Pangong Tso in winter

Pangong Tso is one of India’s most beautiful places. It looks picturesque in the summer, which is the peak tourist season, but I wanted to see how it looks in the extremely cold winter months. And that’s how I landed here during my winter backpacking trip to Ladakh.


Pangong Tso is a high altitude (14,270 feet) lake located in the western Himalayas of Ladakh. 40% of this lake comes under India while the remaining 60% comes under the purview of China occupied Tibet. Since this lake area falls under the sensitive India-China border, one needs an inner line permit to visit this Himalayan lake.


Completed surrounded by the mighty Himalayas, the lake colour varies from a emerald blue to a turquoise green. While I was here, the temperatures were about minus 15 degrees celsius, but the wind chill factor would have been 5 degrees lower. In spite of such low temperatures, the lake was frozen only at the edges. It is said that the lake freezes only for a couple of weeks or so every winter. The best part is that it freezes real quick and unfreezes with great speed too.


When the lake completely freezes over, the ice gets so thick that one can actually drive a jeep over it. The Indian army is known to organize skating games over it during such times. But, in all this, I sometimes wonder, how does a saline lake, such as the Pangong Tso really freeze. I tried tasting its water and found it be more saline than sea water.


But, on the other hand, during the summer months, the atmosphere at the lake is more bearable, though the lack of oxygen can still be felt, though not as bad as winter. But, the colours get prettier in summer as the clouds stay away during the warm months. What one gets to see in the ‘3 Idiots’ movie is the summer view. What you get to see here are the winter views.

 
If you wish to be one with nature, then winter is the time. The spectacular sights of the lake, its surrounding hills, the rarified temperature, the complete lack of living beings, the bone-chilling weather and the absolute peace is a perfect concoction for a heady paradise mix.

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High Altitude Winding Himalayan Roads

It was a very cold day and I was on my way to Bumla pass, the India-China border that can be approached from Arunachal Pradesh in North East India. I had just crossed ‘Y’ junction, an important army post enroute, when I came across these snow covered high altitude winding roads in the Eastern Himalayas.


The roads, though were not in great shape as perceived from the pictures. Instead, it was a bumpy and slippery drive. But, in my mind, having roads in such unforgiving conditions is itself a boon and credit should be given to the Border Roads Organization of the Indian Military for paving the way.

 
In spite of the foul weather, it was a magical sight as I crossed pristine high altitude lakes one after another. And all across I was skidding on these winding roads. It was a memorable experience indeed!

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Tongpen La View Point–A Himalayan Vista!

The high altitude Himalayan land always throws surprises at me in spite of me visiting different parts of them across different seasons. This time around, I was at the road that lead to the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.


I had just crossed the ‘Y’ junction and was on my way to Bumla pass. I was standing at an altitude of 15,150 feet above MSL and that was when my heart skipped a couple of beats. Such was the beauty of this Himalayan vista.

 
I was at Tongpen La, a high altitude mountain pass that connected the army base of Y Junction to Bumla. The view from here was stunning. It was a splendidly blue sky and that shone on the Tongpen lake that stood in the centre of my view. And everything around the lake, including the mighty Himalayas were covered in fresh snow.


It was such a sight that can help you forget all your sorrows. No wonder all the yogis we read about, come to the Himalayas in search of nirvana.


Tongpen La view point can be accessed by jeep (4 wheel drive for snowy conditions) from Tawang in Western Arunachal Pradesh. It is at about 30 kilometres from Tawang. One needs permission from the District Commissioner and the army office to visit this place. Such permits can be made a day in advance, though final discretion is left with the officials signing on the permit. Only Indian citizens with valid proof are given these permits.

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High Altitude Sela Pass–Backbone of Tawang District

Sela pass is a high altitude mountain pass that connects the Buddhist city of Tawang with the rest of the country.


This pass is situated at 13,700 feet above MSL and is located between the towns of Bomdila and Jung in Western Arunachal Pradesh. And it is in these high mountains of India that one can spot colourful birds such as the Blood Pheasant, Himalayan Monal and a whole range of rare wildlife, all of which make it a paradise for birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts.


The only way one can reach Tawang by road is through the Sela pass. If this road gets blocked for whatever reason…enemy trouble, bad weather, heavy snowfall, etc, then commute to the district of Tawang struggles.


And that is precisely the reason why the Indian army has stationed a huge battalion there to thwart off any enemy advances from this point.


This place is snowed in most of the year and offers excellent and heavenly views all year round. This part of the Eastern Himalayan range is pretty special for the Buddhists as it is believed that about 101 lakes exist in and around Sela pass and each of these lakes has a huge religious significance for the Buddhist community.

 
Overall, the Sela pass is one magnificent place to visit. Its Himalayan views are un-paralleled.

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Heavenly Sela Lake in the Eastern Himalayas of India

The Himalayas are bound to excite nearly all kinds of travellers. For me, I have a huge fascination for them in my head. The Himalayan vistas are simply breath taking and if one happens to visit them in the winter, then the panoramic beauty simply jumps multiple levels.

 
Last month, I was at the high altitude Sela pass in Arunachal Pradesh. Sela pass is the only mountain pass that connects the Buddhist district of Tawang to the rest of Arunachal Pradesh and India.


Sela pass is situated at about 13,700 feet above MSL and is known to be home to more than 101 lakes. Each of these lakes are considered very religious by the Buddhist community. One of these 101 lakes is the decently large Sela Lake that is located right on the top of Sela Pass. Sela pass is also an important location on the India-China border and hence one can find large Indian army camps and soldiers nearby.

 
One can catch a sight of this beautiful lake from right near the main signboards and near the Sela memorial. When I was here, the entire place was covered in a blanket of fresh snow making for a heavenly experience. It was here that we spotted a couple of Brahminy (Ruddy) Shelducks floating on the lake.


It was also the day when the Dalai Lama was coming to visit Tawang and hence we spotted a lot of Lamas present in huge numbers preparing a welcome for the holy one. Upon asking one of the Lamas, we were told that the Dalai Lama would stop here for a cup of tea before proceeding to Tawang. What a natural setting for the Dalai Lama to have a cup of tea?

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