I spent much of Saturday waiting for a freight company to deliver my new refrigerator, a replacement for the tiny one I bought during the pandemic lockdown nearly one year ago. There is even a freezer compartment so I can buy ice cream and other frozen foods and not have to consume them almost immediately. It has already made quite a difference in my shopping routine.

While waiting for the fridge to arrive, I spent much of the (relatively) cooler morning hours with my stamp collection. This has become a Saturday tradition and this week I primarily worked on adding German stamps to my album. For many years now, I have had an intense interest in classic Germany (including the earlier Thurn und Taxis postal system, the North German Confederation, and the various states and occupied territories. As it grew warmer the closer it got to noon, I began cleaning my home and doing laundry. Naturally, just as soon as I jumped in the shower (mostly to cool off) the phone rang from the freight company. I told the driver I would be downstairs in a minute and quickly toweled off and dressed but by the time I got to the lobby, he wasn’t to be found but a huge box was sitting next to the front desk. Great! I ended up having to carry the darn thing up four flights of stairs as there was nobody around who would help me. Once I got the fridge unboxed and plugged-in, it was off to 7-Eleven to buy a bunch of cold drinks. I think it was definitely worth the effort but I am still angry with the delivery company (Kerry Express, if you must know).

Today (Sunday) began with a two-hour class at my agency’s Central Festival main offices and a bit of shopping for some school supplies. We have just about three weeks remaining in the school year but I needed some laminating pouches (for flashcards) and colored pencils to get me through a few projects intended for our upcoming Open House booths. As usual after working at the mall, I rode home on the local bus known as a porthong (foreigners usually referred to these as simply “the pink bus”). I snapped a few photos as I walked from the bus stop to my home.

The signpost pictured above is sited just outside of Rasta Bar on Phuket Road, a reggae-themed nightspot that has been closed for much of the past year now. There was some signs of life a couple of months ago as it appeared they were remodeling the interior. I even heard a band inside rehearsing one afternoon. It opened for about one week around the end of January but has been locked up tight since then. It’s a shame as this is the only bar in Old Town where I felt comfortable sitting and hanging out with friends on rare occasions. There are a few new bars scattered around the area with one or two more currently under construction. I don’t drink that much and my few friends who enjoyed going to bars have either returned to their home countries or have died (two, both fellow teachers with whom I worked, have passed on in as many years).

I rounded out my weekend with more stamp-work this afternoon (mounting Hawaii and Argentina) and doing some reading (currently around a third of the way through Steve Berry’s latest Cotton Malone thriller, The Kaiser’s Web). I cooked some frozen French fries for dinner (thank you, freezer) and spent the evening watching a few episodes by my favorite travel vloggers, Kara & Nate. All in all, I had a really nice weekend but wish I did not have to return to work tomorrow. Mondays and Fridays are always my busiest days (compared to Tuesdays on which I only have two lessons). Below are a few more photos from Saturday and Sunday…..