For the past year, Kishor has helped my daughter and myself plan an adventure through Nepal. We just completed our trip this past week. As I try and write this review, words fail me as I try to express how integrally, thoroughly and thoughtfully Kishor contributed to making our visit to Nepal and our trek through the Annapurna circuit a raging, banging success. But I’ll try.
We’ve been lucky enough to visit Dubai, Turkey, Cambodia, and Uzbekistan in the past, so we have kind of surrounded the Indian sub-continent before, but never had the fortune of actually setting foot upon it. We didn’t know what to expect, but I do like surprises. To explore the Kathmandu valley, Kishor set us up with our personal guide, Mark: the valley surprised and it did not disappoint!
We visited Patan and a bit of Kathmandu (I think!) before we left for the mountains, and then we visited the rest of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur when we returned from the mountains. The temple, palace, stupa and open-space architecture of these places was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before; the scale and detail somehow rendered the experience grand and intimate at the same time. I wandered a bit. Fortunately Mark was there to keep us safe from the traffic, Which is, a bit . . . chaotic. Mark also provided timely and brief historical-cultural exegesis that enhanced our understanding of what we were experiencing. Mark has been doing this for a while, it was obvious, and he’s read himself pretty smart.
Between our sojourns in Kathmandu, Kishor arranged for us to fly to Pokhara and enjoy a 6-day, 5-night trek through the Annapurna foothills, boarding and sleeping in mountain lodges along the way.
IT WAS FANTASTIC!!
I should state at this point that while Kishor and I were planning this adventure, I was diagnosed with a neurological condition that affects my balance when I stand and leaves me with a fairly unsteady gait when I walk. I thought I would have to cancel our trip, the thought of which nearly broke my heart. Kishor bade me continue. He indicated that our guide and porter would provide me all the support I require, and that we could go as slow as necessary to keep me safe.
They were true to their word. Our guide, Thapa, knew the trails well, and he supported me in all the areas where he knew I would need help. He was also very solicitous in asking me if I needed breaks, and we stopped whenever I needed to. (I cannot prove this, but I suspect that Kishor and Thapa were in communication every night while we were on the trail, making sure that I was being well looked after. THAT is how good the care was.)
The “TREK”, that is: the trail; the community; the kindness; and the achievement, were everything I had hoped for, and more. The memories will last a lifetime, Kishor and Thapa made this happen for us. I only hope I can get back to Nepal someday. I can’t wait.