We'd hoped to get further than Son La the next day, but it turns out Vietnamese buses rarely set off in the afternoons, and certainly not after 3pm. And in hindsight, that's probably a good thing, given the state of the roads, the quality of the driving and the fact it's been getting dark not long after half 5. Plus, it was a relief to be off the (mini) bus by the time we got to Son La, as not only did it have the dodgiest sounding engine I've ever heard that hasn't actually resulted in a breakdown, but the roof load was about half the height of the vehicle again, so it can't have been the most stable vehicle ever to traverse the winding mountain roads that were our route.

So, we picked a hotel from the Lonely Planet, grabbed a bite to eat and watched the next episode of Prime Suspect, series one, on the netbook, one of a limited number of programmes / films in the iTunes "under £5" section! But it was very entertaining, albeit a tad dated, so I think we'll be back for series two soon! Mind you, Black Books series one and Spooks series one to finish first, so maybe not for a little while...

Also, I've now finished book number six, "The Information", by Martin Amis. Fantastic writing style, clearly a very talented novelist, but a few too many words I didn't understand, and I'm not prepared to carry a dictionary as well as fiction and guide books!. Also, I can't say I was wholly gripped by the overall plotline, so I may give Mr Amis a miss (sorry) in future. Which means I'm on a rate of about two books a month, and catching up with James's two a week is out of the question. I know I've said it before, mate, but seriously, there's no way you could have been listening to a word Deborah was saying!