Pang (15,500 Ft) where we spent the 2nd night in the army TCP was cold and the air so rare that untying one's shoe laces was an effort. Maj. Mukherji, the OC, told us Pang was 3rd level acclimatization and if we got thru the night without any problems, we'd be fine in Leh!! Considering our fitness levels, we were doing pretty well. It was very cold and the warm army 'razais' were most welcoming.

In 2 days we had covered 322 kms. 147 kms on day one and 181 kms on day two. Mahesh had a drink with dinner at Pang and the next day he was so sick with a splitting headache that he neither looked at any food and nor was he in any condition to drive!!!

In the morning we discovered our right rear tire had gone flat. Luckily for us, a roadside puncture shop located just outside the camp agreed to fix the tire. Only problem was that his locally designed gadget to separate the rim from the tire broke with the effort. So the fauji driver drove, yes, repeatedly drove his jeep over the tire just above the rim, to remove the air. Then taking turns at the sledge hammer, they managed to free the tire from the rim. Believe me, at 15,500 ft, swinging a hammer is no child's play. A diesel genset operated the compressor and the puncture was fixed. It then occurred to us that had the tire developed a flat on the road, it would have taken us at least 3 hrs to change a tire, considering the altitude. For every minute of labour, we'd have needed five minutes of rest.

The 267 Km Pang - Leh drive on the 3rd day was very picturesque. We crossed the rolling plains at Morey and went over Tagalang La, the second highest pass at 17,582Ft. The arid landscape gave way to small settlements surrounded by lush fields by a swift flowing river coming from Tibet. At Upshi we had our first glimpse of the Indus which stayed with us all the way to Leh.

Leh reminded me of Dubai in the '70s. A an oasis in an high altitude desert. The view from the Japanese Shanti Stupa revealed a sea of green surrounded by rocky hills. Clusters of migrant workers chatting near a samosa & tea stall. Small shops, 4WD vehicles, hole-in-the-wall eateries, crowded markets selling all the wares found in a frontier town. Jerry cans, kettles, stoves, blankets, unknown brands of rough terrain boots, vegetable vendors squatting on the footpath, small bookstores packed with old and new issues of newspapers and magazines in every possible Indian language. We even discovered that our waiter in a restaurant hailed from Balasore in Orissa !! If there's a place like the Last Outpost of India, this is it.

Khardung La offered, contrary to all expectations, clear views, a crisp morning air and no diesel fumes! The overnighter to the Nubra valley was very adventurous. We stayed in a Ladakhi home in Hunder set amid apple & apricot orchards. The veggies for dinner came from the garden and a bottle of Chang, the local brew, set the mood for the evening. The Shyok and Nubra rivers were wide and muddy with the summer snow melts. Villages dotted the banks of the rivers. Lush green fields were a treat to the eyes. In this remote area, we discovered, to our most pleasant surprise, the kids could speak Hindi and read and write English better than their equals elsewhere in India. We followed the road beyond Panamik, the last village on the map, to see where it led. Sasoma, we discovered was the end of the road. An army jawan at the TCP barrier held up his hand and asked, "kahan jana hai?". Siachen, we said. He smiled and said "nahin ja sakte hain". Sasoma is the northern most point in India a civilian can travel on his own. 40 kms beyond it lay the Army base camp for Siachen from where the glacier was a 28 day walk for the last man in the column. From Pune to Sasoma we had done 3,015 Kms !

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