We travelled south to Luang Prabang by shared minibus. It was a rather warm and cramped journey, but it gave an excellent opportunity to get a feel for the country. The road was very quiet, just a few buses, virtually no private cars. Much of the natural forest has so far been undisturbed, but it is no doubt under threat from illegal logging. The hills looked tempting for trekking, but I expect the paths have now been turned into motorbike tracks and may not be that attractive. Everyone travels by motorbike here, even the babies. Luang Prabang is a big tourist town and we arrived in time to take a quick look around the night market before dinner. I made a good choice of chicken in coconut milk, closer to Thai food than Chinese food.
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