Yes, I already booked and paid for the flight. Regarding the Aussie, I am not sure whether I have a chance to meet him in that Pattaya twin city as I intend to travel outside Kathmandu in the south and in the north. So, unless he has turned into the legendary Yeti, the snowman, who is said to live in the remoter hills of the Himalaya, the chance of crossing that Aussie's ways are very low. After meeting the Vice Chancellor of Nepal's new Open University, I will spend most of my time in the village where my currently last PhD student comes from. His native community belongs to one of Nepal's Sino-Tibetan communities, and his PhD project focuses on the culture and native language community (Dhimal) so far not very well researched yet. To me, this trip is a mix of a work mission and some holiday to spend that makes a lot of sense to me.

If you need a good PA and travelling companion you could do a lot worse than asking Fifi(could get priority posts,) unless she's already with SB. They is both missing!

On a more serious note, it all sounds a wonderful and rewarding way of spending Christmas and I wish you well.

More of the same for me over Christmas, pounding the pavements, which I hate. I have just found out that my wife has a talent I didn't know about, skipping, she's an expert and makes that whirring noise that training boxers make- I suppose all Chinese girls are good at skipping? Anyway, no need for her to come jogging now-1000 skips is as good as a five mile jog.