February visitors

Tuesday 17th February 2026

One of the nice things about welcoming friends coming to Luang Prabang is the chance to think about and recommend the best bits of town. Our friend Jacqui from Bournemouth (one of Trevann's meditating buddies) had just 4 days here at the end of her one-month trip to SE Asia. It was lovely to see her and to show her around. We enjoyed good food, a chance to catch up, and a long hot walk on the far side of the Mekong.

We've just signed up for another year in this house so hoping our health and fitness hold out until February/March next year. Meanwhile our inept tenants in Brighton refuse to inform us what they intend to do when their tenancy agreement ends mid-March. We can only assume they will just leave then. Annoying to have a void period but at least we can sort anything that needs doing. Hoping for better tenants next time round.

Over here proper temperatures have returned - about 22 degrees at night and 34 by afternoon. No rain. Down to a single duvet again!

Our neighbours, Josephine and Simon, have started work on their annex. It's bigger and closer to us than we expected, but shouldn't be a problem.

This golden orb spider (Nephila pilipes) in the back garden is huge (4 inches across?)

Oh - I baked some biscuits. The ones on offer in the shops here tend to be sugary and full of chemicals so I thought I'd give it a go. The lack of a decent low-fat shortening agent is an issue.

The Nam Khan river levels are low.

Land owners continue to strip away the hillside to create building plots

Another visitor was Sue from Australia. We enjoyed a jazz concert at the Belle Rive Hotel and she brought our old housekeeper Noi to visit us with Noi's son Scott Louis. We hadn't seen them for ages. 

When we put an umbrella up to stop mango leaves falling in the pond this poor little Common Tree Frog dropped with a plop into the water. I guess it was hibernating. We apologised.

I completely forgot to take pix of Noi and Scott Louis until they were driving away in a tuktuk!

These are the first petunias we've seen in Laos. They seem to be thriving. We found geraniums too.

A golden tortoise beetle, which really looks like a drop of molten gold in real life.

We had promised Damian and Da a genuine "English meal" ages ago. Finally we came through with our promise - cottage pie, gravy, carrots and cabbage followed by berry crumble and custard! They said it was delicious

Jacqui

The yellow elder we planted last year finally came up with some flowers.

On the local boat going to Chomphet

From the other side of the Mekong you can see the way the end of the peninsula has been completely remodelled, banks stripped and reinforced with a public park replacing the tree-covered banks.

We ate our ban mi lunch in shade in the temple grounds

Top of the hill.

Then back across the river for a welcome cold drink and sit-down in the lovely Belle Rive gardens, which we are invited to use any time we want. A perk of being included in the hotel "family"

Meanwhile in London, Holly was dog-sitting for a friend in Hackney and it was lovely to see that she got in touch with Rosie for a catch-up while she was there.

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