Nomadic women from Qinghai Provice (Amdo) performing a sacred circumambulation of Kawa Karpo in Yunnan province. The kora aids in the cleansing of pass deeds. The physical aspect is itself a kind of mantra. #kora #tibet #women #buddhism #yunnan #theteaexplorer @TheTeaExplorer

"Tea's worth as a commodity only increased to Tibetans because of the journeys it made to arrive" - Tea Trader Tenzin. A portion along the Tea Horse Road in western Sichuan's nomadic spaces near the sacred Genyen Mountain. #tea #mountains #Tibet #himalayas #nomad

Ancient salt pans sit next to a brine well along the Mekong River along the border of Yunnan and Tibet. Salt from here, along with tea and resin would travel by caravan along portions of the Tea Horse Road. #salt #trade @TheTeaExplorer #teahorseroad #himalayas #asia #Commodity

It is along such Himalayan pathways and highways through the sky, that tea, salt, resin, and anything of value was hauled by caravans to the market towns and remote communities. #tea #mountains #theteahorseroad @TheTeaExplorer #salt #mustang #culture

One of the better teas, that got away. tea-and-mountain-journals.co…. #tea #agedtea #puerh #teahouse #teacollection #laobanzhang

Moments with coca, tea, and that Sublime idea of reciprocity. #mountains #andes #peru

The Quechuan word 'Ayni' - a sublime and old Andean idea of responsibility that one has to one's community. A guiding principle and philosophy rather than any law, it roughly translates into 'reciprocity'. Read more about our Andean tea-fuelled journey. infromtheoutpost.com/salkant…

“Sit and drink tea”. Those simple words given up as an offer to communicate, to slow, and to join, by a nomadic matron in her home. A philosophy of living and a reminder that to sit, listen and share is still necessary. #tea #himalayas #culture #life #mountains #tibet #share

Where the leaves end up. A Picasso of tea vessels in Yunnan hopes that his craft will not be forgotten. "Not so many are interested in this work anymore. It is work that doesn't need many words, so it isn't popular", he laments. #tea #tradition #yunnan #clay

The Way Home. A nomadic family heads 'home' with a resupply of tea, salt, and 'essentials' in Upper Mustang, Nepal. "Slowly Slowly and you will arrive" is the mantra of mountain travel. #nepal #tea #journeys #mountains #Himalayas #travel

A young Bulang girl prepares tea leaves for a dish called 'An Mem'. Freshly boiled leaves, drained and compressed into a bamboo husk to be buried in soil. The resultant leaves are dug up after months or even years for celebrations. #Yunnan #Puerh #tea #food @TheTeaExplorer

And what a crew - journeys are little without the camaraderie and trust. #mountains #andes #trek

An uphill portion of a trade route that saw tea and salt ushered along its length along the eastern flank of Mustang. Sometimes referred to as the Khampa Route, it remains sometimes as only a wisp of a trail. #himalayas @TheTeaExplorer #mountains #Mustang #tea #thirdpole

Tea from the past. In this portable bamboo-encased form - 竹面 - Zhú tǒng - tea from Yunnan travelled along the #teahorseroad and onto the Tibetan Plateau for centuries, being flavoured, protected and made. #tea @TheTeaExplorer #puerh @jalamteas #asia #china #himalayas

Some of the most coveted cups of tea have nothing to do with the quality of the leaves. They have to do with thirst, time, and context. The ensuing butter tea in this nomad's tent was one of the better examples. #tea #himalayas #tibet @TheTeaExplorer #mountains #adventure

"A tea before we move", says nomadic headwoman Omu to her mother in law as she prepares a last bit of luxury before moving her home to lower altitudes. All worldly possessions are packed aboard mules and yak. #tea #himalayas #nomads #mountains #sharing #women

One of the spaces that saw caravans hauling #tea, #salt, and #pashmina pass into and out of the #Changtang in Tibet. In a trader's words, "You cannot forget the importance of the natural world when you walk such spaces". #himalayas @TheTeaExplorer #theteaexplorer

"Mountains are Nature's Editors. Learn this quickly and you are fine". Words gifted to me years ago by a Tibetan guide. So many times the mountains have taught - was only up to me to listen. I recall the below trip well. #mountains #himalayas #tibet @HimFdn xitter.cf/OutpostMagazine/status…

A journey I recall not only for the jagged pieces of crumbling ice, the ascents, and river, but for the incredible team that was so much a part of our month long expedition. remotelands.com/travelogues/…. #ganges #himalayas #mountains #gangotri #glacier

Our tea-fuelled The Tea Explorer wins a Grand Prix for best Documentary at the US International Film and Video Festival in Los Angeles. Now we can get back to gazing at tea leaves and sipping cups of the stuff in... shootonline.com/spw/best-fes…