Episode 320 : Au Léh- Day 10

After getting the permit to enter Nubra Valley, the plan was for us to go to Pangongso lake, also known as place where a scene from 3 Idiots was shot. Instead of seeing Phunsuk Wangdu, we found a large group of Gujaratis singing film songs by the lake side.

From my experience at Uttaranchal, I figured my riding gear meant for Indian summers can be suitably reinforced by thermal innerwear and pullovers.

However the road to Chang La, which at 17580 feet or so is the world's highest motorable pass, is also very, very cold. I was surprised to last those 20 km each way. My fingers and toes got uncomfortably numb and the few water crossings on the way did not help. Garud sputtered its way up and down in spite of low oxygen levels.

This affected my solo plan for the following day to go to the desert in the Nubra valley and take a shot at the world's highest motorable road. I spent the day resting.

Now that I know what to expect here, I will be better prepared next time.