Hey, if I ever get out of here, I'm going to Kathmandu," led us to forgo the usual travel agent's special and go straight to our Lonely Planet book.
Kathmandu airport was hectic, humid and rushed, swarms of locals squabbled to carry our bags employing the easiest scam in the world: carry the bags then ask for the coin.
Our trek started at Lukla, climbing to Tenge Boche, the highest monastery in the world and the key to our goals - to climb higher than anywhere in New Zealand and to see Everest at sunrise.
Flying into Lukla was awesome, the landing heart stopping - a short runway from the cliff's edge that angles up at 15 degrees and ends abruptly at the base of another towering cliff.
From there, it was boots on and forward march, easy trekking, with nightly stops in comfortable basic tea houses where they served hearty curry rice dishes for sustenance.
We were told sternly to "eat no meat after Lukla, no refrigeration".
Namche Bazaar is the Sherpa capital of the world. Here we named the arduous trek to the top "Heartbreak Hill".
The path had us zigzagging and gasping for breath. At the top, we were afforded a brilliant view of all the ridgelines we had conquered and the altitude we had gained.
Tenge Boche is the world's highest monastery at 3860m - talk about being close to heaven, with spectacular views down on the world.
Later, with Mig our guide, I climbed another peak called Tenge Boche Tower, which rose to 4500m.
My first goal had been met and I was higher than the highest point in New Zealand, Mt Cook.
Next morning was crisp and clear with a magnificent view of the sunrise over Everest - scratch number two.
Days later, in Kathmandu, we simply 'laxed out, doing more shopping, eating and drinking, plus further amazing sightseeing.
One day, we visited the sacred Bagmati River where we watched in awe as they cremated their dead in front of us.
But life goes on, don't it, and apart from the sights and smells being more than we we're used to, it was what it was.
And if you ever want a good bar in Thamel to watch life go by, we can recommend one.
-Peter Gee is a Mainlander and communications specialist in the Royal New Zealand Navy.
