It was nearly dinner time and we were all set to hit the streets once again. We couldn’t wait to explore all the restaurants and cafes that we had seen earlier. If you have been to Pokhara, in Nepal, you will know exactly what I mean. As we stepped out of our room, I heard my sister say, “I miss Amar!”. Amar had dropped us at Pokhara that afternoon and left for Kathmandu. We had really gotten used to Amar and this statement was repeated multiple times in overt and covert ways over the next 2-3 days, till we left Nepal.
Missing Amar happened out of blue this morning, once again. We wondered if all was okay with him and his family during this global Covid 19 pandemic. We googled to find out how Nepal was coping with the pandemic. Amar’s phone didn’t connect. So, we left a message in his boss’ mobile, who got back letting us know all was good and Amar had left for his village before the outbreak.
Amar Gurung was our trek guide, who guided our Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) trek last year in October.
ABC Trek has a well-marked trail and the risks of losing your way or getting stranded somewhere with no help is minimal. The tea houses along the way make it even easier as you don’t need to put up in tents. This trek can be easily done by yourself and you don’t need a guide. Also, trekking in Nepal is very organized and the experience is very different from treks in India.
However, I chose to go with a guide for two primary reasons – First and foremost having a local guide means you are exposed to the local culture through fascinating stories and folklore, which you otherwise never get to know. Second, is related to logistics as the guide helps carry the backpack and you can trek with a smaller day bag; takes care of tea house bookings, which can be tough during peak seasons. Also, it’s a way of contributing to the local economy.
There are numerous trekking agencies in Nepal and selecting the right one can be quite a task. I decided to go with Nepal Alternative Treks & Expeditions (P.)Ltd, a trekking agency recommended by fellow blogger, Indranil Chatterjee – do check out his blog Break Shackles. In fact, I did no research and did not even try to look for other options. The reason being, Indranil had trekked ABC the year before along with his 8-year old daughter. His posts fascinated me as trekking with your child in the uncertainties of the Himalayas is no mean feat. Hence, I looked no further. My job became easier.
Through Indranil, I connected with Tej Bahadur and planned my trip. When Tej introduced us to Amar in Kathmandu, we were pleasantly surprised as he looked too polished to be a trek leader. His attire and appearance gave the impression of a regular office-goer than a trek guide. Well, looks can be deceiving and that’s what was happening. Amar was like our little genie, taking care of us and always fulfilling our wishes and desires. Amar’s unparallel hospitality often left us feeling uncomfortable, we aren’t always used to someone being at our disposal. At every step he treated us like his personal guests.
A perfect gentleman, Amar holds a Post Graduate degree in Mathematics from Kathmandu University. He was planning to start working on his PhD soon. That first appearance wasn’t all that deceiving, you see! Amar belongs to the mountains and trekking runs in his genes. It was because of Amar that our ABC Trek experience became so much more enriched and memorable.
And, it is because of Amar that if/when I go trekking in Nepal again, it will be through Nepal Alternative Treks & Expeditions (P.)Ltd.
Seasons of Life! 
The right guide can make all the difference. We have had great guides and at least one, who comes immediately to mind, who was horrible.
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Totally agree with you. I have also experienced one guide, who wasn’t exactly horrible but remained in a world of his own. He had no answers to the questions we asked, never shared anything of his experience, and generally seemed uninterested.
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A nice stroke of luck to get such an awesome guide. A trip can be made or marred by a guide’s demeanour and involvement in his job, and of course, knowledge.
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Yes, very true. Amar was wonderful, he was the perfect gentleman as I mentioned in my post. Such kind of people are hard to come by and indeed we got lucky. In fact, he was to lead another group going to EBC but for some reason that group couldn’t make it to Kathmandu on time. So he was assigned to us instead.
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Woowoo…such a nice post dedicated to the tour guide. I would love to see the landscape photos. background especially of the rivulets seems majestic! Do share them
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Hey Abhay, I have written several posts describing the landscape along with pictures. You might have missed those or would have forgotten as it was last year October. I have provided the link in this post too. 🙂
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I plant to go to Nepal this November if things get better. Have been planning in my head 😀
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Ah! I do hope you get to go. November is far away, let’s keep our fingers crossed.
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So I am hoping for! 🙂
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A nice guide is very much important and you said that. We also had a wonderful time in Sikkim because of a knowledgeable driver. Wonderful pictures. Seems like you had a nice time. 🙂
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Thank you for visiting and reading my post. I was in Sikkim last year just at this time and I had a similar experience. Our driver was exceptional , which made our trip extremely memorable. We are still in touch with him.
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How lovely. I agree wit you on getting a guide. We insisted on an English speaking guide in Ajanta Ellora and were pleasantly surprised to find a PHD Professor of History from a local college. He helped us understand so well about the factual history of the place.
Nepal is gorgeous. Haven’t been there for close to 10 years now. I hope to make a trip soon…
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Wow! A Ph.D prof as a guide – that’s extraordinary. Hope you get to visit Nepal soon. Thank you so much for reading my post.
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People are beautiful no matter what they do ,thank you for coming Nepal hope you Will explore Himalayas more in the future too
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Absolutely, I remember the people from my travels much more than anything else. They just touch your heart to never go away. Thank you so much for reading my post. I will have to go to Nepal again, and again, and again 🙂
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That grey backpack looks a lot like my grey Wildcraft backpack. Could it be the manufacturer made 2 of them? 😛
Nice post. Hope to visit Nepal someday.
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haha…no…that’s a quechua bag from Decathlon 🙂
Nepal is a must visit! Thank you for visiting my blog 🙂
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A very beautiful blog dedicated to a humble guide, I really liked the article.
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Thank you so much for reading and appreciating 🙂
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