The crocodile farm near Pattaya is home to 2,800 potential handbags. Except now it is home to 2,800, less an unknown number that escaped.

The recent heavy rain raised the water level in their accommodation to such a point that many were able to just swim away.

A spokesman for the farm said: “We don’t know how many are still missing but I’m confident that we can catch them all because these animals aren’t used to finding food for themselves”.

Well, they may be used to having food thrown over a fence, but I am sure a few million years of evolution will kick in and ensure that any pedestrian in their vicinity will provide a substantial snack. On the other hand, millions of years of evolution will not have prepared them for the determined stall holders in the area that can envisage putting crocodile steak on their menu for the next few evenings.

I try and avoid market shopping with she who must be obeyed, but if I have no option then I spend my time looking for interesting things to take home and photograph.

Today it was some young Jackfruit, sliced into pieces about 2 cm. thick. Apparently makes a fine curry; but if you bang a studio light through the bottom at full power, it makes for an interesting photo too. Wasn’t expecting the red glow, must be something inside the fruit.

It started pissing down yesterday, and it was still pissing down this morning. Some of the city was underwater and we thought it would be jolly to jump in the truck and make an inspection. Sadly, the authorities spoiled our fun by blocking off roads that were deemed impassable; but there were plenty of other water-logged places to splash around in.

I took a few shots out of the window, but they were all crap. She who must be obeyed had her inevitable Blythe doll along for the ride and was flashing away. “That won’t work” I told her, “you won’t capture the view out of the window”.

I really should just shut up, because she captured the essence of a soggy city much better than I did.

Ten years ago I was sat watching the news after a plane flew into the World Trade Centre. When the second one hit it was clear that this was no accident and the world changed. My immediate concern, however, was for The Son who had been in the USA for a job interview and was boarding a flight home from Boston, the source of the second plane to strike the towers. A very worrying hour or so before he managed to send out an email saying he was OK; although a couple of weeks stuck in post 9/11 America persuaded him not to accept the job.

That day resulted in a worldwide outpouring of sympathy for America. It would have been an ideal time for the West to reconsider its relationships with the rest of the world and foster some reconciliation.

Instead the USA has embarked upon ten years of bloodshed; very little of which has anything to do with 9/11 and none of which will result in American citizens being safer.

Iraq, where there were no weapons of mass destruction but plenty of oil. A country that had nothing to do with 9/11, although Bush made sure he mentioned Iraq and 9/11 in the same sentence enough times such that by the end of 2002, half of Americans polled believed that the majority of the hijackers were Iraqi (none of them were) and that Saddam was personally responsible for the attacks.

Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, rendition, black sites, torture, Homeland security, Israel.

Afghanistan, home to none of the hijackers, but maybe Osama was hiding there so let’s lay waste to the entire country in a war that can never be won. The Taliban may have gone, but they have been replaced by a totally corrupt puppet regime and a country that can only operate in conjunction with local warlords whose reputation for violence and abuse exceeds that of the Taliban.

And most recently, Libya, another country with a despot that we used to support (and a lot of oil), who is now deemed dispensable. The replacement regime may not be quite what was desired.

You can’t fight terrorism, you can only create conditions in which terrorism has no reason to prosper. Ten years on and the reasons to wish America harm have increased. A bit of a waste of 4 trillion dollars, and a terrible waste of 225,000 lives.

Driving through Hua Hin and we see this:

We don’t go out much. Evenings are usually spent watching downloaded movies and/or fiddling about on the computer. But this evening, she who must be obeyed informed me that we were going out for cocktails. An initial plan to go to the Hard Rock was amended to a walk down Walking Street, where we would find a seat and watch the passing action.

For those who don’t know, Walking Street is Pattaya’s answer to the Star Wars’ Cantina; a collection of go-go bars lining a street which features a motley assortment of hookers, punters, druggies, peddlers and assorted trash from around the world. Always fun for a look.

“Take your camera” advises the boss, so I do; and we are soon walking down the street of debauchery and I am looking out for some suitable snaps. Then she who must be obeyed rummages in her handbag and offers me a subject: