muddy hikes & motorbikes in luang prabang

To reach the start of our hiking trail, we took a bootleg ferry across the Mekong River, where the boat owner dumped out buckets of water before we gingerly climbed in.

The engine sputtered as it struggled against the strong current, the sides of the boat inches away from submerging us. The sky ripped open as soon as we reached the other side. We hiked in the downpour past the village, heading deeper into wilderness to find the temples scattered in the jungle. After hours on the squelchy path, I was drenched in rainwater and sweat. My sneakers were heavy from caked mud - but I felt light from good talks with new friends, as we uncovered temples tucked behind trees.

The next morning, I started on a six-hour motorbike loop that wound through the picturesque countryside. As we sped along, my peripherals tried to take in the scenes zipping past me, too nervous to take my eyes off the road. One hour in, we arrived to a rollercoaster dirt path. I followed my friends on their slim semi-automatics, clunking along on my bulky automatic bike.

One sudden steep drop, and in a flash, I was flat on my back with the wind knocked out of me.

The pillow of mud left me miraculously unharmed - so we could laugh at the ridiculous aftermath. Big thanks to Ali and Seb for dragging my bike out of the mud pit and cutting the trip short to take me home.

Venturing out of my comfort zone can mean going on a hike most tourists never experience - or when I overestimate my motorbiking ability, getting lobbed right back into place. Both ended in stories that make me smile, along with aggressive mud stains on my backpack and sneakers. A passerby might even mistake this city girl for a rugged trekker.