At the police check point in Upshi, the super correct police officer found out that our permit for Tso Moriri started the following day. Big excitement! Gilles having a loud and angry telephone conversation with the agency who made the mistake, the mobile phone of the policemen playing music at full volume and all the drivers discussing the situation. Heidi took a look at the map and everything was solved. Instead of doing the loop west to east we would start with Tso Kar, which does not require a permit.
The trip along the narrow gorge and up Taglang La was so scenic that you it is hard to describe. The mountains come in a wide range of colors – ochre, red and brown with the clouds throwing bizarre shades onto them. In this rough climate some faint light green grass clings on to the soil of the valley floor. Being the only green in this desert made even this scruffy looking grass a precious sight.
On top of Taklang La, we met a Swiss couple who had been biking around the world for 10 months and we paid proper respect for their stamina. It is amazing how many people are biking these high passes. Motor bikers also love Ladakh mountain roads. For us, who were suffering as soon as we walked up a hill, such physical exertion seemed simply superhuman.
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