Day 13

This was the big day we'd all been preparing for. Umling La sits at 19,024 feet, the highest motorable pass in the world. You are on a road, on a motorcycle, higher than Everest Base Camp. A sign on the way up confirms this in large green letters, in case the thin air and snow hadn't made it clear.

The summit is barren and cold. Prayer flags, a yellow Himank sign for the photo, a view that stretches until it stops looking like a view. The group gathered at the top for various photos, grinning like we'd truly achieved something.

On the way down, a red roadside cafe with no business existing at that altitude, serving hot food and drinks. Riders around plastic tables, mountains on every side, wind picking up.

Then we kept going for a ways until we reached Pangong Lake. It sits deep, still, an almost implausible blue, stretching toward the Chinese border with snow peaks on both sides. The hotel sat right on the shore with perfect viewpoints.

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