Two well-known characters: “King Leer” and “Miss Titbit” roamed the streets of Vientiane. Leer was a khai addict. There were very few beggars in Vientiane, and most of them were addicts. Khai was a particularly toxic mixture of heroin and other things. Miss Titbit was generally hanging around outside open-fronted restaurants and cafes, waiting for whatever food people might give her. When I returned to Laos in 1989, after 14 years, I saw her again, looking healthier and younger than before. I thought maybe it was her daughter. But she seemed to recognise me and gave me a cheery wave, as if we hadn’t bumped into each other for a few days.