Category Archives: Mountains

Mountains – Their serene and brutal abilities had been honed into me from years of climbing and wild escapades that began in Switzerland as a child. In the immaculate words of a Himalayan muleteer, “the mountains laws are unambiguous, honest and eternal”.

Tea Horse Chronicles – The Hostess, The Keeper

Tea is offered in the Himalayas as part of an ancient code and tradition Continue reading

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Tea Horse Road Chronicles – Jokhang Boyz

At various times all of these gents were pivotal characters along the journey and in my life. The slim and polite denim-clad Sonam (at far right) belies one of the most ferocious wills and straight up strongmen that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and journeying with. Amongst this group he was the only one on every one of those 52 days and nights of journeying on the Lhasa portion and he would be a partner on dozens of subsequent mountain journeys. Continue reading

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Tea Horse Road Chronicles – A Gathering of Women

Nomadic women of Ganze gather on a grassland to take part in a horse festival. It was through and over such high grasslands that the Tea Horse Road moved towards Dzogong, Chamdo, Lhasa and beyond. Nomads and their lands were … Continue reading

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Tea Horse Road Chronicles – The Crossing

One of the gems of old world Himalayan transport and the Tea Horse Road in particular was the yak hide ‘ferry’ that would take tea, salt, mules and journeyers across waterways where there were no bridges. It still does operate … Continue reading

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Tea Horse Road Chronicles – He Said, She Knew

This ‘moment’ was more accurately a series of moments and most of an afternoon, with an old muleteer and his wife. We interviewed the gentleman who lived near my home in Shangrila and he began (and ended) our chat with … Continue reading

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Tea Horse Road Chronicles – Part 6 – Tenzin

Legend, guardian of caravans, and hunter of ‘tea thieves’, Tenzin. We had heard of this legend but worried we wouldn’t track him down upon the route. Worried that we would not get time nor access to listen and take in … Continue reading

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Tea Horse Road Chronicles – Part 5 – The Load

A continuation of some of the embedded moments – both large and small – of our 7.5 month expedition to chart and document the Tea Horse Road. Along the Tea Horse Road, the careful daily ritual of loading and unloading … Continue reading

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Tea Horse Road Chronicles – The Coming Snow

The Coming Snow. A nomad tucks in amidst a coming snow storm at 4200 metres near Litang, western Sichuan. The Litangba (people of Li’thang) were revered and feared along portions of the Tea Horse Road for sometimes opposing reasons. Not … Continue reading

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Tea Horse Road Chronicles – The Little One

In the coming weeks a trip back into the characters and moments of our journey along the Tea Horse Road (the first documented western journey along the magnificent highway through the sky). The first segment then begins here. — We … Continue reading

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New Website – New Platform – Same Mountains, Tea, and Characters

After many years of slight technological delinquency, I’ve spruced up my existing website and brought it into something resembling a 21st Century site. Still the images and characters and tea embed every post; now though there is more written content on … Continue reading

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