Kathmandu and trekking

Arrived in Kathmandu for four days to organize for the 21 day trek to Mount Everest Base Camp and see some of the sights. On the hour long plane ride from Bhutan to Kathmandu, I flew over the Himalayan Mountain range(tallest in the world), saw Mount Everest(over 29,000 feet) and some of the other tallest mountains in the world, and took some incredible photos. It was spectacular and incredibly beautiful. I felt so lucky to see it, especially on such a clear day. It was just like those huge posters you see all over Kathmandu of the Himalayans. It was a great introduction to the trek and the necessary preparation for high altitude hiking(trekking). I had a long meeting with the trek operator, received the itinerary and even when shopping with him to get necessary equipment. It's serious business. You do not want to put yourself in the position of get attitude sickness and have to evacuated by a helicopter at a cost of thousands of dollars. Fortunately, he advised me to take it very slowly(walking about 5 hours a day), and with great care in taking extra time(with recovery days) for the critical attitude adjustment. This is the reason for taking such a long trek (90% of all Nepal trekkers walk to the 16,500 feet Everest Base Camp). If you are already adjusted to the high attitude, the base camp can be reached in 11 to 15 days. This trekking operator seem to know what he is doing and has not lost any clients to the "chopper." So, I'm excited and a little nervous, but should be fine with this extraordinary challenge. I'm prepared! I leave Oct. 31st and return November 20th.