I booked with Nepal Hiking Team to do the 16 day Everest Base Camp trek. From the very first email that were all answered with detain information and cordial and friendly dialect, I found Nepal Hiking Team to be amazing! The pre-trek communication via e-mail was great. The correspondence with Mr. Ganga, the managing director of the agency were a pleasure to read and every query that I sent forth was answered with useful information and good resources. Kathmandu is a crazy place to arrive in, everything seems to be moving and changing all the time! I arrived at the airport at Kathmandu at 9 pm and the airport meet-and-greet by Ganga is a welcomed relief. Dropped to the front door of my Hotel, (Apsara Boutique Hotel), the start of this adventure couldn't have gone better.
The 16 day Everest Base Camp trek consisted of a day tour of certain places and sights around Kathmandu. I visited the Durbar Square, the temple near the river and the two Buddhist stupas. I highly recommend it as you will see parts of the city and the culture and way of life of the Nepalese that you do not get in the shops of Thamel. All very interesting and eye opening. I was sad to see the dilapidation of the Durbar Square due to the earthquake as well, but was happy to see that the reconstruction work were underway.
Then the trek started. The walk to Everest Base Camp is perceived as many different things too many different people who have walked that trail. Adventure is just the beginning of the description of the EBC story. However, altitude sickness seemed to hit randomly, so I took Diamox to minimize the chance. My guide for the trek was Ganga Tamang. He had worked in these mountains for 16 years and the experience really showed. His easy nature and knowledge of the area made the trek an enjoyable, learning and pleasurable. And many thanks also goes to my hard working porter, Mr. Lal Kumar. The return flight to Kathmandu from Lukla, just as memorable as the flight to Lukla from Kathmandu. And again, everything just ran smoothly thanks to NHT management. It was truly a dream fulfilled by Nepal Hiking Team!