Thame, Wednesday march 15th 2006, meditation-expedition in Nepal with my friend Marion and 5 other women and our guide Kamal.

So much snow around the little lodge where we are staying. It is not possible to walk further today.
Our exercise this day: We imagine "I am the Buddha and every-one I see today is also the Buddha". We will be in silence all day and deep inside we will feel that all men and all creatures have been our mothers.

I wake up feeling like a Buddha and walk alone, as Buddha did.
One hour later I sit on a big rock near the wild river. It is freezing, all colors white and brown, the noise of the river and the noise of the Silence. So quiet, I am completely alone. Far away I see yaks with Tibetan people. They came over the high mountains and go to Namche Bazar to sell their stuff. The yaks and their owners look strong and big and dark. So much power! And I say to myself: "they were also my mothers in the past!" I feel tears welling in my eyes and love in my heart. We are one! And that is all.

A few hours after this I make a pile of big stones. I can see mountains everywhere, snow, another river in the distance, so much Beauty around me. And I see Kamal near the river, on the bridge. My loyal guide who walks with me for the third time in the Himalaya's. No better guide, not enough words to tell how much I appreciate this man of Nepal. He is everywhere all of the time. To see if he can make things comfortable for the ladies from Holland. He even participates in our exercise of today. His heart is full of love and in his eyes you see a wise soul.

I think: Kamal is also the Buddha and in the past he was my mother! And with a big smile I go to the bridge to say hello to him.

Miep Grijpma
Netherland
http://www.mooiemorgen.nl/

As a fifteen year old boy my mother took me with her to Nepal. Together we would made a trek from three weeks trough the Himalayas. I didn't no what to expect on forehand but I couldn't had hoped for more. This was something unlike I'd ever seen before.

Nepal and its mountains are just amazing. The views, the people, everything was new for me, I felt so alive, so real! We didn’t feel like going with a group of people, we didn’t want to come to Nepal with a travel organization from back home. we were right, you experience so much more when you travel with a small group. The Nepali treated us like people instead of stupid rich tourists.

We looked up a local trekking agency and so we found Kamal, our guide, and Temba, our porter. After three overwhelming days of Katmandu we traveled by bus to a little village in the mountains. Those huge mountains made me feel so small and my problems so unimportant. After two days you don't care about anything anymore, there is only you, the mountains and once in a while an energy bar.

From day one Kamal and Temba were like my big brothers. We had fun, we played games and they showed us all the interesting details. In three unforgettable weeks we made the Lang-Tang trek. I saw peaks higher than 7000 meter, wild rivers, huge green valleys, lakes on an altitude of 4200 meter and monkey's in the trees.

It was just the best vacation I've ever had.
Right now, I'm studying for a year on an American college. Next year I'm going back to Nepal for half a year. I'll will live in Katmandu for a few months and take a volunteer-job and of course make another trek. Once you have been there, you have to go back.
Jan

February 2007 I went to Nepal again for the third time. As always when leaving the airport of Kathmandu I fell in love with the colours, the smells, the culture, the air full of life, religion and magic.
Also so happy to meet my dear, happy, joyfull guide and friend Kamal again!

This time I wasn’t leading a group of Dutch women coming for a meditation trek in the Himalaya’s, but I was so lucky to go on vacation-trek with my youngest daughter.

She had gotten so curious to this country after all my enthousiastic stories and was looking forward to our adventurous Everest trek to Gokyo Ri, well organized again by Summit Treks.

After two days in our fine guest house in pleasant Thamel we took the flight to Lukla where our trek started.

We walked lightly and gladly over many-centuries-old paths with great views over the peaceful snow-covered mountains surrounding us, hearing the music of the great waterfalls and going through very little old villages where we were namaste-greeted by the friendly citizens.

We passed sun lightened stupa’s with hundreds of flags waiving their prayers to us in the deep blue sky.

Walking early in the spring season guarantees silence and few tourists in these huge, holy mountains…this is balsam for the soul! Inner peace and time-less-ness can enter here so easily. That is what we need in our busy western world!

There is also a risk in going early: you can be surprised by softly falling snow and coldness! That is what happened to us the higher we came and Gokyo Ri appeared to be too dangerous now.

In Dole we sat around the warm burning stove, enjoying our apple pancakes and drinking hot milk tea. Kamal advised us to change path now and cross over to another valley.

So we did and soon the sun shine friendly upon us and the snow-free paths again as eagles were flying just above us.

Happily we continued our trip to Lukla where the plain would take us to Kathmandu again.
Many thanks again for all good worries of Kamal and Summit Trek for our unforgettable month.
Tomorrow we will go home and my heart sings already: I will be back!
Marion van de Voorde.

Namaste!
We would to take this opportunity to express our gratitude and satisfaction about our recent trekking experience in Nepal organized by your respective agency.

We spent 3 weeks in Nepal , including 13-day trek to Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar, in April 2007.

This tour was very much desired and quite well planned by ourselves few months ahead. It was our first time coming to Nepal and even we are experienced mountaineers, it was our first trekking experience and the highest mountain altitude to reach. One of the greatest challenges we had was to choose a reliable and experienced agency in Nepal to support our wishes and plans.

Even though some other trekking agencies had been recommended to us by a number of Croatian trekkers, we were overwhelmed by approach and professionalism of Mr. Bikram Thapa, Managing Director and therefore gladly selected Summit Treks and Adventures.

Since Sandra also works in hospitality industry, as Director of Sales in Starwood Zagreb Hotel Complex, she can surely understand the efforts to please a customer traveler.

Furthermore, Aleksandar is a mountaineering guide in Croatia , having a lot of personal climbing experience in European Alps and knowledge on challenges in mountain. Therefore we have suggested our own trekking itinerary within our budget limits and had our expectations to be met.

Fortunately, we have no hesitation to further recommend Mr. Thapa and Summit Treks and Adventures to any future trekkers and are happy to confirm that they have fully met our expectations.

All Summit Treks and Adventures' staff, including Mr. Thapa and also Mr. Hejnal Bipashi, Marketing Director, whom we were also lucky to have as our trekking guide, were very thoughtful, caring, helpful, supportive, responsible and professional. We felt very well cared and relaxed during whole stay in Nepal . Also, we had a very kind and reliable porter, arranged by our agency.

The impressions with Nepal and Himalaya will remain for life time and we are truly happy we have had the experience.

We would sincerely like to thank Mr. Bikram and Mr. Bipashi for all their efforts and kindness and we hope to have opportunity to meet with them again in future.

Sincerely from, 
Aleksandar Brborovic & Sandra Horvat
Zagreb, Croatia - Europe