The glorious Thiksey Gompa covers a large rocky outcrop with layered, whitewashed Tibetan-style buildings. It’s one of Ladakh’s biggest and most recognisable monasteries, a veritable monastic village incorpor-ating shops, a school, restaurant and hotel. Near the upper car park, the well-labelled monastery museum displays Tantric artefacts, some carved from human bones. Notice the 10 weapons symbolically used to combat evil spirits.