In our last post, we had successfully hiked a two day itinerary in one morning, shortening our trek by a day. By now it was 1:00pm and we were back in Leh getting a travel permit and making arrangements for our car trip to Tso Moriri (a high altitude lake). It took a little time, but the permit was obtained, lodgings were booked, and a driver was found. The driver would coordinate to intercept our bags, en route. At this point, we had to take it all on faith and embrace uncertainty.
The drive out to Tso Moriri would take 6 hours. We got off to a slow start, blowing out a tire on a little side road we had to take because the main one was flooded. Luckily “tyre” shops pepper the main roads and in 20 minutes the tyre was patched and repaired.
We also had to stop for a water refill. This particular pipe of glacial water was revered for its quality, and vehicles and passersby lined up to fill their bottles, including our driver.
Once all necessary vessels were filled with air and water, we got going. There was beautiful scenery…
and we were entertained by safety signs as the road wound through the mountains. Perhaps a glimpse into the Ladakhi sense of humor?
Powered by glacial run-off, our driver successfully traversed the second highest road in the world, Tanglang La pass.
On the other side of the pass, the landscape was a little different, and we saw several smaller lakes
And some Kiang – Tibetan zebra
As dusk loomed and our stomachs rumbled we stumbled upon a tea house on the bank of Tso Kar (a salt lake) and dined on the local staples, black tea and ramen noodles. Tsering the Tibetan got his caffeine and nicotine fix… 
As we watched a pickup game of cricket on the salt flats of Tso Kar. The drying lake has left salt/sulphur drifts that look like glaciers. The local villagers harvest and sell these minerals.
We caught a nice sunset
over lake Tso Kar.
The last couple hours of our journey was in the dark – on a terrible road, on a cliff’s edge, on bald tyres, and with a tired driver. Obviously Jen slept. By the time we arrived at 10:00pm our driver looked like a broken man. I felt like a broken man, but we made it. A day that began by combining two days of hiking into one morning ended with a grueling 8 hour rally across some of the most scenic countryside in the world.
In the morning, we emerged from our tent and finally got to see Tso Moriri lake – it was worth all the trouble.
We took some time to just soak in the surroundings.
And took the requisite couple’s pictures.
We decided we were tired of the same boring pose and brainstormed a new one.
Much more fun.
We tried out the water – cool, but not as cold as the stream crossings.
And on the way back saw some interesting salt flats, sulfur pools, and little geysers.
As previously mentioned, Kashmir (where Ladakh is located) is in a far northern out-pouching of India, an area surrounded by Pakistan, China, and Tibet and bordering on disputed territory. 
Military presence was high, and nearly all the traffic we saw on the roads was either supply trucks or military convoys.
Local children saying hi to the soldiers in front of us.
Passing Tso Kar lake in the daytime was a little different: We could really see the salt flats this time.
They looked more like shelves of ice than salt
A black necked crane, revered in Buddhist culture and considered the state bird of Kashmir.
A herd moving towards the lake dwarfed by mountains.
As we headed back to Leh we took time to stop off at the Hemis and Thiksey monasteries, next post…
round the world in sixty days 