I have walked on 4 Gele trips in the past 10 years. Annapurna Circuit, Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Lakes, Langtang and Gosaikund, and Manaslu Circuit. All were special especially because of the leader who always has a cheary face, looks after your safety, as I saw when he helped people with mountain sickness, makes a good cup of chai and can cook mo mo. What other skills does a guide need. Well, he is also good at navigating and I never saw him use a map. Alright I am a bit flippant as I hate filling in these things. Moments to remember. Descending every evening to a bed in a good tea house that Gele had chosen. Chai in the morning when you were woken. Getting up to the top of the La and beginning a lovely descent. All those beautiful mountains, and all those stars up in the heavens when you had to get up in the night for comfort after obeying Gele s instructions to drink lots of water to ward of mountain sickness. On a more serious note he introduced us to different culture, Hindu and Buddhist and the people were as important to me as the mountains. We in the west live in a rushing material society. It is good to be in a slower more contented culture. I would happily go with Gele again because above all I feel safe.