Category Archives: Explorations
A bus, A Cherub and More Hills
Gansa is no more – back to Xining and onto one of those bizarre 15 hour bus rides that become like their own little worlds. Bunk beds and cell phones everywhere and a populace of forty-five or so that … Continue reading
Mr. Lu’s Dong Ding – A Flight of Taiwanese Fancy in Qinghai
Days of wandering the mountains and the sturdy nomadic corridors of Qinghai and Gansu have brought Taiwan’s world of lush Oolongs to my mind, though there are little external or obvious links…perhaps it is simply a ‘thirst’. Years have passed … Continue reading
Horses, Blue and a Rail
Qinghai or for the Tibetans, Amdo – Michael and I have entered from the eastern Gansu border by that ‘everywhere’ mode of transportation in this part of the world, the bus. The struggle is as usual present; coming out of … Continue reading
Jeff Fuchs to headline “Explore” Series at Bookworm in Beijing
Delighted to be the opening speaker at the Bookworm’s Explorer Series this coming August 2011, in Beijing. Privileged to be able to share. Will be talking (and on occasion ranting) about two routes (and their precious people and memories) … Continue reading
The Way of Heights
Informality amongst nomads, and that feeling of immediate and informal acceptance comes from their own necessary and inevitable informality amongst themselves. Sickness, births, joy and efforts are shared in real time every day of every season. Bonds are strong … Continue reading
Yaks, Creases and Nomads
The man we pick up in Nyimalung has the calm eyes and weathered face that the mountains create and sculpt almost at will. Songjem is in his early sixties and his face and countenance have a lived in quality that … Continue reading
Gansu – Towards the Hills
Michael and I are back in our beloved hinterlands driving deep into the nomadic territories of Gansu province. Continuing my travels into the frontiers to witness a very special way of life change. In this part of the world at … Continue reading
Mountain Passes – A Mountain’s Memories
Peaks and mountain spires often steal the dreams and minds – with billowing snow-encrusted lines, thin-aired risks and altitude numbers that defy the mind. Lying beneath these heights wedged and curled into the main body of mountains lay worlds that … Continue reading
Jeff’s article in the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) on the Salt Road Expedition
Click here for the article. For access to the full feature article you must sign up (free for the first two weeks). Enjoy with a cup of tea and a lick of salt.
Nannuo Mountain and a Smitten Tongue
A yellow bolt of colour blazes from just outside of the hut. Drying kernels of corn create a carpet of bright yellow. Lean mountain chickens make haste to strut into the shaded areas and a family dog looks to have … Continue reading