Well-organized trek, with good logistical support from the company and the guide, and of course, spectacular scenery. Food and lodging met expectations (though definitely basic). We were happy we did not get sick from the food (we avoided meat). Nepal Eco deserves credit for selecting tea houses with high standards of food hygiene.
We had two reservations about the trip, mostly related to the guide (Ramesh Jirel):
1. We have been on treks before with guides that were knowledgeable about the history and culture of the region and had strong command of English. Unfortunate, our guide on this trip mostly pointed to mountains and gave their names. He provided very little commentary on the history or culture of the area, and when we asked him questions, we mostly received short replies. We often had trouble understanding his English, and had to ask him to repeat himself rather frequently.
2. At the end of our trek, we gave the guide and porter their tips separately to ensure that each person received the intended amount, but we noticed that our guide made a point of being present when we gave our tip to the porter, and left with the porter after we gave him his envelope. Then Ramesh returned to us after leaving the porter, and said that he thought we didn't give enough of a tip, because the porter "looked sad", and then suggested a tip that amounted to almost the entire cost of hiring the porter for 11 days. We felt of course very uncomfortable and bothered, because we had taken time and care to make sure that we were tipping well (and we did, even by US standards). We replied that we had researched tipping guidelines and gave on the high end of what was suggested. He then tried to ingratiate himself with us afterwards, probably in an effort to get a higher tip for himself; we think it's possible that the guide took part of the porter's tip in exchange for having chosen him to be the porter for our trek, which bothered us (why else would he walk out with the porter, and then come back). This unfortunately left us with a sour taste in our mouths. We later read similar stories online about this happening to other trekkers in the Himalayas; apparently the trekking industry has become a very good source of income for guides (the average Nepali earns about $2,500 USD/year) and somewhat of a "dog eat dog" business, with guides sometimes demanding extraordinarily large tips, a practice that is very out of line with Nepalese culture. Strangely enough, we had no issues whatsoever when we gave our guide his tip at the end of our trek, and he seemed very grateful and happy. We think that this is not the norm for the agency through which we booked or for the Nepalese people, and that we just happen to have had a negative experience in this area.
We understand that tipping is an important part of a guide and porter's income. But the fact of the matter is that gratuities are voluntary and should be accepted with gratitude and appreciation, whatever the amount. Under no circumstances should a guide comment on the amount of the tip in such a way as to make the client feel uncomfortable or to pressure them into giving more. This kind of behaviour is unprofessional and significantly detracts from what would otherwise be an experience of a lifetime. We hope that Nepal Eco will take measures to educate all their guides on the standards of acceptable professional behaviour.
