Green and Pleasant Land

Tuesday 5th August

Not a lot to report this month. All is quiet; the monks are doing three months of Buddhist Lent so there are few weddings and celebrations. Less karaoke!

The main event was the arrival of Storm Wipha (formerly typhoon), which looked a little concerning for a while.

But in the event, it had blown itself out by the time it got to us and just translated into a week of near constant heavy rain. This did result in flooding in some areas, especially when the dam operators upstream decided to open the sluice gates to relieve pressure. Our friend Mike's house, on the banks of the Nam Khan, was inundated with mud again. Like last year, it was said to be a "once in 10 year event".

The Nam Khan rose by probably 8 metres, washing away more of the bank strengthening work they've been doing for the past 2 years.

For us, perched on top of a hill, the floods were never going to be a direct risk, although we have to paddle in ankle-deep water over the stream in the village to get to town. And we were glad to find that the Lao Red Cross set up a roadside collection point so that we could quickly donate clothes, food and money for villages north of here that were washed away.

And now, 2 weeks later, the rivers are back to normal. Everything dries out quickly when the sun shines, we can get our washing done, wipe down the mouldy shelves and relax.

Our social life has been busier this month. Trevann has had opportunities to play music and we've found some good friends recently. At the Fat Cat we've started a regular Saturday jam session with a couple of old-time professional singers (Steve and Larry - they yodel!), along with Tin (Lao bar owner), Phi (Parisian Vietnamese traveller), Daniel (US film-maker) and others.

Trevann, Steve and Larry - the old-timers!

Trevann and Tin

All good fun and helps to balance the hours spent quietly reading, writing and gazing at the view!

Talking of which, I've been watching them remove the top of a nearby hill for the last 3 days. I wonder what they plan to build. I don't think they anticipated the massive boulders they unearthed.