Passes of Ladakh

~ Friday, July 9, 2010

Breathlessness and Ladakh go hand in hand. If the views do not stun you with their stark harsh beauty, the heights will definitely make you go breathless. It is little wonder then that Ladakh is called the land of the mountain passes . Through out our many journeys around this mountain kingdom, we pass through several passes, however three of them stay in my mind .

Khardungla  is apparently one of the the highest motorable mountain road at 18,380  feet in India . This is the gateway to the Nubra and the Shyok valleys and although the pass is hardly 39 kms from Leh, it would take you at least a couple of hours to reach to the top.

 It was bright with blue skies when we reached there and filled with people, who presumed its a picnic spot, despite warnings not to stay outside for than 20 mins 

Changla  is the next, which I crossed on the 5th day of my stay in Ladakh. This pass , named after a saint is at 17590 and is enroute to Pangong Tso. We had our breakfast somewhere on the mountain roads, just before we climbed uphill towards the pass. You would meet a few nomadic tribes here, who are known as Changpa .The weather was already cloudy and foggy with chill breeze giving us a shiver now and then. We quickly used the rest rooms, which were tented pits and rushed to have breakfast as we climbed downhill.

Tanglang la , which is on the Manali - Leh route is almost as high as Changla and we crossed this pass on the last day of our trip when we were returning to Leh from Tso Moriri via Tso Kar. After ten days of sunshine and rain, it decided to snow, just as we were entering the pass and within minutes of us crossing the pass, we encountered a snow storm and a road block. A combination of prayers and some dare devilry by our driver Dorjee, brought us safely home to Leh. You can read about our misadventure here 

Here are some of the skies from at high altitudes..To see more wonderful skies, visit Skywatch 



0 comments:

