My wife and I planned a High passes trek of Everest through Trekking Team Group over the internet. The company was easy to deal with over email. The guide and driver greeted us at the Kathmandu airport and escorted us to the office where they briefed us on the trip. We then had dinner back at our Hotel which had good food. Four star hotel which was acceptable according to our standards. Our guide was Lakpa and he was top notch. He was polite, professional, quiet at times, but strong with his recommendations to keep us safe and healthy. For example, he explained that meat should not be eaten above Namche Bazaar. He would check for any symptoms of altitude sickness and had an emergency first aid kit on hand with medications commonly used to treat altitude sickness including Diamox and Ibuprofen. He was well versed in the culture and mountain environment based on his substantial experience leading trekking tours over the past 10+ years with over 100 trips under his belt.
After the trip was over and we were back in Kathmandu, he took my wife and I out to the Thamel streets for shopping. We became friends and exchanged contact information at the end of the trip. He was genuine and sincere; he gave us confidence to trust him with his decision making and recommendation. Our porter was Lal and he did an excellent job carrying our bags over the mountain terrain. He was always courteous, on time, and delivered our bags before we even reached our destination.
The trekking experience was more difficult than we initially imagined primarily due to the altitude related issues such as the cold temperature and 50% oxygen relative to sea level when we were 5500meters above sea level. Fortunately, we acclimatized by gradually ascending, and took a rested in Namche and Denboche. Our legs were sore by the end but the memory we had during this trek will last forever!