Small Buddhist stupa marks the peak of a high mountain pass road. - Stockvideo

"Timelapse shot of buddhist shrine and statue is placed in the middle of the road to signify that this is the high point of a mountain pass in the Himalayas. Behind it prayer flags blow and flutter in the wind. Motorbikes pass backwards and forwards as they make their way across the pass and down the other side. In the background is a high altitude arid desert valley set high up in the biggest mountain range in the world. A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have been important since before recorded history, and have played a key role in trade, war, and migration. At lower elevations it may be called a hill pass. Mountain passes make use of a gap, saddle or col (also sometimes a notch, the low point in a ridge). A topographic saddle is analogous to the mathematical concept of a saddle surface, with a saddle point marking the highest point between two valleys and the lowest point along a ridge.[2][3] On a topographic map, passes are characterized by contour lines with an hourglass shape, which indicates a low spot between two higher points.[4] Passes are often found just above the source of a river, constituting a drainage divide. A pass may be very short, consisting of steep slopes to the top of the pass, or may be a valley many kilometres long, whose highest point might only be identifiable by surveying."