i will stay in chusul today. Went to the ITBP check post and the same questions and surprises and nice treatment with tea and biscuits. They even cut the Q and let me make a call to Bangalore! I was told if i dont get acco at the village i could come there.
Went to the village and no place to stay near the mandir and went to Daak Bungalow. But the watch man had gone some where. The winds were terrible now. Did not feel like going any where and preferred to wait there. The weather was really crazy with hard blowing wind, cold and light rain. Sat by the side of the building sheltering from the wind. Waited for like an hour while the watchman's wife went to lookout for her husband. Thought of riding out to ITPB but the weather was very bad and was in no mood to ride even a couple of kms. After quite some time the watch man was spotted. I am escorted to him by his daughter. He was busy tying a run away yak bull! Stay is possible at the Daak bungalow but food to be eaten at the hotel. Man i did not want to walk out in that weather. Any way when i went to checkin i was escorted to another building and the one i was thinking of was for VIPs only. Any way what i got was very good. It was like house with no kitchen. Settled in for some rest. The watchman Tashi came by 7.30 pm and walked me to the hotel and looked like the hotel only prepared Maggie. There are hardly any tourists to the village except stray Indians like me. I am introduced to other as Indian tourist! While foreign tourist are not allowed here at all. Any way he was very helpful. Even helped my fill up my stock of petrol. Even met cops from the police check post and gave them the copy of the permit. I was warned not to stray of the main path and not to take trails going to the left else i would endup in China! Its all offroading till Tsaga village some 45 kms and even a couple of Nalas thrown in. Must say i was bit scared of the route to be taken tomm. But that will not make me turn back so crashed in the cozy bed for the night.
Thats Ashok the Helpful manager at Eco Huts Lukung...
One last look at pangong before i ride away...
It looks cloudy where i am going..
There Pangong hides behind the mountains...
Pagal Nala crossing again.. this time did it on my own...
New black top around here...
Its desert around here...
A local women picking up dried up yak dung...
Now what is a Gama ????
Its desert one min ...
And marsh land the next!!!
Not going to climb the mountains, the road takes a left after the mountain to the left!
I am not married you see :D
Is that a giant candy mountain?? i was hungry you see...
These guys were spying from above as i take a break!
A Shepard women...
Riding into the kinda unknown... this is after Tangtse towards Chushul....
The weather having its go at the nearby mountains...
Its already raining some places..!!
Some white tops...
Looks like a baby glacier in the middle..
Now this is a fantastic wide open meadow....
Jogender singh who hosted me very very well while i wait for confirmation to go ahead....
Weather looks bleak!
Leaving the valley meadow behind...
Spot a lot of these wild asses...
Another green meadow...
This is kinda pass but not recorded as a pass, or it it?
The temple up there..
Weather moving in from the mountains to the right...
The valley being washed... i need to be riding there in some time!!
Crossing a dry nala...
The Chushul village being showered!
I thought it was Chushul village but it was an ITBP post...
Here's the chushul town...
She wanted to pose for cam in return for chocolate or something, which i came to know later... No i am such a bad guy will not part with my chocolate!
Taking shelter from the wind and rain hiding behind this guest house...
Vertical travel for the day....
2 comments:
Hi Praveen, Gr8 Trip man... No wonder I envy you..
BTW Pangong Tso is missing in MAP.. Try satelite or hybrid mode.. then it's visible..
BTW I have Visited Mesrimek La on 1oth aug and their register shows your name there.. But date was written as 12th July.. Don't know why?
Anyways Gr8 to read your blog.. Hats off to you..
Thanks Atit. Ohh thats thats strange. Any way they did not make any entry when i left. Just took the copy of permit and lemme go.
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