Post a Comment

Tags

100th post (1) AIFW (2) Adagur (1) Agra (2) Alampara (1) Alamparai (1) Alchi (1) All (178) America (8) Andhra Pradesh (8) Anegudde (1) Anegundi (6) Angadi (3) Arekere (1) Arunachal Pradesh (4) Ashtamudi (6) Asia (15) Asos (16) Assam (1) Austria (1) Award (1) Ayyanar (1) BR Hills (1) Bag (2) Bali (4) Bandipur (8) Bangalore (13) Bangkok (1) Bangkok Pride Festival (1) Bannarghata (1) Basadi (1) Beaches (24) Belur (4) Bhagamandala (2) Bhagavan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary (1) Bheemeshwari (1) Big Buddha (1) Big Sur (1) Birds (6) Brihadeshwara Temple (1) Cerebrate (4) Chail (1) Charminar (1) Chelvarayan Falls (1) Chennakesava Temple (1) Chicago (1) Chidambaram (1) Chikmagalur (4) Chinese lanterns (1) Chinnathappa Temple (1) Chittorgarh (1) Chola Dynasty (5) Chorla Ghats (1) Closet (1) Club Mahindra (5) Cochin (3) Coorg (14) Coromandel Colonies (3) Cuddige (1) DIY (2) Darasuram (2) Dargha (1) Daroji (6) Dassera (1) Day Out (49) Deepavali (3) Destinations 2009 (1) Devbagh Island (2) Dodagaddavalli (1) Doddamakkali (1) Dresses (4) Dudhsagar Falls (1) Dwarasamudra (2) Endhiran (1) FLorida (2) Facebook (1) Fall (6) Family (4) Fireballs (1) Fort St George (1) Freiburg (1) Galibore (1) Ganesha (1) Ganeshkudi (1) GangaiKondaCholapuram (3) Gangtok (4) Giveaway (6) Goa (14) Goa Gajah (1) Gokarna (1) Ground Zero (1) Guest post (3) Halal Food (1) Halebeedu (3) Haleri Dynasty (1) Hampi (18) Hampi. (1) Haranahalli (1) Hassan (5) Hattiangadi (1) Heidelberg (1) Hilal Town (1) Himachal Pradesh (9) Himalayas (7) History (31) Hong Kong (4) Houseboat (1) Hoysala Dynasty (19) Hoysala trail (3) Hua Hin (1) Hua Hin Jazz Festival (1) Hulekere (1) Hulikere (1) Hyderabad (1) Idagunji (1) Iguthappa Temple (1) Images of India (23) India (209) Indian bazaar (1) Indibloggies 2008 (1) Indonesia (4) Inside Story (14) Interlaken (1) Jainism (1) Jammu and Kashmir (3) Javagal (3) Jazz (1) Jungfraujong (2) Jungle Lodges (5) Kaidala (1) Kakatiya trail (4) Kakkabe (2) Karnataka (110) Karwar (5) Kasauli (1) Kaziranga (1) Kerala (28) Kochi (4) Kodaikanal (3) Kollam (2) Konkan coast (3) Kovalam (1) Kowloon (2) Kumarakom (1) Kumbakonam (1) Kumbalangi (3) Kumbalgarh (4) Ladakh (18) Ladakh festival (1) Las Vegas (2) Leh (6) Lepakshi (3) Liberty Island (1) Life (2) Londa (2) Love (7) Loveclothing.com (1) Loy Krathong (1) Loy Krathong 2007 (1) Loy Krathong Festival (1) Madikeri (3) Madurai (5) Mahabalipuram (5) Maharashtra (3) Mahendravarman1 (1) Malenadu. (2) Mammalapuram (3) Mandagapattu (1) Mangalore (5) Mangla Devi temple (3) Mannavannur (2) Maravanthe Beach (1) Marina beach (3) Marle (1) Marrakanam (1) Mashobra (5) Masinagudi (8) Masroor (1) Mattanchery (1) Melkote (1) Mercara (1) Miami (1) Monday moments (3) Moodabidri (1) Mountains.Mining (1) Mt Kangchendzonga (1) Mt.Pilatus (1) Mudhumalai (4) Mumbai (2) Munich (1) Munnar (2) Murano (1) Murudeshwar temple (2) Music (1) My World (3) My-Wardrobe.com (1) Mysore (3) Naga (1) Naga Fireballs (1) Nalknad Palace (1) Nameri National Park (1) Nandi hills (1) Nathulla Pass (2) Navaratri (1) New York (7) New York City (2) Night Out (21) Nilgiris (1) Nokia N8 mystery tour (3) Nong Khai (1) North East India (2) Nuggehalli (2) Om Beach (1) Omkareshwar Temple (1) Ooty (1) Outfit (138) Palampet (2) Pallava cave temples (1) Pallava caves (1) Palolem Beach (2) Panagalammai temple (1) Pangong tso (1) Patteeswaram (2) Periyar (1) Pfeiffer Beach (1) Pondicherry (3) Ponmudi (1) Poovar (1) Quilon (2) Rajas Seat (2) Rajasthan (6) Rajinikanth (1) Ramappa Lake (1) Ramappa temple (1) Ranganathittu (2) Readers Art (1) Rhinevalley (1) River Bhadra (4) River Bheema (1) River Cauvery (7) River Kabini (5) River Kali (3) River Rhine (1) River Teesta (2) River Tunga (2) River Tungabhadra (1) River Zuari (3) STB (1) Salzburg (1) Secunderabad (1) Seeyamangalam (1) September 11 (1) Shettihalli (1) Shey (1) Shimla (6) Shimoga (1) Shivappa Naik palace (1) Shoes (6) Shopping (22) Sikkim (7) Sindhudurg (4) Singapore (8) Singapore Youth Olympic Games (1) Sira (1) Sira lake (1) Skywatch (38) Somnathpur (1) South Thailand (1) Spice village (1) Spring (20) Sringeri (4) St Paul's chapel (1) Stanley market (1) Style Sofia (2) Summer (10) Sunday Stories (2) Sunday snapshot (2) Svaastha (2) Taj Mahal (2) Talacauvery (1) Tanah Lot (1) Taragambadi (4) Tarkali Beach (2) Tawang (3) Thailand (3) Thalavanur (1) Thanjavur (4) Thank You (12) Thattekadu (4) Thiksey (1) Thirty Four (3) Thirukadaiyur (1) Thousand Pillar Basadi (1) Tipu Sultan (1) Tithimathi (1) Topshop (9) Toronto (4) Tranquebar (4) Travelwise (2) Trivandrum (2) Tso Kar (1) Tulu Nadu (1) US (11) Udaipur (1) Vacation (5) Vatican (2) VeeraNarayana Temple (1) Venice (2) Vidyashankara Temple (1) Vijaynagar Dynasty (3) Virajpet (1) Warangal (5) Washington DC (1) Weekend (35) Winter (9) Wonders of the World (1) Zara (5) Zurich (1) aachen (1) abbey (15) agriculture (3) aigues-mortes (2) airport (1) aix (1) albi (2) algeciras (1) alps (3) alsace (1) altamura (1) amalfi (1) amalfi coast (1) amsterdam (6) anagni (2) angers (1) angling (1) anzy-le-duc (1) ardeche (1) arles (1) articles (13) assisi (2) athirampally falls (1) augsburg (1) aulnay (1) autun (2) auvergne (1) avallon (1) avebury (1) awards (2) ayurveda (2) backwaters (3) bamberg (1) bampton (1) basel (1) bath (2) battle (1) bavaria (1) beach (10) beachy head (1) belavadi (1) belgium (4) bergamo (1) berlin (3) bern (5) berze-la-ville (1) besselsleigh (1) beverley (1) bibury (1) birding (16) birthday (9) bitonto (1) black bourton (1) black forest (2) black necked crane (1) blogging (1) boat (1) bolonia (1) bonfire night (1) bonn (5) bourges (1) brighton (3) brugge (3) brussels (2) buddhist temple (1) burford (2) burgundy (9) byzantine (2) c.s. lewis (2) california (4) camargue (1) cambridge (2) camera critters (2) canterbury (4) capri (1) car (2) car rental (2) carnival of cities (1) carrara (1) casablanca (1) cassington (1) castle (10) cathedral (55) catholic (7) celebrations (1) celebrities (3) cerne abbas (1) chalgrove (1) chamonix (2) chapaize (1) charlieu (1) chartres (2) chateau (2) chauvigny (1) chennai (27) chianti (1) chichester (1) chinatown (1) chipping norton (1) christ church (1) christmas (3) christmas market (4) chur (1) church (68) churches (5) cinque terre (1) cirencester (1) clermont-ferrand (2) cluny (1) coffee (1) colmar (1) cologne (4) como (2) conques (1) cordoba (3) cornwall (2) cotswalds (2) cotswolds (1) cottage (1) cows (1) cuddesdon (1) culture (1) cunault (1) david (3) deerhurst (1) delft (2) devils tower (1) dorchester (1) dover (1) driving (5) durham (3) easter (1) edinburgh (1) egypt (1) einsiedeln (2) eisenach (1) elephants (1) elgin (1) ely (1) england (75) erfurt (2) europe (12) europe 2010 (1) ewelme (1) exeter (1) ferry (1) festival (8) festivals (4) fishing (1) flight (2) florence (1) flowers (1) fontevraud (1) food (66) forts (1) fossanova (1) france (40) freiburg im breisgau (1) fribourg (1) gay (1) geneva (1) german (4) germany (36) ghent (1) gibraltar (2) glacier (1) glastonbury (2) gloucester (2) gloucestershire (2) gothic (4) gourdon (1) graduation (1) grave (1) great haseley (2) great malvern (1) great milton (7) green vine snake (1) greenwich (1) hailes (1) heathrow (1) henley-on-thames (1) herefordshire (1) heritage (9) highlands (1) hildesheim (3) holiday (2) homestay (6) hotel (30) idaho (1) iguerande (1) in the news (1) inverness (1) ireland (1) island (1) italica (1) italy (32) itinerary (7) jewish (3) kalyani (1) kandya temple (1) kiangs (1) kilpeck (1) lake como (1) lakes (1) language (2) lausanne (1) lauterbrunnen (1) le puy (1) leiden (4) levanto (1) limburg (1) lincoln (2) lindisfarne (1) little milton (2) loire valley (1) london (16) loreto (1) lucera (1) lucerne (2) luther (6) maastricht (1) macon (3) madras (25) madras day (1) madrid (3) mahendravarman (1) mahseer (1) mainz (2) map (7) maria laach (1) markets (2) milan (1) millery (2) minnesota (1) minster lovell (1) mission (1) missoula (1) modern architecture (1) moissac (2) monaco (1) monasteries (1) monastery (3) montana (2) monte sant'angelo (1) montmajour (1) morocco (3) mosaics (2) mosque (2) mountains (2) movies (1) moving (4) muenster (1) muerren (2) mural (3) murals (4) museum (17) mythology (6) national geographic (1) native american site (1) nature (1) netherlands (13) neuschwanstein (1) news (1) nice (4) north leigh (1) norwich (1) oban (1) oddington (1) orange (2) oregon (3) orkney (1) oxford (20) paestum (2) pagan (1) paray-le-monial (1) paris (7) penzance (1) people (28) perrecy-les-forges (1) pershore (1) pesaro (1) peterborough (1) petroglyphs (1) photography (1) pisa (1) plantation tourism (1) poitiers (2) prehistoric (4) preshistoric (1) pride festival (1) provence (5) pub (3) puglia (3) pyrenees (1) random (2) ravenna (2) reformation (4) regensburg (1) relics (1) renaissance (1) restaurant (1) rivers (9) rock art (1) rollright (1) roman (9) romanesque (32) romantic rhine (1) rome (7) ruins (3) ruvo (1) saint-remy (1) saint-savin (1) saintes (1) san francisco (3) san galgano (1) san gimignano (2) san giovanni rotondo (1) sandai (1) sant'antimo (1) saulieu (1) saxon (1) schilthorn (1) scotland (5) sea gull (1) segovia (1) semur-en-auxois (2) semur-en-brionnais (1) seville (5) sherborne (1) shops (1) shrewsbury (1) siena (1) silk reeling (1) skye (1) sloth bears (2) snow (2) sorrento (1) south leigh (1) spain (14) spiez (1) spiritual (18) spokane (1) spoleto (1) st andrews (1) st michael's mount (1) st moritz (1) st. ives (1) standing stones (3) stonehenge (2) stratford-upon-avon (1) subiaco (1) sunflowers (1) sunset (3) sussex (1) switzerland (15) synagogue (3) talakadu (1) tamil Nadu (53) tarifa (1) technical difficulties (1) temple (3) temples (26) tewkesbury (1) thame (1) thun (1) toledo (2) tolkien (1) toot baldon (1) toulouse (1) tour of the west (4) tournus (2) train (15) trani (1) travel (41) tree house (1) trier (1) troia (1) tuscany (6) twitter (1) uffington (1) updates (2) usa (19) vaison-la-romaine (1) vezelay (1) video (2) villages (14) walking (1) wartburg castle (1) washington (1) weekend getaway (16) wells (1) west wycombe (1) weymouth (1) what's new (5) whitby (1) wild life (11) wildlife (12) wilmington (1) winchester (1) windsor (1) wittenberg (2) woodstock (1) worcester (1) world heritage (1) worlitz (1) worms (1) wyoming (1) yellow throated bulbul (1) zodiacs (1) zuerich (2)