Tea Horse Road Chronicles – Walks and Words

“When you walk through mountains, you appreciate any arrival. When you walk to a place, you can speak about a place”.
An interview about the Tea Horse Road which turned into a sumptuous afternoon with tea about far more than a simple trade route through the sky. Speaking with this monk of his memories of life and travel along the great trade route through the Himalayas, the chat became more of a discourse on life, reverence of the natural world, and the way in which we choose to live and treat one another – it became a series of brilliant moments of listening, near the grand circle of gathering, Boudanath.
Interview in Kathmandu - The Tea Horse Road
Much of the thoughts and words were hinged upon the idea that if one was to survive and thrive as a trader, a journeyer, or a migrant, one needed to remain open to the world and to people. This “openness” though had a caveat. “When you are certain of something in the bones, you must be decisive before you get too clever and make excuses. It must be done at the moment it is clear.”

About JeffFuchs

Having lived for a decade in Yunnan, Fuchs’ work has centred on indigenous mountain cultures, oral histories along with an obsessive interest in tea. Fuchs is the author of 'The Ancient Tea Horse Road' (Viking-Penguin) and he was the subject of 'The Tea Explorer' documentary based on his exploration of the Tea Horse Road. His photos and stories have appeared on three continents in publications such as 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 UNESCO amongst others. Various pieces of his work are part of private collections in Europe, North America, and Asia. Fuchs served as Asian Editor at Large for five years at award-winning Outpost magazine. Jeff has worked with schools and universities, giving talks on both the importance of oral traditions, tea and mountain cultures. 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. Fuchs partnered with Wild China to create a journey along the Tea Horse Road which National Geographic Traveler called one of the "50 Trips of a Lifetime". He is co-founder of Akahiao Nature Institute on the island of Hawai'i along with his wife, Julie Rogers.
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