Thumping drums, echoing horns and clattering cymbals in close proximity didn't sit well with this young monk. However, since I wasn't sitting as close, I was captivated by the hypnotic rhythms and chanting resonating in the courtyard and the one-legged slow-motion movements of the Hemis dancers. These monks were part of the Hemis Festival celebration, a celebration of Guru Padmasambhava, who brought Buddhism to the Himalayan region.