TID -8559 (Oct 12-25,2014) Guide Karma Lama

Thank you. My wife Carol wrote a “review” of the trip and I am sending that. Our Goecha La trek was the trip of a lifetime. My husband, David Robinson and I had a fabulous time. Since you requested feedback, I will offer some below. Karma, our leader, was an excellent guide. From the moment he met us at the Bagdogra airport, he was polite, personable and professional. Throughout the trip, he gave us the history and background of every place we visited. His knowledge added color and context. Our driver (Lokpa) was very good. He drove safely and I never felt nervous like I would had I been in one of the jeep-taxis. There were significant inconveniences the morning of the trek, specifically not enough yaks and porters to carry gear and food. To begin we had only a cook, cook’s helper, yak man and two yaks. As a result some food was left behind and gear including thick sleeping mats.

My husband and I had brought our thin blow up mats, but wanted the thick mats too. It wasn’t possible to bring them given the lack of yaks/porters. A day into the trek, two more porters arrived carrying more gear and food. It appeared the porters were overloaded with too much weight. I was glad to see we had chairs but there was no table. Karma worked with other groups, borrowing a table when we needed one. The food provided on the trek was delicious.

Our cook was a genius. We had omelettes, momos, apple fritters and even a cake with icing on the final night. The cook’s helper (Roheet) was always ready with a smile and worked tirelessly to serve us tea and food. We loved the hotel in Darjeeling — the Mayfair. It was true luxury after sleeping in a tent for so many nights. The afternoon ride on the toy train while interesting, offered no mountain views. Maybe if we had tickets for an early morning ride, it would have been better. But it was Diwali and perhaps morning tickets were not available. All in all, it was a grand adventure. I would recommend this trek to anyone, as long as Wind Horse ensured enough yaks and porters. Best Wishes