A Selection of Our Client's Feedback - Tibet

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Some words from one of the participants in 2003 - "tibet was tops, peter and i had a great time and i think the experience is one that will live with me for a long time.  the organisation was fantastic and danima our sherpa was inspirational and a top bloke a guy who made us feel very comfortable in a place that quite frankly was very alien. particuarly the altitude which leaves you pretty much on the edge of sickness thank buddha for doctor diamox.  the weather was pretty good as it snowed the week before and the week after but was only spitting on the dromla la when i panted my way to the field of prayer flags.  the whole thing actually pretty much every moment is still very fresh in my mind and if you new what a bad memory i have that would impress you.  what else can i say except that i can't praise you enough for the organisation"  M. Boswell Australia.

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Some words from one of the participants in 2005.

Driver / Vehicle for the cross country drives
Was the standard of service acceptable?          Y       
Comments…

The vehicle stood up to the demands of the terrain, and Nyema, the driver was not only an expert driver but a wonderful person to be with.  His sense of humour was great. There appears to be a correlation between unpleasant places and amount of Chinese presence.  Thus, Saga was not a nice place, but Prayang was lovely.

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Service in general from our main agent

Was the service excellent ?      Y       

Comments…

is there a grade for more than excellent?  Hira gets that!  His unending patience and loving care for us went beyond anything that I have ever experienced.  I feel that he is more a friend than an agent.

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Hiking Guide

Was your guide special ?       Y       
Comments…

Sherpas Dawa, D.B. and Goujing, were fantastic people.

I owe the completion of the kora to Dawa.  In Saga he diagnosed 'moderate altitude sickness'.  I felt so ill that I thought that I was going to die.  Dawa sat with me all night monitoring me in case of deterioration.  In the morning he set several conditions for me to meet before he would consider it worth the risk to carry on.  He gave me every chance, love, understanding and support.  He was simply magnificent.  the best.  he will remain forever part of my life.  the word 'special' is a serious understatement.

D.B. and Dawa were always there when you needed then.  Their fun and laughter hugely contributed to the success of the tour.

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Did you have enough pre-departure info from us?    Y   

Please outline what else would have been helpful…

Comments…

Yes, the info was good.  having been to Tibet before I could read into what 'long day's drive' actually meant.  Hira's briefing at the hotel was superb. I think that it would be helpful if more financial guidance could be given.  Dawa insisted that I hire a porter and a horse for the kora.  No complaint about that!  he was right.  But it knocked a hole in my budget.  If you could inform people that it is possible to hire a porter and a horse and that it costs about £100, this will help people budget.  The other thing that knocked my budget off course was the tipping.  I know that I am an experienced traveller, but naively I forgot about tipping, the total of which added up to another approximately £100.

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Will you consider travelling with Muir's Tours again ?  Y 

Please elaborate

I like the ethos of treading lightly upon the earth and for supporting local communities.  Everyone that I met was smiling and very helpful.  Should we ever be able to afford to travel again, Muirs Tours allied with Hira will be the first stop.

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Would you consider volunteering your time on a suitable humanitarian / environmental project ?   Y  

If yes, what type of project is your ideal ?

I would be happy to get involved with helping to get the Chinese out of Tibet.  What I saw there churned my gut.

Secondly, when I Kathmandu, I met a wonderful Lady called Indira who is running a children's home, organising schemes of education to help women prisoners and simply wants to change the prison system of Nepal, all single handedly.  I think that she could do with a bit of support!

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Any Other Comments…

Only that the kora was    and here I lose words (unusual for me!)  The power that I felt at the Drolma La nearly knocked me off my feet.  Call it oxygen deprivation if you like, but I believe something deep happened for me there.

The tour was expensive, arduous and demanding, but more than worth everything.  Pilgrimages are not meant to be easy are they?

The care that Hira took of us and the happy and efficient team of people we were with made every day a joy.  Seeing D.B. first thing every morning with a cup of tea in bed, wow.  Then, no matter how remote a place we camped in, we always sat down to an evening meal with a table cloth, serviettes and candle light, and to freshly prepared food.  pampered camping I call it!

I am a changed person. Enough!  I am in danger of going on and on too much!

Thank you Mo.

I have loaded my photos onto the computer and am about to write an account for the local paper.  When I have sorted the photos I shall be happy to send one or two of the best for you to use in any way that you choose. I have no objections to you showing my comments to Hira or the team, nor any objections to being quoted for marketing purposes.  If you have other prospective pilgrims I would be happy to speak with them, if they would like to talk to someone who has completed the kora.

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