article_snippet.sent: Miles of prayer flags lined the runway and instead of a soulless modern airport, the terminal had whitewashed walls and carved casement windows painted with ornate motifs.
article_snippet.sent: It was a hard, three-hour slog through dense woodland to reach the diminutive temple
article_snippet.sent: I found myself walking through a canopy of brilliantly coloured prayer flags in the midst of sheer cliffs and deep gorges where Spanish moss lay draped over the pine trees like frayed silk.
article_snippet.sent: Far below, silver rivers snaked through the terraced farmland, while on the horizon, jutting above the swirling mists, were ranges of shimmering peaks.
article_snippet.sent: I was soon lost in a labyrinth of staircases, courtyards and temples.
article_snippet.sent: I removed my shoes to circumambulate the huge prayer wheels before entering one of the dimly lit shrine rooms where every inch of wall space was covered in exquisite frescoes of gods and demons.
article_snippet.sent: Pilgrims prostrated Pilgrims in front of a huge golden statue illuminated by hundreds of flickering butter lamps while red-robed monks sat crosssweet legged, mumbling prayers in a hypnotic chant accompanied by the sound of tinkling bells and clashing cymbals.