As you can see, I was clearly coherent enough to shoot photos in the restaurant. For this set, I used my Sony A6000, and I shot manual, of course. To get away with taking photos of so many strangers, you must know what you're doing, so I was obviously sharp. Not long after this, however, I was lying on the pavement, with scrapes on my knees and my bag searched through, though I have zero memory of how it happened.

As one reader remarked at SubStack, I was lucky my robber didn't overdose me. I seriously doubt he's still in Laos, much less Pakse. The Thai border is nearby, so he probably got out in that direction. When I caught him on film, he put up his hand and said, "No photo," with clear irritation.