Today was a National Holiday (Chakri Memorial Day) so we did not have to sit at school wasting the day away as we did yesterday and will have to do again tomorrow, Thursday and Friday. I’d finished marking my exams and uploaded the completed assessment spreadsheets by around 9:15 yesterday morning and then was faced with trying to find things to occupy the hours until we were allowed to scan-out at 4 p.m. I worked a bit on one of my other blogs (a page which will have a full schedule of ALL stamps released in 2021 when completed) and spent a few hours finishing a biography of guitarist Duane Allman. I awoke early this morning (about 4:30) and began reading a book about Tibet. By noon, I was roasting as my home heated up and I decided to take a brief nap in front of my floor fan.

I had a class scheduled in our mall offices at 4:30 but I decided I wanted to get there early to do some shopping so I took a motorbike taxi around 2 pm. Upon arriving at the agency office, I found that the student had cancelled her lesson but rescheduled for tomorrow at 2:30 so I can leave the school early. I did my shopping and returned home by local bus.

Today’s featured photo is a bit of street art on Phang Nga Road that I have taken to calling “Madame Meow”. Her companion, “Father Feline” is on the adjacent panel. Together, they cover the entrance to yet another abandoned business. For the life of me, I cannot remember what was inside but it was probably an art gallery or a hole-in-the-wall bar. It sits right across the street from the newish (about a year or two old) location of Cue Bar not far from the former Standard Chartered Bank (Phuket’s first foreign-owned bank) and the police station built to protect it with its iconic clock tower. There is still plenty of street art alongside Phuket Town’s roadways but most of it is really showing signs of neglect. I wish a group of local artists could go around touching these up before the tourists return.

The only other photos that I took today were several at the nearby intersection with Phuket Road/Thepkassatri Road that I have dubbed “Selfie Central”. Domestic tourists have begun to return to Old Town causing hazards to motorbikes and other vehicles as they take their selfies alongside the road (my driver to the mall today had to weave amongst them blaring his horn). But the four corners adjacent to the old bank and police station clock tower is always thick with people posing while their photos are taken leaning against the buildings or roadside railings and even trying to cross the road (narrowly avoiding getting hit by speeding motorbikes). These are locals as well as tourists and I see at least one bride-and-groom per week getting their photos taken with these same backdrops. It is a popular location for graduating university students to have photos made as well. I always wait patiently until they are finished so I do not walk in front of any shots. Here are a few photos taken while waiting to proceed today….