On the third day of our time in Ladakh, The Boyfriend and I decided to go to Pangong Lake. Now, this actually wasn't an easy decision because the overnight trip to Pangong Lake is about 6-7 hours (one way) and since we only had two days left in Ladakh going to Pangong Lake basically meant we would be able to do nothing else. But, the owner of our hotel assured us it was worth it and that if we didn't go to Pangong Lake we would basically regret it for the rest of our lives. He also told us that the drive there was very pretty, and an event in its own right.
Now, I'm no stranger to Himalayan road trips. In fact, I very vividly remember the trip to and from the start of my trek near Rishikesh in 2010 because it was, without a doubt, the scariest few hours of my life. Himalayan roads are teentytinynarrowsmall, very poorly kept up and extremely twisty and bendy. Landslides are not an infrequent event. There are, of course, no guard rails and plenty of stomach-churning sheer drops. And to make things worse, cars hurtle up and down these things at crazy speeds. It's also not uncommon to look at the window and see the remains of a fallen car smashed on the valley floor below.
Basically, these roads are scary as can be, so I wasn't totally enamored with the idea of spending 14 hours (round trip) on them. But, because I am a FEARLESS ADVENTURER, I decided to swallow my survival instincts and make the trip.
My confidence was simultaneously bolstered and shaken when I saw our driver light some incense and place some cookies in a tin receptacle neatly attached to the outside of our car. It was an offering to the gods for safe passage through the Himalayas, he told us. Well, I was certainly happy to see that our driver didn't take the dangers of a Himalayan road trip lightly--but the idea that he had to offer a prayer to the gods before embarking on the journey didn't sit quite right with me either. (We made it there and back in one piece, though--proof perfect that offering cookies to the gods, or Santa Clause, is always a good idea. In fact, The Boyfriend offered the driver his own cookie package when noticing on the journey back that the cookie part of the shrine was running low. Not that he's superstitious or anything. of course).
The road was very narrow and scary, but oh! What a drive! The scenery was magnificent and we got some prime views of interesting animals (yaks, marmots, etc) which were grazing by the side of the road.
Something else fun about the journey were the hilarious road signs we passed. Clearly the road authorities realize that these roads are dangerous and that they needed to spice up the signage so that people would sit up and take notice.
My favorite part of the journey, however, was the uppermost pass, apparently the third highest motorable pass in the world. There was a little store there that sold the most delicious raman noodles in the world to an eclectic collection of tourists and motorcyclists (Ladakh is big draw for bikers) and an amazing shrine simply covered in prayer flags. I would have stayed there a lot of longer if I wasn't worried about coming down with altitude sickness.
And in any case, Pangong Lake was waiting for us . . .
Now, I'm no stranger to Himalayan road trips. In fact, I very vividly remember the trip to and from the start of my trek near Rishikesh in 2010 because it was, without a doubt, the scariest few hours of my life. Himalayan roads are teentytinynarrowsmall, very poorly kept up and extremely twisty and bendy. Landslides are not an infrequent event. There are, of course, no guard rails and plenty of stomach-churning sheer drops. And to make things worse, cars hurtle up and down these things at crazy speeds. It's also not uncommon to look at the window and see the remains of a fallen car smashed on the valley floor below.
Basically, these roads are scary as can be, so I wasn't totally enamored with the idea of spending 14 hours (round trip) on them. But, because I am a FEARLESS ADVENTURER, I decided to swallow my survival instincts and make the trip.
My confidence was simultaneously bolstered and shaken when I saw our driver light some incense and place some cookies in a tin receptacle neatly attached to the outside of our car. It was an offering to the gods for safe passage through the Himalayas, he told us. Well, I was certainly happy to see that our driver didn't take the dangers of a Himalayan road trip lightly--but the idea that he had to offer a prayer to the gods before embarking on the journey didn't sit quite right with me either. (We made it there and back in one piece, though--proof perfect that offering cookies to the gods, or Santa Clause, is always a good idea. In fact, The Boyfriend offered the driver his own cookie package when noticing on the journey back that the cookie part of the shrine was running low. Not that he's superstitious or anything. of course).
[Cookie and incense shrine, attached to car]
The road was very narrow and scary, but oh! What a drive! The scenery was magnificent and we got some prime views of interesting animals (yaks, marmots, etc) which were grazing by the side of the road.
Something else fun about the journey were the hilarious road signs we passed. Clearly the road authorities realize that these roads are dangerous and that they needed to spice up the signage so that people would sit up and take notice.
My favorite part of the journey, however, was the uppermost pass, apparently the third highest motorable pass in the world. There was a little store there that sold the most delicious raman noodles in the world to an eclectic collection of tourists and motorcyclists (Ladakh is big draw for bikers) and an amazing shrine simply covered in prayer flags. I would have stayed there a lot of longer if I wasn't worried about coming down with altitude sickness.
And in any case, Pangong Lake was waiting for us . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment