We eventually made it over to the valley of the Shyok River and down to a more bearable 3200m above sea level. We continued along the river towards our first main stop of the day – Diskit Monastery, another hilltop monastery from the 14th century with amazing views of the surrounding mountains, as well as up and down the valley.

Half a mile down the road from the monastery a large, colorful Maitreya Buddha statue has been build from 2006 and consecrated by the Dalai Lama in 2010.

We had a first stop at some stupas for good photos of the monastery clinging to the hill; from here it was on to the Buddha statue for more great views and a first temple. The actual monastery took more time as we had to make our way up some flights of stairs – to then discover the various temples and shrines – and take in the views (yes, more of those).