Three weeks ago I returned from East Tibet, to be more precise from Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, leading my annual MushRoaming Cordyceps Expedition, a nice mix of tourism and fungal research. Talking to collectors in several locations in Garze / Ganzi, Lithang / Litang and Dartsendo / Kangding Counties I was told that it is a poor harvest in 2012. Already 2011 was disappointing, I was told by collectors that the last two winters were too dry.
Choedron and her 3 daughters, Lhamo Lhaden & Chintso, two of them we had met in the same spot 2 years ago during the 2011 MushRoaming tour, enjoying a break while picking Yartsa gunbu in 4500m in Lithang / Litang, Garze / Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Sichuan.
We met Choedron searching for Caterpillar fungus. She told us that the family was picking since 5 weeks finding only 7 to 10 "Yartsa gunbu" a day, it is another low harvest year in East Tibet.
In Litang we were told whereas last year collectors could find around 20 specimens a day, this year they were down to 10 or less. Prices went up a bit due to the low supply, but not enought to balance the reduced harvest.
Tsang Rinchen, a Yartsa gunbu collector was happy to pose with Simon Egli and I for this picture. Luckily posing for pictures does not need as much energy as hiking in 15,000 ft.
In Tawu (Chin. Daofu) we found our first fresh morels on the market. They had cool greenish and pinkish pits. It seems like that the locals were just as fascinated by us as we were by the morels.
