Stairway to Annapurna Base Camp - Day 3

4:30am comes rather quickly, especially when you're off your sleep schedule (10hrs 45 mins different than the east coast of the U.S.). We began our ascent in the dark to reach the top of Poon Hill to watch the sun rise up over the mountains. We climbed about 2,000 steps to the lookout point, where hot tea was waiting for us from a little shack selling hot beverages.

We arrived before the sun, so we had plenty of time to watch the headlights dotting the path to the top. It becomes quite crowded at the top, so claiming your perch was necessary for good photos. The sun began to rise and gleam off of the snowy mountains. It was a glorious way to start the day.

After the sun showed off, we headed back down the stairs to the teahouse for breakfast. Following breakfast we climbed more stairs to make our way around the mountains to the river gorge that would become our path to Annapurna Base Camp. The views of the mountains followed us for most to of the day. We had to turn around every now and again to just drink in the splendor.

Mid-afternoons can bring rain, and today we encountered 40 minutes of precipitation. Thankfully it was while we were under tree cover and near the next teahouse. Once inside the teahouse, we began an evening ritual that would continue until we got to the airport to fly home... playing 500 Rummy.