Ketsana Typhoon

Tropical Storm Ketsana caused a lot of damage in the Philippines  over the weekend, and then turned into a typhoon before hitting Vietnam on Tuesday. It was predicted that Laos and part of Thailand would get lots of rain and wind from the storm after it passed over Vietnam, but so far I’ve only noticed cloudy skies and a bit of wind. I think we’re too far north to see much more than that. I wonder if there will be flooding in Vientiane.

The Garden

James has been doing a lot of work in the garden over the past month and the results are starting to show. It’s the end of the rainy season, so it’s a great time to start planting vegetables that would have drowned if you planted them 2 months ago (like lettuce, cilantro, dark leafy greens, green onions . . .)

So far the most exciting part of our garden is the okra – “tua lek” in Lao. It’s kind of funny that there’s a word for it in Lao because most people have never seen it or heard of it.

Guava Jam (mermelada de guayaba)

We love guava season! Here’s what’s so great about guavas:

• They taste like a tropical version of a pear
• When made into jam, the whole house smells lovely
• Half of them are a beautiful shade of pink on the inside

Here’s what’s not so great about guavas:

• Since they’re small, peeling them for jam takes a long time
• They’re prone to worminess (because they’re so sweet)
• They’re full of seeds

So, making jam out of guavas can be a long process, but for me it’s totally worth it.