Yak horns on a stupa

Ladakh ("Little Tibet") is Buddhist, but the old-time animist religion was never far below the surface. So, while Buddhism is essentially agnostic on the subject of whether there is a God, the belief system in Ladakh favors stories of supernatural beings. There are Buddhist stupas everywhere.

Stupas are a very abstract representation of Buddha's teachings. But, near Pangong Lake was where I saw the perfect blend of Buddhism and animism: a collection of yak horns on top of a stupa:

Talking of Pangong Lake, it is a remote saltwater lake at 14,000ft, straddling Ladakh and Tibet. To get there, you go through a mountain pass that is at 18,000ft. The scenery is stark, so stark that my photos of Pangong Lake all look unreal, almost computer-generated: