Insert somewhat funny title about starting here...

I guess I'd better explain what I'm doing for you latecomers/people who I haven't chatted to in a while. Rachel (t'other half) and I have left our jobs and are currently sitting in a completely empty flat with 2 rucksacks for company.

Tomorrow (Thursday Sept 28th) night we go to Heathrow Airport, board QF 002 to Bangkok and don't return to the UK for 4 months. Hurrah! During those four months, the plan is to travel to Vietnam, Cambodia, back to Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and finally Hong Kong.

There are bits and pieces that are sorted; various flights/visas, accommodation in Sydney over Christmas/my birthday and tickets to watch the Boxing Day Ashes Cricket Test in Melbourne, but there are vast chunks where we'll wing it.

It still doesn't seem as if we're going yet. We've been planning this for a very long time, in fact if Rachel hadn't got her Friends of the Earth job, we'd have gone and been back for 8 months or so by now. But tomorrow night we'll be sat on a big white Qantas 747-400, heading a very long way east.

The situation in Thailand seems to be very stable. Reading the reports, it does seem like the best thing for the country. Thaksin seems to be a corrupt individual (allegedly) who hasn't done the country any favours. To be honest, I'm not worried about it at all. The only thing that I'm worried about is that Bangkok's new airport opens tomorrow and we'll be one of the first flights in. Should be 'interesting' I think.