This time I took my bicycle. I stuck it on the bus then on a boat to Luang Prabang. Spent about a week there before setting off on my trip. Laos has very dramatic scenery, which is beautiful. On a bike it has another dimension, sweat.
Most places go uphill for a while then down a little then up again, with more ups than down.
Setting out from LP, which is in a valley on the banks of the Mekong, I started up the valley. Going up, then up, followed by up. It turned out that it went down for 20 km. It was a welcome sight, even though it takes quite a bit of energy to go down. You always have to watch the road as it often goes from smooth to potholes from hell and back in a flash.