Views from Chomphet Hike

When I first came to Luang Prabang I expected to do much more hiking than I have. My lack of hiking isn't due to laziness or busyness but simply due to a surprising lack of trails in the city. Luang Prabang is surrounded by mountains, you would think that hiking would be a big deal here. But I guess when peoples' villages and homes are scattered through those mountains it would be a little intrusive for falangs to be walking through all the time.

However, this past weekend after discussing the lack of hiking and a quick Google search my friends and I found a trail across the river known as Chomphet Hike. We made plans to meet back up after lunch to catch a boat across the Mekong and to the start of our trail.

The Chomphet Trail begins along the riverside taking you through several wats before curving up along the mountain where you can see spectacular and I truly mean spectacular views of the city. The hike follows along through thick bamboo and palm tree forests before bringing you to a long dirt road that crosses through a small Lao village and loops you back to the Mekong. Despite being just a boat ride and a short walk away from the heart of town, I don't believe many of these people are used to a small group of foreigners making their way through the neighborhood. We got so many waves and hellos (and about caused a motorbike wreck) that I am sure we were the hot topic at dinner that night. I just imagined them running to their neighbors and gossiping "Did you see the falangs?!" "Yah, do you think they're lost?"

We returned from our hike just as the sun was setting on the river bank making for one last beautiful snapshot of the day.

More views from The Chomphet