Eastern Alliance Commander Haji Zahir during an interview by the Sky News team near the headquarters from which he orchestrated his offensive on the Taliban remnants and Al Qaida holdouts at Tora Bora. Although competent in English, Zahir will only allow a taped interview to be conducted in Pashto.

Less than ten kilometers from where approximately 1,000 members of Al-Qaida, their families, and allegedly Osama bin Laden himself hid among mountain caves, the world media clustered atop a rocky knoll. With a public hungry for details regarding this potential endgame to an emotionally charged conflict, journalists scrambled to file informational and insightful reports. In wartime coverage of shifting combat situations, there is little in the way of certainty. In the mountains of Eastern Afghanistan at Tora Bora, the search for the truth proved more elusive than Al-Qaida fighters.

FLM mission update in the classic sense.

if there was anything resembling a narrative at one point, this would be the penultimate chapter.

i think i've made my feelings clear about tours. groups, buses, guides and blue umbrellas. uniforms, preferred by the asian variety of tourist, seem appropriate under the circumstances. foreign invaders wielding a destructive power on par with, yet more subtle, than any stratofortress.

The goal of our northern oddyssey and capital of unified Viet Nam, Hanoi. As typically the case, we rolled into this citadel of Communist power without any idea of what to expect, no clue what we would find in this the dark heart of the north.

Three days of monumental exploration were producing monumental temple fatigue. The third night we said goodbye to randy at the siem reap airstrip and returned to the Siem Reap Angkor Guest House for some R&R. Our fourth day we slept late and hardly left our room, that much time in the sun at that latitude causes some definite solar fatigue, and urban cave-dwellers such as ourselves required a radiation free day. That evening we sat down with our host Sokha, and grilled him on how we could get to some of the really remote sites. He seemed puzzled at our desire to go to so much trouble. We indicated that we very much wanted to get out to Beng Melea. His eyes widened, "Nobody goes out there." "Nobody?" we asked. "Nobody," he insisted, "except the Japanese!"

"Well then tomorrow we will join our brothers from Nippon."

Given the popularity of The Girls of the South, I thought to offer some perspective on the Khmer babes that are an indelible part of the Angkor experience.

"I don't think. My orders say I'm not supposed to know where I'm taking this boat, so I don't. But one look at you and I know it's gonna be hot, wherever it is."

It has been some rough riding. We didn't take many photos let alone stop to see much more than the road. Weather, breakdowns, and near-death experiences. Not that it hasn't been a superlative experience. Qui Non - Quang Nai - Danang - Hue. Read all about it...

Floating in inner tubes in the south china sea, towed behind a fishing trawler converted into party boat. a sweaty shirtless vietnamese man with an embroidered cap indicating that we should refer to him as "CrazyMan" drifts across from us, seated at the "Floating Bar." He tells us "Don't be Lazy! You not drinking! You not get back in da boat until you drunk!" before pouring cheap port wine down our open pink throats.

Todd: "So Adam, wasn't there a war here or something?"

Adam: "I think so. I've seen some movies. I think we must have totally kicked Vietnam's ass."

Todd: "Well that's obvious. When we go back to Afghanistan, will our mujahadeen friends tow us around in inner tubes, pour alcohol down our throats and offer their sisters to pleasure us?"

Adam: "Definitely. I mean, did we not just totally kick ass there as well?"

Todd: "True, dat."

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we are in cambodia. although price fluctuation has stabilized somewhat in the thirteen months since i was last here, internet is still expensive, the lack of any domestic ISP requiring satellite connection.

Welcome to America - Bienvenidos a los Estados Unidos

wherein we learn of a visit to the strangest of lands. not much to see in this story unless you find this kind of rambling amusing. we are actually in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and will be spending the next five to six days motorcycling our way up the coast to Hanoi. Wish us luck. Apart from this we still owe you some pictures and stories from the last week we powered through southern and central India - and yes, the rest of the story...they are all coming. It's difficult to take 8-10 hours to put together and write an "Images" piece while also trying to experience, document, and assimilate a new rich bounty of encounters and sights every day. Any volunteers from an independantly wealthy personal assistant? We'll let you have all the window seats and the mosquito net.