How do the porters ascend 30 thousand feet carrying 30kg worth of KE adventure travel bags on their backs?!!! And how long does it take school children to climb 3000 steps to Chomrong school everyday? Or a man to reap his terraced field of millet with a small scythe? ........just a few questions we pondered as we climbed to Annapurna base camp through beautiful valleys, woods, farmland and villages aided faultlessly by Ricky, Karma and the team of guides.

Our entire holiday experience was wonderful, from the dizzying hecticness of Kathmandu to the peaceful Annapurna Sanctuary and humid Chitwan National Park. Hints and tips? Prep- as well as walking practice, I would recommend a Pilates or yoga class to strengthen core muscles. It certainly helped me! Ladies: yes, the toileting is basic, but the KE team were wonderful with timely breaks at tea houses to ensure our comfort. For trips to the showers, check your trekking towel is not too skimpy.

Expensive trekking face cloths? No! - equip yourself with a pack of bargain store " five for a pound" easy dry cleaning cloths, stitch on some loops for hanging to your rucksack and hey presto, you can mop your brow, wipe a dusty tea cup or even blow your nose in an instant!!! Easily washed out and clean for the next day! Food and drink: Our whole team were impressed with the wonderful catering at the tea houses and lodges where we stayed. Eggs, rice, spaghetti and flatbread were key staples along with delicious daal bat and wonderful chips. We were a little disappointed not to be offered porridge more often and wondered if this was considered too " everyday" to offer!

The KE team oversaw and helped with all proceedings in the kitchens to ensure stringent measures were adhered to. And my prior worries about lack of fresh fruit and veg were unfounded- spinach, tomatoes cabbage, carrot, bananas and apples featured frequently on the menu! Safe water was available every morning and evening and nobody on our team ever ran short of supplies.

Clothing- do hire or buy the down jacket and four seasons sleeping bag as you will need them at base camp! For the first three days of the trek and for wear in Kathmandu (hot!) , l would recommend a knee length skirt for ladies. ( Modesty and practicality combining to dictate precise length here!) If you are passing through Chomrong both en route to and returning from ABC you can leave clothes to be washed and collected for a very modest fee! Well worth as from here upwards it was difficult to dry clothes quickly as the evenings get colder.

Talking of Chomrong, if you stay at " Mountain View" lodge, bedroom number 8 has panoramic views of the sky, mountains, valley and village!!! What a privilege to witness a spectacular lightening storm, a wonderful starry night, a beautiful sunny dawn and villagers going about morning duties watched by a horse who wandered into the yard below all in the space of one never to be forgotten night at Chomrong!!! Ooh, and bedroom number 8 is also over the kitchen and thereby benefits from the rising warmth!!!

Trekking: as mentioned, the KE team headed by Ricky left nothing to be desired in their care, attention and concern for our comfort. Of course, the trekking could be tough at times-but regular breathers, photo stops and pauses to answers questions about surroundings, impart interesting information about our surroundings, joke and laugh with us all make for merry progress! I only wish I had learned more beforehand about the many flowers, butterflies and birds I was going to see in the mountains, valleys and jungle areas. I had not expected to see so many flowers in October! And to remember your wonderful trip: take a small notebook to make a basic diary. Together with photographs this will be an invaluable way to record the array of sights, sounds, feelings, anecdotes and interesting facts you glean from " Ricky time" equivalent information talks from your KE rep every evening!!! Hopefully, your KE rep will be as talented and entertaining as Ricky and his young team helper on the guitar and song writing front too!!!

What a way to cosy up and relax with your trekking team in the teahouse " dinning room" in the evenings!!! Wonderful! Thankyou so much!! Chitwan: hot and humid but well worth it. Mosquitoes were not the problem I had feared, with sensible precautions taken, of course. And " Into the Wild" Eco Centre where we stayed provided mosquito proof accommodation. Elephants, rhinos and crocodiles: the wide range of animals and sights we saw from ox drawn carts, jeeps, elephants and on foot did not disappoint!!! I just hope everyone is as lucky as us. And even got to ride an elephant bare back down to the river, where I was rewarded with a thorough soaking!!! Final tip- try everything on offer: if something on your trip is optional, it is being offered for good reason- you won't regret it!