Penelope Lively

Penelope Lively’s notebook: Coal holes and pub opera

Plus: Seasonal Shakespeare with six-year-olds

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I still remember the first time I saw Vang Vieng, in Laos. It was many years ago, before the Chinese began pouring money in (such is the scale of Chinese investment, Laos now has high-speed rail). I was driving one of the very few rentable 4x4s in the country, picked up in the sleepy capital

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