So our longer-than normal summer is over. We’ve gone from harsh desert lands to the mighty Himalayas, and we’re very excited. Nepal is a small country wedged between China and India, and was the birthplace of Prince Siddhartha, who is now more widely known as Buddha.

Kathmandu is an interesting place, and we’ve been enjoying it so far. The Nepali (or Nepalese…we’ve read both are OK, so I’ll probably use them both from now on) people are incredibly genuine, friendly people. Hindu beliefs and Buddhism have intermingled here, so walking around the streets and looking at temples in the Old Town can be confusing. We are taking a crash course in both religions, and there couldn’t be a better place to be a student of Eastern religions.

Nepal is cheap, which is great. Cheaper than Egypt. Our hotel is $8 per night, but there’s no central heating and hot water only runs for about an hour each day. It’s downright cold at night and first thing in the morning, but once the sun comes up it’s not too bad. The main tourist ghetto in the city is called Thamel, which is a chaotic mass of trekking gear shops, travel agencies, souvenir shops, bookshops selling thousands of titles on the Dalai Lama, Buddhism, famous Everest conquerors, and restaurants. Tons and tons of restaurants.

Nepal and the Himalayas draw tourists from all over the world. Most of these tourists have one thing in mind: taking a trek through the incredible Himalayas. And when these people get back from weeks on the trail eating the same thing (lentils and rice), they want to eat good food. So there’s more restaurant diversity in a few square blocks here than anywhere I’ve ever been before. Any kind of Asian cuisine, American, Mexican, French, Italian, Swiss…you name it.

We haven’t been doing much exporing around Kathmandu though, because first on our agenda is going on a trek. It’s all taken care of, and by the time you read this, we’ll be somewhere in the Annapurnas. We opted for the Jomsom Trek, a trail that is good for beginners but doesn’t hold back on the impressive scenery. It takes 12 days. We have a Sherpa guide (sweet!!) and a bunch of new gear purchased in the local markets. It’s not all genuine gear, but the shops are overflowing with name brand stuff that would cost hundreds of dollars at home.

As soon as we get back to civilization we’ll be sure to update the website with some spectacular pictures. And the next episode of BTBtv will be all Himalayas. So for the next ten days or so, think of us freezing our butts off, walking six hours each day up and down tall mountains, and eating mainly rice and lentils. Feel free to be jealous or spiteful; we don’t mind. We’ll be hanging with our Sherpa guide.