You know that first real breath of cold air? The one that feels like drinking the sky? On the path to Annapurna Base Camp, you take that breath, and you see your own life hanging there for a second in a small, white cloud. It’s a beautiful, lonely sight. Then you smell it. Cutting through the pure, sharp cold comes a deeper, warmer scent. It’s earthy. It’s rich. It’s coffee. Or maybe it’s the lighter, spiced whisper of ginger and cardamom from a pot of tea. That smell, more than any trail sign, tells you you’re getting close to a teahouse. It tells you that for a little while, you can stop.
