We just missed CNN’s Anderson Cooper the other day. We were in Bangkok’s Chatuchak Market at the same time. We were shopping, he wasn’t. We later caught his report on animal trafficking in Thailand and Cambodia, a good report. He is a very attractive man.

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We’ve been back in Bangkok for a few days. Not just shopping: preparing for the flight to Delhi, mostly. Also doing our taxes. And getting caught up on the news because for once we have a TV in our room and we’ve been enjoying the glorious moving pictures.

Even though the messages are mostly depressing. In the north, despite a cloud-seeding effort that gave residents their first view of blue sky in two weeks, the Permahaze is back: the government just distributed 600,000 surgical masks for residents and tourists alike. We got out of there just in time.

In Australia the drought worsens — Queensland’s premier says his state is approaching an “Armageddon situation.” They are simply running out of water.

Plane crashes and mudslides and forest fires in Indonesia. More carnage in the Middle East. The Incredible Shrinking Dollar keeps shrinking. Anna Nicole Smith is still dead.

Good news? Ruapehu erupted in New Zealand and no one was hurt, thanks to the Kiwis’ terrific advanced warning system. This is one of two hikes we weren’t able to do last November because of bad weather.

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Now we’re looking ahead. The forecast for Delhi this week: high 80s, low 90s and nothing but sunshine, with a slight chance of intestinal dismay. Further bulletins soon.

In the meantime, we’ll miss Southeast Asia. But we’ll be back.