South Asia
Republic of Incredible India, the world'd biggest democrazy
Jammu & Kashmir
Ladakh
Gongma Homestay +919469534270
Clean and adequate double room with shared bathroom for only INR 200.- or US$ 4.50 per night.
Beer: 1,000-ml plastic bottles of home-made lukewarm chang (the local "near-beer", made from barley and yeast) available for INR 15.- from the homestay.
Click below for an interactive road map of the Gongma Homestay in Spangmik, which we would recommend, and for directions:N 33° 54.30' E 078° 27.37'
Exploring the windy southern shore of the beautiful, 134-km long and 5-km wide, endorheic Pangong Lake aka Pangong Tso which straddles across the border between India and China, hiking to the small village of Maan (7 clicks southeast of our homestay) and sitting by the lake for hours to enjoy stunning views of the ochre hills of the Chang Chenmo Range which provides a spectacular backdrop to the blue and green expanse of the lake’s brackish waters.
Taking the rugged biweekly J.K.S.R.T.C. bus (Jammu & Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation) on a rough and dramatic mountain road and over the 5,360-m high Chang-La Pass, thus traversing the Ladakh Range, back to Leh (c. 150 km, 8 ½ hours, INR 170.- or US$ 3.80 per person), spotting en-route numerous flocks of yaks, sheep and goats as well as groups of Tibetan expats who have been living in their refugee settlements for more than 50 years and who (i) are being used as political pawn by various governments, (ii) pampered by avid agents of virtue from Western help organisations and (iii) conditioned into eternal dependency by their smirking, well-off leaders; stray thoughts about similarities with the cushy way of living of those Palestinian refugee descendants in southern Lebanon passed through our politically incorrect minds.
"Let's play the blame game, I love you, more
Let's play the blame game for sure
Let's call out names, names, I hate you, more
Let's call out names, names, for sure
I'll call you bitch for short
As a last resort, and my first result
You call me motherfucker for long
At the end of it you know we both were wrong"
Let's call out names, names, for sure
I'll call you bitch for short
As a last resort, and my first result
You call me motherfucker for long
At the end of it you know we both were wrong"
Click below for blog posts about other scenic inland lakes
Click below for a summary of this year's travels
Visit the Konni & Matt Online Albums and order high-res travel photos
Recommended gear - click below for your Amazon order from the United States:
