Afternoon, just spent two enjoyable days in Chiang Mai (northern thailand) and am now sitting at a border crossing to Laos. Presently, some local has sped off on a moped with a fistful of dollars and our passports so we could be destitute and selling clothes at the side of the road here for some time.

Stayed at a great place in Chiang Mai, basically an ostentatious, colonial hotel with woodwind section playing by the pool during dinner. Very tranquil, though somewhat spoilt when the bats divebombed the pool to have a drink. We hired a couple of pushbikes and braved the thai rush hour to get across town to the zoo - emma developed a hithertho unseen aggression when navigating lane changes - most impressive.

We have a boat cruise booked from here down to Luang Prabang and then will get a bus onto Vientiane, so we may go dark (as Jack Bauer would say) for a few days now. On that front, how is he doing?

Anyway, moscow

stuart and emma