You made me call my girlfriend. The valley she did a travel lecture on was in Nepal. She said it's a perfect place to begin as there are tons of other friendly travelers walking the trails. She has made many friends from everywhere from Thailand to Germany to Asia on these trails. It sounds friendly and appealing. Perhaps something for you to explore?
I asked her what book to give you to read. She said there are about a ton of travel books, but she prefers "The Poisionwood Bible"...strange book, but great. She is very into the politics of Africa and traveled extensively there.
My personal favorite is "Tuva or Bust" which is Richard Feynman's fascination with the throat singers of Tuva. You can also watch "Ghengis Blues"