Wat Chomphet Luang Prabang

Ban Xieng Maen's long, narrow, brick-edged 'street' slowly degrades into a rough track, eventually becoming little more than a rocky footpath. At about this point, climb an obvious 123-step stairway to find the 1888 Wat Chomphet fronted by greying twin pagodas. The hilltop temple is little more than a shell, but the site offers undisturbed views of the town and river.