Portrait of an LBX

An old crippled man sits on a hill overlooking the town of Langmusi, or Lahmo, and its monasteries.

An old woman walks home with her cat in Langmusi.

Old women spin prayer wheels on their way to Lahmo Monastery in Langmusi (郎木寺).

A young monk walks among the old buildings of Lahmo Monastery in Langmusi (郎木寺).

One thing I don't like about Tibetan Buddhism is the amount of "litter" it creates. Between prayer flags and these little pieces of prayer paper that get scattered everywhere, there is a lot of religious trash on the landscape.

Langmusi, or Lahmo, is a town split between Sichuan and Gansu provinces, and is thus part Buddhist and part Muslim. Here, an ethnic Hui Muslim man walks among the prayer wheels of the town's main Buddhist temple. Everyone described relations in the town as "harmonious."

In China, children aren't permitted to get involved in religion until they are 18 years old. Nevertheless, we've been seeing plenty of underage monks in the various monasteries we've visited.

Nomadic sheep and yak herders on the plains of the Tibetan Plateau in Sichuan.

The view from the mountaintop overlooking the Suoke Tibetan Monastery and the divergence of the White and Yellow rivers. To the right side of the Yellow River snaking into the distance is Gansu Province; to the left is Sichuan Province. Under normal circumstances, we never would have seen this view, as getting anywhere close to the village requires a 50 yuan ($7.38) entrance fee. Fortunately, being with a local, we were able to see the area for free.

A horse and rider climb the mountain behind the Suoke Tibetan Monastery at sunset. The hills behind the monastery and village are covered with photographers waiting to capture the Yellow and White rivers at sunset.