Tag Archives: Himalayan Trade
Pomo – The Girl Who Could Do It All
‘Cheshi’ in the early morning in her family’s nomadic camp of Shin’zhu’gong at close to 5000 metres. I continually messed up her name, though I spent weeks with her and family. She patiently dealt with me until she reminded me … Continue reading
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
Himalayan Pashmina – The Journeys That Wool Took
Along with salt, resin, and of course that wonderful stimulant fuel, tea, Pashmina was another of the commodities that allowed nomads and remote communities some autonomy. Continue reading
Mustang’s Eastern Trade Route
Trade routes (still) offer up hints and teasers about how lands evolved and functioned. Everything from DNA to luxuries and tid-bits from the past travelled and each shipment and caravan needed the guardians, the traders and the willful to ensure … Continue reading
Tea’s Last Guardians – The Himalayan Muleteers and the Tea Horse Road
Joining the storied Royal Geographical Society here in London as they host my upcoming talks: Tea’s Last Guardians – The Himalayan Muleteers, this upcoming Monday and Tuesday. A magnificent venue to rant on about two great fuels: tea and mountains…and their epic custodians whose grand work rarely gets a worthwhile bit of mention. A grand tribute to the Tea Horse Road. Continue reading
The Ancient Tea Horse Road – Now in Portuguese
As an old trader along the Ancient Tea Horse Road once remarked to our team as we traveled through his village, “You all are lucky because you can read, you can write, and can tell a story that many will … Continue reading
Our Expedition Ladakh gets Cover Feature in Outpost Magazine
Delighted to make the cover-feature (top-less no less) of Canada’s award-winning Outpost Magazine in the current edition. Our journey last year along the Route of Wind and Wool, tracing the ancient Himalayan pathways by foot is the focus. Another of … Continue reading
Expedition Update: Video of Parang La Descent
A little video clip here shot as our team descends the magic monochrome of ice that is the Parang Pass. This pass was as notorious for its brigands and bandits as it was Mother Nature’s ‘moods’. Upon summiting the … Continue reading
Expedition Update: A Team’s Faces
The skin, bones, and essence of our trip: the faces and personalities behind the efforts. I thought it time to properly ‘introduce’ the team with some thoughts, some colour, and some quotes from our magnificent team. We begin with Suresh … Continue reading
A Departure, A Return
With the Kawa Karpo Expedition now complete – with limbs intact and the mind pulsing – a return to Beijing for tonight’s talk at the Capital M Beijing International Literary Festival. Left a blizzard in ‘Shangri-La’ yesterday where the white from … Continue reading