Tag Archives: yunnan
South Tea Sips l : Marco, Matè, and Menghai
Marco Antonio Zamboni Zalamena and his matè bag have arrived but I cannot find either. Three different bus stations in southern Yunnan’s hot capital of Jinghong are empty of him. I’m ripped on far too much tea, slightly manic, … Continue reading
The Journey to Sho’La Pass – Part 1 – Horsemen Are Always Late…
Songjè the horseman is late. It isn’t unusual for this part of the world, but still the same, it is something that burrows its way into me. For moments it seems as though his absence will delay the entire expedition. … Continue reading
Mupa, Nyima, and Songjè – (Cloud, Sun, and Songjè)
The word for mist, clouds, and fog in many Tibetan regions is the same: mupa. Mupa is what engulfs us and sucks us all into itself and into a world of soft focused hues and biting wind. Rain slices in … Continue reading
Songjè and a Sacred Lake – Part l of ll
Bells chime through the wet air and the odd manic high-pitched wail of urging in Tibetan rips over the grassland. Plodding through the pine and spruce are the sagging, deflated bodies of mules lugging packs that dwarf them. Their day … Continue reading
A Sacred Lake and the Horseman
Upcoming post is based on a recently completed journey up a mountain in northwestern Yunnan with a brilliant group of students…and an icon of the mountains, local horseman Sangjè. Hands of steel, a voice that silences and the requisite face … Continue reading
Kawa Karpo Expedition Feature out in Outpost Magazine’s edition #89
At long last the Kawa Karpo Expedition that Bill Roberts, Roberto Gibbons Gomez, myself and a titanic guide named Daba undertook and completed is out in tangible print in Canada’s award-winning adventure travel Outpost Magazine. It marks the first documented … Continue reading
Explorers Club talk on the Tea Horse Road
Back in Canada for the month of August before returning to China in September. With tea roaring around in the blood, I will be speaking tomorrow Friday, August, 10th to the Explorers Club in Toronto on that topic that gives … Continue reading
Kindle Ebook of my “The Ancient Tea Horse Road” coming soon…
At long last a Kindle version of the book will be available (within the week), and some of the characters, including the above ‘goat of the mountains’, Dorje, will find a wider audience for his audacity. Another more image-heavy version … Continue reading
Jingmai Pu’erh – Menghai Part V – Last Sips
Few things bring people to concur like trees do. We need more of them everywhere and of every kind, and when the trees happen to be tea trees, there is the added bonus of the ‘sips’ and stimulant-wonder that they … Continue reading
Up a Classic with a Classic – Xishuangbanna Continued
Teashops and tea cups have to at some point make way for the tea forests and fields. Fluid must give way to its ‘source’. As much as my entire being loves to be shoved into a tight little shop sipping … Continue reading