Penzi-la Trip – A day to enjoy
27. September 2026
The sky over Zanskar can really be amazing sometimes…
Today’s plan: drive up to the Penzi-la and take a former Kamerakid along with us. I would have actually loved to see the entire stretch to Kargil, but it was a bit complicated since there are no buses and very few shared taxis on that route. My time was getting tight after all, so I didn’t end up going all the way. But driving at least as far as the pass to take a look was probably a good idea. In the past, I was always in a bus or shared taxi and there was never time to make a longer stop there.
The former camera kid was Lobsang. He was in my photography class and stood out by being in front of the lens more often than behind it. A few years ago, I met up with him in Chandigarh where he was studying. Now he’s finished, back in Zanskar, working, and getting involved in various projects here and there. In any case, I was really happy to spend some time with him again. By the way, time truly flies—he’s 27 years old now.
Our driver was another Rinchen—and he had gone to the SECPAD school as well! However, he wasn’t in my photography class, and as a boarding student, he didn’t get to take a camera home with him, so unfortunately I didn’t remember him at all. Later on, we managed to identify him in a class photo. In any case, it was lovely swapping memories and catching up on who knows what about former classmates. Rinchen was newly married and had to endure a few good-natured jokes about it.
And guide-Rinchen and Lobsang figured out that they are actually related. Such a small Zanskari world.
First, we drove up to the viewpoint for the Drang-Durung Glacier, the longest and most visible glacier in this area. Once I’m back home, I’ll have to look for an earlier photo of mine to compare just how much the glacier has shrunk. There were a few Indian tourists taking in the view as well. And there’s a photo of me, too.
And right next door on a hill, there was a building that was apparently intended as a cafeteria, but it was never finished and seems to have been abandoned before completion. Yet the location was fantastic, and there wasn’t another place to eat or drink for miles around.
Then we continued up to the Penzi-la at around 4,400 meters. According to Lobsang, there are supposed to be 12 lakes up there, Mapy showed 7, and we ended up seeing 2 and walking around 1. There were horses near one of them.
When you’re out and about with Lobsang, you always end up with way more photos than usual. Luckily, including a few of me, too.
The second lake was larger. Both are crystal clear, though they have a fair amount of algae or other aquatic plants. They were practically begging for a swim, but we didn’t have anything with us. On the plus side, we found a plastic bag—and managed to fill it up with trash.
We headed back to the car via the first lake. By then, a man with a drone had arrived, and the horses were nicely grouped together.
It’s absolutely stunning up there, and we could have easily spent more time roaming around. However, it’s definitely better to bring along a proper picnic for that. We hadn’t brought enough, got quite hungry, and so we had to start heading back toward the only restaurant along the route.
There were people traveling through, but so few that I thought the area could easily handle a bit more visitors and a restaurant would turn a good profit then.
However, another highlight was waiting for us. Rinchen had heard there was supposed to be a paneer factory around here. Calling it that was actually quite an understatement. Ishey, who doesn’t have much formal education, has built something truly remarkable here. You can stay overnight in a homestay at his house. And on top of that, he has:
- a lush greenhouse
- his paneer production (he collects milk from everyone nearby and processes it—the end product is either sold directly on-site or distributed in the Padum market)
- a production line for dried cheese (Churpe)
- an earthworm production (which he sells as well)
- a warm, welcoming demeanor and a kind heart
For sure we bought some of his products, too. The guys look so serious in the photos, but in reality, they were deeply impressed by Ishey, his work, and his whole demeanor. Just a few villages away is Sonam Dawa’s “yak cheese” production—and even though both operations are super interesting, the difference in atmosphere is night and day. The yak cheese place is purely a commercial enterprise, and Sonam Dawa is a sharp entrepreneur (we suspect he overcharges for the cheese, too)—whereas Ishey’s operation is a project driven by heart, built for the community, and offered at fair prices.
Meeting people like him is not just a treat for me personally, but I also hope he inspires other Zanskaris as well. For instance, I think a cafe along the way to the Penzi-la—serving fresh dishes made from traditional local ingredients—would be fantastic.
While we were waiting for Ishey, we watched a few Kamerakidz videos on Youtube. During that driver Rinchen leaned against me just like the kids used to do back in the days. Or like how you hang out with your best friends. It really touched me—especially since it took him a little while to seem completely comfortable. While he knew the other two, he didn’t speak English quite as well, for instance.
Afterward, we stopped by Lobsang’s parents’ place. I had visited them back then too, when we delivered the money raised from the calendars. His mother still recognized me—though I had forgotten her. But when I complimented her on how young she looks, Lobsang recalled that I had said the exact same thing back then. Haha—so it must be true!
I then sent this photo to Mr. Sharma, the former director. He was really happy to receive it. And so was I—happy that there’s still a connection after all these years and that people are glad to meet up with me.
Side note: By the way, Rinchen also knew Kunkhab, the boy who passed away a few years ago and whom I had visited twice. I reported on that once back then – here – and one time I found it too intense to mention on the blog. Rinchen had worked with him in a bar. We both got sad about it all over again. That wasn’t on this specific day—it just came back to me right now.
This day was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. And the next day took me another step on the journey back — namely to Manali…