We rolled out of bed in the dead of night, hopped onto our mechanical bull - a 600cc whirling dervish of unsteady power - and rode off into the mountains. We arrived at SangKot, a favored sunrise destination for many people whom visit Pokhara, and began our climb to the peak. When the sun began to rise we realized there was a problem; cloud cover was severe, and there would be no view of the most dramatic peaks on this day. Dejected, many of the other visitors descended back towards Pokhara, while we decided to take our chances against the coming storm so that we might catch a glimpse of the sun.

I'm glad we did. I set up my gear about halfway down the trail and caught the sun just as it broke through the clouds to illuminate Pokhara proper. None of the world's most famous peaks make an appearance in this frame, but that's fine by me. The experience of hiking out to SarangKot in the dark and waiting out the crowds with my travel partner made it seem like we were the only two people on earth enjoying this view. A sublime experience, and one I highly recommend.