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Pangong Tso - Nature's Hidden
Jewel
By Murlin Menon
The experience of landing at Moonland tourist bungalow
- my home at Leh for three weeks, sums up the landscape.
The experience of landing at Leh airport and walking down to this
traditional Ladakhi guest house, a kilometer away, was similar to
what the first astronauts to the moon may have experienced. Large
tracts of barren land, craggy rocks and mountains stretching from
one end of the horizon to the other. The chilly September morning
greeted us and the endless warm cups of black tea, prepared by Mohammed
Rasool, the caretaker of the JKTDC tourist bungalow, where I stayed,
was the nectar, I needed throughout my stay in Ladakh.
My objectives at Leh, were to address
co-ordinators and teachers of the "Sarva Siksha Abhiyan"
on "Learning can be fun" and "High altitude stress
management through ZeNLP (a combination of zen meditation and Neuro
Linguistic Programming). Being a strict vegan (no animal products
including wool, leather, meat, milk, milk products or eggs), I planned
to face the biting cold with sambhalpuri kurtas, khadi jackets and
cotton earplugs. I planned some high altitude solo treks,
armed with apricots, walnuts and assorted dry fruits. I also carried
herbal tea-bags. Only biodegradable stuff would accompany me on
this eco-tourism trek. My meditation tapes, walkman and camera were
neatly packed into my rucksack.
 I
did several short and long treks all over Ladakh
but the trek around Pangong Tso Lake made me experience the power
of nature. This long and narrow lake is near the Chushul Mountains
on the Indo-Tibet border. Pangong in Ladakhi means concave. The
azure blue waters of this huge lake are cold, clear and salty. There
are lots of minerals at the basin of this lake. The bottom of this
lake can be seen as the water is crystal clear. Pangong Tso is 150
km. in length and 4 km. wide. Nearly half of this lake lies in Tibet
and is situated 160 km. away from Leh.
We rose early and started our jeep
safari at 7:00 a.m. The journey was as pleasurable as the destination.
The 160 km. drive took us through the villages of Karu,
Tangste and Lukung. We crossed the world's
third highest pass Changla (17,250 ft) enroute
to Pangong (14,350 ft). Every photograph we clicked
en-route resembled a picture postcard. The only animals we encountered
were yaks. We played soothing ZeNLP music for relaxation throughout
this seven hour drive over rugged terrain. The first glimpse of
Pangong Tso, from miles away was a very divine
and spiritual experience. A speck of deep blue amidst sand dunes,
rocks and stone, it resembled a blue diamond nestling in the palm
of Nature's hand. The closer we got to the lake, the more beautiful
it looked. We finally arrived at the shores of this mini-ocean and
it was our moment of enlightenment at the end of a pilgrimage.
 A drop
of the ocean was encompassed between natural pyramids of sandstone.
The long trek along the shores of this lake is a geologists
dream. Shiny stones, natural gems, crystals, smooth pebbles,
rocks, slates and amethysts decorated the banks of this water goddess.
I collected as many of these treasures as possible as souvenirs.
But the most fascinating phenomenon that awaited us was the changing
colours of the lake during the day. From azure to aquamarine to
greenish blue to green to purple and violet, the colours of this
majestic water body changed with every passing hour. The long boat
ride on the placid waters of this ocean of tranquility calmed my
body, mind and soul.
The return journey took only five hours
but a visit to Pangong Lake is a once in a lifetime experience and
the investment in the journey was worthwhile, considering that every
moment spent was meditation in the truest sense. Ladakh is an ideal
destination for my next stress management workshop.
How to get there:
Indian
Airlines operates daily flights to Leh
from New Delhi, Srinagar and Jammu.
The to and fro drive from Leh to Pangong Lake costs approximately
Rs.4000/- by jeep.
Where to stay:
JKTDC Moonland Tourist Bungalow at Leh, adjacent to the airport,
is a comfortable place to stay. Contact Mr. Urgain Lundup, Deputy
Director-Tourism, JK Tourism, Leh or Mr. G. M. Kakpori at JKTDC,
New Delhi for bookings
Murli Menon is a stress management consultant
based at Ahmedabad and author of ZeNLP-the power to succeed. He
can be contacted over email at zenlp@rediffmail.com
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