Dec. 18th: In Search of the Heavenly Nectar

The bowl of wine in my hand has a long history.
The sky is blue like jade.
The blue-jade dragon roars in the sky.
The lightning flashes red,
And drizzle falls like sweet dew.
By using the clean sweet dew,
Heavenly nectar can be brewed in the human world.

- King Gesar, Tibetan Warrior King/Poet
(on precipitation)

Tibetan Boarderlands is on the move and continuing north. Tomorrow - venturing deep from the road that connects Qinghai's Yushu and Xining - we will first set our eyes upon the great Amnye Machen and surrounding range. Thousands of years ago, King Gesar once tied his horse here amidst these majestic peaks. And in the 1920s Dr. Joseph Rock, a Westerner - and one of the region's most prolific foreign explorers - reported that it was the highest mountain ever at over 30,000 feet. It turns out he was wrong.

With unparalled prowess, Amnye Machen continues to exist as one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Tibetan Buddhist and Bon followers alike. As predicted and carried in our hopes, this great route of pilgrimage will bring us nearly 90 miles in circumnavigation of this range. We've been told that the region holds many cruelties during this time of year. To those who inhabit the area, we should do as they do and 'come back in the summer.'

As we push ahead on this journey, we leave Tibetan Kham and enter Tibetan Amdo, passing through the most wild and uncharted lands of these border provinces. We expect to sight the prominent Amnye Machen after multiple days' direct overland travel, and we look forward to spending Christmas within its presence: cold on the outside, warm on the inside...greeting each day in search of THE Heavenly Nectar.

Feliz Navidades, and we'll be seeing you in the new year.