Right, before I begin, I would like to thank those who have continued to read my blog and those of you who have so kindly messaged me concerning my writing; it's encouraging to know that my ramblings are appreciated by some. Those of you who have not managed to keep up, for whatever reason, I don't mind, but cannot possibly reply to all your emails concerning my activities. When I say "read my blog", I don't intend to be rude, it's just what it's here for - to be read!

So, we are now intrepid explorers, having seen western China, travelled on many-a-crampt sleeper train and bus, endured tiny, tiny beds, eaten more food than I deemed possible, met interesting people, purchased exciting things and generally had and continue to have an awesome time. China was sadly rushed, but not the least disliked.We saw Guiyang, Kunming and Jinghong before saying farewell to our home for more than five months to enter Laos.

Entrance here was in itself a mission, our lack in passport photos leaving us almost stranded in no man's land. Now, we are here, our days being filled with treks, eating, temples, Buddhist monks, markets and general exploring. I have little time to write; the hostel owner is becoming somewhat psycho with her electronic tennis racket, so I fear my free internet useage has been slightly abused. In a snapshot of points, these are a brief description of our travels so far:

Sampling street food to the severity that we can eat no more, buying Doremon umbrellas, being dissapointed by the disappearing chopsticks, treking through grass so tall that I cannot see, all done in flip flops with a tiny man - umper-lumper proportions - and a knife, finally seeing a western toilet, suffering rice withdrawal, sleeping in a termite infested bed, enjoying a traditional picnic on a bed of leaves, buying exciting things - chicken feet excluded - ELEPHANT TREK: yet to experience and so much more.

A brief update, dear readers, detail will return at a later date - fear not!

Until next time...