Summer break is not what it used to be. Used to be I’d get two months. Plenty of time to veg around the house or tackle a major renovation project, if I felt so inclined. These days I’m lucky to get three weeks. But although Taylor’s may not have long school breaks, at least they have frequent ones. We are headed off first thing tomorrow on a week’s break to Laos and Thailand.

I have long wanted to see the Mekong River, and we finally did see it flow past Phnom Penh in Cambodia around Christmas last year. We thought of taking a cruise then, but the boats were tourist traps and the trip was not worth the money. This time we will be on it for two full days with friends Gary and Kveta exploring the ancient culture of Laos from the relative safety of the river.

We exit in northern Thailand where we’ll spend two days, and then fly home from Chaing Mai. Pam was in Chaing Mai earlier this year on a conference, and although I have never been there, her pictures showed a terrain much like the Hill Tract area of eastern Bangladesh: rolling green hills and lush rice paddies. It doesn’t look like we will be able to post for a while, but will continue to pick up our email when we can.