Author Archives: JeffFuchs

About JeffFuchs

Bio Having lived for most of the past decade in Asia, Fuchs’ work has centered on indigenous mountain cultures, oral histories with an obsessive interest in tea. His photos and stories have appeared on three continents in award-winning publications Kyoto Journal, TRVL, and Outpost Magazine, as well as The Spanish Expedition Society, The Earth, Silkroad Foundation, The China Post Newspaper, The Toronto Star, The South China Morning Post and Traveler amongst others. Various pieces of his work are part of private collections in Europe, North America and Asia and he serves as the Asian Editor at Large for Canada’s award-winning Outpost magazine. Fuchs is the Wild China Explorer of the Year for 2011 for sustainable exploration of the Himalayan Trade Routes. He recently completed a month long expedition a previously undocumented ancient nomadic salt route at 4,000 metres becoming the first westerner to travel the Tsa’lam ‘salt road’ through Qinghai. Fuchs has written on indigenous perspectives for UNESCO, and has having consulted for National Geographic. Fuchs is a member of the fabled Explorers Club, which supports sustainable exploration and research. Jeff has worked with schools and universities, giving talks on both the importance of oral traditions, tea and mountain cultures. He has spoken to the prestigious Spanish Geographic Society in Madrid on culture and trade through the Himalayas and his sold out talk at the Museum of Nature in Canada focused on the enduring importance of oral narratives and the Himalayan trade routes. His recently released book ‘The Ancient Tea Horse Road’ (Penguin-Viking Publishers) details his 8-month groundbreaking journey traveling and chronicling one of the world’s great trade routes, The Tea Horse Road. Fuchs is the first westerner to have completed the entire route stretching almost six thousand kilometers through the Himalayas a dozen cultures. He makes his home in ‘Shangrila’, northwestern Yunnan upon the eastern extension of the Himalayan range where tea and mountains abound; and where he leads expeditions the award winning ‘Tea Horse Road Journey’ with Wild China along portions of the Ancient Tea Horse Road. To keep fueled up for life Fuchs co-founded JalamTeas which keeps him deep in the green while high in the hills.

Expedition Update – A Father’s Advice

My father’s ‘sage’ advice for the upcoming expedition? No words of deep expression of philosophy here. No waxing words of eloquence of the mountains’ laws or the thin aired brilliance..oh no!. “Make sure you keep your eyes open and you … Continue reading

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Expedition Update: The Where’s and What’s of the ‘Route of Wind and Wool’

Our intended route – a faint path at best that disappears entirely in the snows and sands at times – will average 4,000 metres + and will trace one of the most vital trade routes of Himalayas and Central Asia. … Continue reading

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Expedition Update – Award Winning ‘Kensington Tours’ generously sponsors our ‘The Route of Wind and Wool’

Our expedition has been enhanced with Kensington Tours’ enormous support of ‘The Route of Wind and Wool’. I’m now a contented ‘Explorer in Residence’ with Kensington to join a stellar bunch of fellow explorers, wanderers, and lovers of ‘engaging’. A … Continue reading

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Expedition Team – An Introduction

Nothing – no journey, no endeavour can happen without a team and somewhat of a shared vision. Journeys through the mountains require friendship, often brutal directness, and beyond all else a respect for all of the beings that share in … Continue reading

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Expedition Update – The North Face Sponsors our Journey

  With less than a month to go before our “Route of Wind and Wool” commences, and with training and prepping continuing it is time to pay some respects to those who are supporting our venture into the hallucinogenic mountain … Continue reading

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Expedition Update “The Route of Wool and Wind”

Time is winding down on preparations for Michael and I to depart for Ladakh and the India Himalaya. Our month long exploration of one of the ancient world’s great and daunting trade routes is a little over a month away. … Continue reading

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The Tea Boss Arrives…Without Warning

  Wang Ling has arrived giving me only a couple of hours warning, and she is no conventional guest. She is a tea master with a personality that frequently ranges from the absurdly giggly to the mute tones of a … Continue reading

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‘Tea for Me Please’ Reviews our own Jalamteas’ Nannuo Mountain Puerh…and loves it

Our very own Jalamteas’ Nannuo ‘unfermented’  Puerh tea cake gets a sip, a review, and then a good deal more sips from ferocious tea drinker, and tea reviewer,  Nicole Martin. Check out the review here: http://www.teaformeplease.com/2013/05/jalam-teas-nan-nuo-mountain-sheng-puerh.html

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Tom Carter’s China Anthology: “Unsavory Elements” – Stories of foreigners on the loose in China

Proud to be a contributor to this spirited and very ‘now’ book on China’s potent ‘present’ tense. Book now available from Earnshaw Books. Here’s what “That’s Shanghai” Magazine had to say… http://www.thatsmags.com/shanghai/article/view/14672 My own contribution inevitably centres upon the Tea … Continue reading

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South Tea Sips 5: Concluding Sips…for now

Last days inevitably require ‘last sips’, though no sips will really be ‘last’ ones when it comes to tea. Having left Lao Banzhang, Marco and I head back to our base of food, operations, community, and what is left of … Continue reading

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