I would suggest that the true efficiency of a (travel) company can only be judged when something goes wrong – and how spectacularly that did during our recent holiday. I had never booked with Explore! before but was very taken with the title and summary details as shown in their brochure. Triangle Travel assured me they were both a highly-regarded and caring company, so I signed up for a 12-day trip to Nepal : visiting Kathmandu and trekking towards Everest and back.
The maximum group size is 14 on the Everest in Style trek. In reality there was a round dozen of us, including two Explore! employees on personal vacation.
The Jet Air flight from Heathrow to Delhi was smooth, as was the transfer to Kathmandu. I have been to China before but even so was totally bowled-over by the intensity of the numbers of people and colour in the Nepalese capital. The fact that it was the festival of Diwali only added to the vibrancy of it all. I shall never again complain about traffic congestion or the state of the roads in the UK!
The Hotel de l’Annapurna was somewhat dated but the staff were numerous and extremely attentive. Indeed, all the accommodation on the trip was quite acceptable, with clean bedding, plenty of extra blankets and above all having the luxury of a bathroom [if the water, sometimes gas-heated, was not always hot]. A walking trip into the city centre and Thamel tourist area with a local guide was most enjoyable; followed next day by an exhilarating flight into Lukla (voted the world’s scariest airport).
The World Scariest airport
Explore! clearly put a lot of emphasis into choosing excellent trip leaders. A small, jovial chap Sudarshan (Su) [from a local travel company] met us on arrival at Kathmandu; and once at Lukla he was joined by a Sherpa trek sirdar, two other Sherpa guides and yak-herd (three animals carried all our baggage during the trek). I shall not give a day-by-day account of the trek but I can assure you that the paths got more challenging, the inclines/descents steeper and the views ever more spectacular as we travelled up the Dudh Kosi valley. For two days we were blessed with blue skies and incredible view of the main mountains : Everest, Lhotse, An Dablam and many others.
Kathmandu Valley
Personally I shall cherish the time spent in Tengboche. I remember reading of the village in a Chris Bonnington expedition account many years ago. Its plateau location – more like an arena surrounded by towering snow-clad peaks – and the presence of an imposing Buddhist monastery was truly breathtaking. The region is remote but as it was the major trekking season many of the paths were crowded with American, German, French, Japanese, Antipodean and British tourists, porters (who carry incredible loads) and dzos/yaks. Even so, all that activity was always totally dwarfed by the scenery. Numbers only became an issue towards the end of the trip.
On the afternoon of the return to Lukla the weather deteriorated. Although we had breakfast at 6am the next morning the fog was so thick that it was clear we were not going to fly out. That is when the leader, the two Explore! group members and the company itself all showed their true worth. In summary, we were stuck in Lukla for a further five days- along with eventually c.2,000 others : guarding room keys as if they were gold, keeping active by taking extra walks (though never on the flat!), helping to drink the ‘Scottish pub’ out of beer, decimating stocks of bread and tomatoes, playing the card game Uno and totally bemusing other residents with our hilarity and a touch of ‘Dunkirk spirit’.
Eventually the company, the foreign office and the wheelings/dealings of Su and his contacts led to us being evacuated back to Kathmandu in a Russian-built army helicopter as the sun finally rose into a clear sky only a week late! Even then the drama was not over. After much jostling and queuing, just before reaching the check-in desk at Kat airport we were told that there were no group standby tickets left for the flight back to London. A retreat to the Hotel Malla – actually a much cosier and friendlier hotel – allowed more shopping time and a celebratory final supper before Explore! were able to get us back to the UK on Qatar Airways flights to/from Doha.
Mr. Macdonald, Author of this blog
All-in-all it was an unforgettable trip. Thank you Explore!, not just for providing such a spectacular and for the most part comfortable itinerary but also for looking after your clients so incredibly well.
Mr.Brian Macdonald booked Everest in Style with Explore! through Triangle Travel, Pangbourne.
Prices for 2012 start from £ 2168 including flights from London. For further information please call 0844 854 6674 or email us. Please quote this blog to recieve £ 50 per person off any Explore Holiday.
