Needless to say, he's got nothing but admiration for a woman with an assertive handshake. She immediately strikes him as someone for whom he needs pull no punches, so he doesn't bother.

"To no small degree. Simply put, we've been trapped and tormented since arriving here, but we've also been provided for. One generous, if monotonous meal a day, storage facilities - housekeeping services," he adds, still rather incredulous about that though he's frankly pleased not to be laundering his own clothes in his bathroom sink.

"Two and a half weeks ago, that food stopped coming. We do seem to have been subsisting on what some managed to stockpile beforehand, but that won't last forever."