With Philip already in Nepal, escalating civil war in Libya and shocking news of a devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan saturating the media, I flew to Bangkok to visit Chris, Kathy and the children in their new villa.

I spent an idyllic three days with them before my friend, Leonie, arrived to join me. She was given a very warm welcome and we were both utterly spoiled by the family before we left on our own journey to Laos. This began with Philip accompanying us in a taxi to Ayutthya, the old capital of Siam north of Bangkok and on the Chao Phrya River. The sun was low and setting as we wandered around the beautiful ruins. Philip left us then to await our night train north to the Thai border on the Mekong River the next day where we crossed to Laos and the start of a new adventure.