Nepal, What should I know? (country, travel, pros, time)

[hinher]

I'm going to be in Nepal next year from February until May. I'll be based in Kathmandu, but will be traveling all over the country. What should I know before going there? I'm looking for details on culture, food, weather, and anything else I should know. Is Kathmandu a nice city? What is there to do for fun?

Any information you guys could provide would be helpful

[Tiger Beer]

I went in December, it gets REAL COLD at night. Like the moment that sun goes behind a mountain, you will quickly feel it.

Kathmandu is an interesting city. I wouldn't say nice, but it is interesting. What is there to do for fun. Back when I went in the mid-90s, there wasn't much after 9pm, except for a few travelers eating dinner and drinking beer. But the streets were dead by 10pm. I heard these days they are struggling with go-go bars and prostituation. Apparently a little bit of Thailand is now in Nepal. But I am not sure to what extent.

For the most part, the thing to do is trekking. I did the Annapurna Base Camp. Basically, you have an entire spectrum of various interesting treks you can do, ranging from about however many days you want to do. Most everyone hires a sherpa, a local, who carries your gear. I didn't necessarily want someone carrying my gear, but you do need a guide, and by default of being a guide, they end up with your basic gear. Well, more like sleeping bag and such.

You don't need tents, as pretty much all of the trails have little lodging areas all over the place. Very basic and rustic. The odd thing is that they all have coca-colas, and candy bars and such, despite being sometimes 4-5 days away from a any road where a vehicle can deliver it there. Basically sherpas take them up. It is not uncommon to be hiking along, 4-5 days on a trail, and suddenly see a sherpa carrying a 24-case of colas up the mountain, and later taking the empties back down.