The architecture of the houses is typical for the villages in Manang district. The walls look like piles of stones. The roofs are flat, because the vicinity is located in the rain shadow of the Annapurna range. On the other side of the Thorung La pass the flat roofs are often used for drying of timber.
Typical for all Buddhist's settlements are the many lines with hanging small, colorful flags. The colors of the prayer flags are not random. There are five elemental colors, each of them is a hint of the kind of the holy writings, which are printed on the flags. At the entry and exit of the bigger villages there are rows of prayer wheels. Prayer wheels are filled with thousands of Buddhist prayers which are 'activated' with each turning of the wheel.
In 1960s the king of Nepal visited the Manang district. He was shocked at the poverty of the people in the high mountains. To reduce poverty the Manangpas were gained special trading rights from king. They exploited these rights with shopping trips to Bangkok and Hong Kong, where they bought electronic goods and other modern equipment to resell in Nepal.
