Poonhill

It was a total of 60 hours that I pondered over this. Sitting in hot springs at Tatopani, lazing around for 2 days, getting drunk on Chang, I cooked up all the excuses possible for not going to Poonhill. You can do Annapurna circuit in 2 ways at the end. Either you go to Beni from Tatopani, a dry, hot walk on a dry, hot road or you can go to Poonhill and then to Nayapul. The excuses included but were not limited to:

1. Its very touristy - have heard from someone there are over 400 people watching the sunrise even in off season.

2. Already on a trek of 15 days, I have seen enough sights and views. What more will a conventional viewpoint add to it.

The reason for the excuses: Tatopani - 1170 meters. Poonhill - 3200 meters. Nayapul - 1070 meters. So, climb 2000 meters and descend 2200 meters in 2 days. It is difficult to do that after the last 15 days.

Anyway, something, I dont know what, motivated me to do it. I am so glad I did it. The circuit would never have been complete without doing it. A 180 degree view of the himalayas, starting with Dhaulagiri (8167) on the left, Annapurna I (8091), Annapurna South (7XXX), Macchapucchre (6XXX) and many more. Clouds were below us, the mountains above. It was totally worth every meter climbed and descended. I think the images speak for themselves.