At the end of the long and bone-jarring road south from Luang Prabang
[https://www.nothere.co.uk/luang-prabang-buddhism-and-bowling/], we finally found respite.
The lumpen limestone hills flattened out, the potholed gravel track gave way to
a smooth, mostly sealed tarmac road, and the somniferous calm of Vientiane
enveloped us.