It is only now, on the roof of the world, in the bareness of the Tibetan plateau, that we observe how these adventurers survive the challenges imposed by this long and difficult road. We taste their meals prepared over open log- fires with what is available, visit their caravanserais and share their rest in the open sky. From the sub-tropical South, it is a journey made of twelve long months: six to reach our goal Lhasa, and six for the return. Some of the horse drivers we encounter have made this epic journey more than twenty times in their lives. Lhasa, Holy Grail of Buddhism, is also an extraordinary platform of exchange between China and India, on either side of the Himalayans. It is here where the Chinese horse drivers end their journey and where others take over the prized tea to carry it further, to India, Nepal, Pakistan, Persia, Russia and other far away countries.

Originally released by Film Ideas, 2013. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on March 15, 2019.

Xishuangbanna, Yunnan (2:29); --Crossing the Himalayas (2:07); -- Langtang, Nepal (4:28); -- Service Station (2:38); -- Cultural Celebrations (6:24); -- Tibetan Badlands (4:03); -- Authentic Tibetan Home (2:48); -- Banda Grassland (4:10); -- Yak and Buffalo Caravans (3:06); -- Chamdo Town (3:36); -- Sacred Ceremony (3:43); -- Caravans Approach Lhasa (4:06); -- Lhasa, Tibet (6:11); -- Credits: On the Roof of the World (0:47); .