We got up very early in the morning and packed our bags for a quick start. It was cold but the weather was clear and sunny. During day the Sun is quite warm and sometimes in rocky areas it is even unbearably hot! We had a breakfast of eggs and paronthas. The Officer gave us some pack lunch. We thanked him and the jawans for their kindness and hospitality. After crossing the village and the numerous small water channels we hit the main road going on one side of the flat Chushul valley. As advised by the Officer we were going at a good speed to be away from the piercing Chinese eyes.

Unfortunately, after only a couple of miles, the Gypsy had a flat tyre! We had no choice but to stop and change the tyre. It must have been the fastest tyre change I have ever seen! All the time we were very nervous about the Chinese peering through their binoculars. We were scared that they may whisk us away and the ITBP Officer would have to conduct a flag meeting to get us back. From this close distance the two buildings looked quite impressive with Chinese style roofs. We were more than glad to restart and speed past this strategic location. The road after some more distance turned right and we had another steep climb to the top of Tsaga la pass. The road was quite sandy and we raised clouds of dust in some stretches. The descent was smoother and we were soon crossing the Tsaga village. It seemed a very primitive and poor village. Another half an hours drive brought us to a huge sandy plain. Here, Motup stopped us and explained to Nissar, the Gypsy driver about the technique of crossing this tricky stretch. He asked him to follow his tracks and not to use the brakes in any case whatsoever. He explained that if we stopped the vehicle in the sandy stretch, it would be impossible to take it out as more speed would sink it deeper. This was another adventure. Driving through a high-altitude desert. Following Motup’s advice we drove at a good speed bang in his tracks without slowing down anywhere. In the meantime, on our left we saw herds of Kiang, the wild ass, running in all directions. It was out of an African Safari movie! Quite impressive and fascinating.

Soon the problem area was over and we came to a marshy stretch. It was easily passable and we saw in the distance peacefully flowing Indus River. In this area, the mighty Indus River which had given India its name flowed very quietly. It was virtually flat with a very gentle slope. This has made the sides somewhat marshy. After a few kilometres we passed the bridge leading to Hanle and Demchok, the last point on the Indo-Tibetan border. This has been the traditional route between Ladakh and Tibet but after Chinese takeover, the route got closed. In spite of repeated requests from Government of India, the Chinese have refused to open it. There is already a road all along this route and probably a bridge is missing somewhere? This is the shortest route to Kailash- Mansarovar, the source of Indus River. The normal pilgrimage to this holy place takes about three weeks trekking through the present route in Uttaranchal but this way it can be done in less than a week and all the way in motor vehicle. Had the Chinese agreed to open it, Ladakh would have been flooded with pilgrims! Recently, the Chinese have become more aggressive and assertive. They even stopped construction of a small road connecting local villages. It seems the dream of connecting Kailash-Mansarovar to Leh via Demchok may not be realised in the near future. Hanle has an astronomical observatory probably highest in the world. Ladakh due to its altitude and pollution free clear skies is the best place for astronomical observations.

We carried along the Indus River to Nyoma. After driving along for some distance we turned left across the Mahe Bridge towards Tsomoriri. There is a beautiful spot near the Mahe Bridge where a mountain stream descends into Indus. With flowers and greenery along the descending stream it looks like a spot somewhere in Kashmir valley. There is supposed to be a small lake on the top from where the water was coming down. We liked the spot so much that we decided to stop here for lunch on our return journey. After crossing the Bridge, the road follows a stream through a very narrow valley, almost a gorge with steep sides at many places. The main road from Nyoma to Leh is black topped but the one going to Tsomoriri across the Mahe Bridge was rough but the drive was not so bad till we reached a bifurcation. There is small clearing here with a cairn in the middle. The straight road leads to Tsokhar and Puga valley while as the left branch climbs up to Tsomoriri. This was a freshly cut mountainside and it was difficult to discern the road from the rough cut rocks all around. This was probably the most difficult portion of the road stretch we had driven on so far. It took us quite a bit of time to reach the top which flattened out into a wide valley. Here again we had to cross some stretches of sand but these were easy compared to the ones after Tsaga la. There is also a small lake on top. After traversing this area the road turns left along a narrow valley and follows a stream downwards. There were many green patches on the banks of the stream which could be very good camping places. Here too there were some herds of Ladakhi mini goats. The stream flows down into the Tsomoriri Lake which we reached just an hour before sunset. The first view of the Lake was captivating. A blue expanse of water surrounded by barren mountains of all hues and shades. In the distance we could see snow on the mountain tops. The road follows the left bank of the Lake to the village of Karzok, the main habitation here.

The first sight we had was of some ugly stone and steel structures which had destroyed the total ambiance of this wonderful place. We subsequently learnt that these were the store houses of the Food Corporation of India. One fails to understand why Government has to destroy environment of an area? No doubt certain things are essential but these could be designed and constructed keeping in view the traditional architecture and using local materials. After all the Ladakhis have been living in their mud houses for ages. Even their monasteries and gompas are so nicely blending into the local environment. We were in for another surprise! Near Karzok there is a huge grassy plain on the banks of the Lake. This must have been a part of the Lake earlier. Bang in the middle of this beautiful grassy land was a small hut supposed to be the Public Works Department Rest House where we were expected to stay for the night. We went straight to this monstrosity called the Rest House and unpacked our bags. By now we were very tired due to a long and rough journey and after an early dinner dozed off to sleep!