High on a hillside near the town of Galtai, a yellow wooden frame stands silhouetted against the afternoon sky. The frame holds a row of tall, narrow sticks, and on the end of each stick, Buddhist prayer cloths flutter in the biting autumn wind.

In times of trouble and thanks, Buryats come from nearby villages to tie their prayer cloths -- called khimorin -- to the sticks, and make their offerings to the gods. There is a blackened spot on the hill where the offering fires are lit, and a bench a few steps beyond. The rest of the hill is rocky and bare, with only a few tufts of brown grass sprouting insistantly through the dirt.

"I went to the Datsan yesterday, and the lama told me that things were not right on my farm," says Buyanto, placing a bottle of vodka and plates of mutton and bread onto the bench. "He said that my horse had fallen, and that I needed to pray to get things back in order. He looked at the astrological charts, and told me to come here."

Buyanto builds a small fire from sticks and paper, then pours a shot glass of vodka in the center to purify the flame. As the smoke curls skyward from the holy fire, he removes an aqua-blue khimorin from his jacket, and unfolds it to show the drawings and Tibetan script within.