This was my fourth time to Nepal. Andrew’s
fifth. Plus a couple trips to other Himalayan countries. We thought we knew
what to expect regarding guides and porters. But Himal, Raj, Pasang and Kumar
from Visit Himalaya Treks far exceeded our expectations!
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| Our Team - me, Raj, Kumar, Andrew, Pasang |
Andrew initially contacted Visit Himalaya
based on a recommendation from the blog of an Australian couple that had used
this company several times. He also contacted several other companies but Himal, the owner of Visit Himalaya, was the one who responded promptly and readily agreed to provide a mostly
lodge-based trek with minimal support (as opposed to camping style with a large
entourage of support staff).
Himal met us at the Kathmandu airport and
his distinctive blue sign stood out from all the white ones. Over the few days
we were in Kathmandu we met with Himal a couple more times to finalize the trek
and, since we were immediately heading to India afterwards, he took us out for
a “farewell” supper to a very unique Nepali restaurant with music and dancing
demonstrations from various regions of Nepal.
We also met our guide, Raj, who accompanied
us on the flight and drive to Fikkal where we met up with porters Pasang and
Kumar who had taken the bus there with the gear.
Raj is a very charismatic and personable
25-year-old. He started trekking work as a porter, becoming an assistant guide
to Himal and then moving up to guide. As a porter he had higher aspirations and
always took the opportunity to talk to clients to improve his English. In
addition to guiding and working in the office for Himal, he is taking various
classes that interest him (e.g. computer-related such as web design, first aid,
media reporting for trekking guides).
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| Raj |
If anything, Raj was a little too good at
looking after us. Constantly reminding us to be careful in slippery areas,
going first across streams and helping us across, etc. But we managed to subtly
let him know some of our experience, jokingly reminded him to be careful,
helped him across streams and basically teased him mercilessly, all of which he
took in good stride and laughed with us about.
We were very happy that our porters, Pasang
and Kumar, were well outfitted. Good hiking shoes, quality clothing, sunglasses
and other necessities. Unfortunately this has not always been the case for
porters on our previous trips, nor was it the case for many of the other
porters we encountered on the trek. Himal seems to have a well-run business
though and rather than paying his guides and porters per trip, he pays them a
monthly salary so that he can keep staff that he knows and can rely on.
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| Pasang |
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| Kumar |
It was sometimes difficult to tell how much
English Pasang and Kumar understood. They often laughed at the right times
during conversations but if asked more than the basics, or off the topic of
food or trekking, they looked to Raj to translate.
They both live in Kathmandu most of the
time. Pasang is a Sherpa from the Solu Khumbu region and spends the
non-trekking season farming there with his family, his wife and two children.
Kumar also has two children, is a carpenter in the non-trekking season and also
spent a few years working in Malaysia. It is obvious that both are good Dads as they
always played with the children at the homes and lodges we stayed at and were natural
and comfortable with them.
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| This little girl got lots of attention! I teased Pasang and Kumar that I was going to check their bags when we left to make sure they hadn't taken the baby with them. |
While Raj and Kumar were constantly on
their cell phones or fidgeting with something, Pasang was content to sit
quietly. Card games were an afternoon past time when they could find a fourth
to join them.
With Raj, Pasang and Kumar at the helm, we
definitely felt we had preferential treatment at many of the places we stayed at. All three
of them often provided an extra set of hands in the kitchens, preparing
vegetables, making chapattis and at times taking over the cooking altogether! We always
got a warm spot around the fire and never went long without being asked if we
wanted a cup of tea.
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| Raj stirring the oatmeal; Kumar putting the tea on. |
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| Kumar frying up potatoes; Pasang babysitting. |
The camaraderie amongst the three of them
and their care of us was exceptional. We highly recommend Visit Himalaya!
There were a lot of other memorable people
who we met along the way:
- The two boys carrying schoolbooks that we
passed by on the trail in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. We asked Raj
where they were going. To the village we passed an hour back!
- The kids at every village. But especially the one who was about 4 years
old and continuously carrying his younger sibling (about 1 year) over his
shoulder like a sack of potatoes, over terrain that was quite challenging for a
4 year old.
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I couldn't convince this little girl to smile for a photo but yet she giggled in delight
every time I turned the camera to show her the picture of herself. |
- The young mother, in traditional Tibetan
dress, who seemed to do nothing but cook from sun up to sun down. Her husband was
away working overseas and she ran the busy lodge with her in-laws. The
8-month-old baby only got her attention when it was time for breastfeeding but
Grandma was happy, attentive and enthralled with the little one.
- On the other end of the spectrum, the young
mother dressed in jeans and low cut t-shirt who was so quick with a genuine
smile. She and her husband and baby lived by themselves in a remote location
but she struck me as being very happy.
- The boy, about 12 years old, who so quickly
and readily helped his mom run their remote lodge. He carried a big jug of
water from a source about ½ hr away, washed dishes, poured tea, and hauled in
large bags of potatoes when the yak herders arrived with a delivery. No
complaints. Just part of doing business.
- The beautiful long black hair of the women.
Most wore their hair in a bun or under a scarf but on occasion we saw them
brushing their hair.
- The boy who taught me to play carrom.
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| Playing carrom. At this point we're about even but I lost by three discs. |
- The very thin old man being carried in
basket and the group of men taking turns carrying him several days to a
hospital. He had a very bad headache and we contributed some ibuprofen (with
instructions via Raj).
- The girl porters sitting around the cook
fire and staring at us while we ate. Meanwhile the boy sitting beside them was obliviously
picking his nose – while we were eating.
- The older woman washing white sheets. White
sheets! Seriously. How on earth she kept those sheets white in conditions
surrounded by yak dung, I have no idea!
- The old Nepali man drinking tongba (millet-based alcohol) from sun
up til sun down and the older Japanese trekkers who were trying to keep up with
him.
- The people of all ages who looked over our shoulders as we downloaded photos onto our computers or read books on our Kindles. Especially the kids who picked out all the English words they knew.
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| Checking out the photos |
The vast majority of other trekkers were
from France. Australia and Germany also made up a fair number of people.
Surprisingly, we met no other North Americans.
But the most memorable group (whose
nationality I won’t mention) was the six photographers. They had camera gear worth
thousands and thousands of dollars but they were trekking on the cheap. Trying
to sleep several people in a lodge room, cooking some of their own meals but
yet taking over decks/seating areas of lodges, getting up at all hours of the
night to start trekking and taking photos, seriously overloading their porters
and pushing them long hours. We were happy to finally get out of sync with
them!
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