New Digs:

House from the street.



Okay, no internet yet, but we are all moved into our new abode closer to town and in a really nice neighborhood. It is gated, as many Thai neighborhoods are, and each house has its own fence, gate, barred windows, etc. Gates and bars seem to be everywhere. Shops usually have them, too. Our two-story new house is fancier than our old one but smaller in size. If you are reading this, it means we are connected to the internet again—but may still be taking cold showers. The bathroom off my bedroom has two showerheads, one for hot and one for cold. They do not work in unison. If you would prefer not to be scalded, you have no choice but to opt for cold. (Not unbearable in such a hot climate but does rudely invigorate you at 6:00 am.)

Thanks to bunk beds, the house will sleep 16. It has 2.5 bathrooms. We were spoiled at the old house with plenty of toilets and showers for a crowd. Guess we’ll have to have a lottery to see who gets the 5:00 am time slot to shower.

One great advantage to the new house is that it is located near a little park we can walk around—no cobras sighted so far.

Looking forward to meeting the new volunteers!

P.S. The shower is fixed! The hot water can now be adjusted. So disregard above. By the way, here’s another oddity of Thai homes: They have water heaters no bigger than an 11 x 14 picture frame. The heater is right in the shower and does a dandy job heating water as it runs through the heater just before it reaches you. Why don’t we have water heaters like these? Why do we pay to heat a whole water tank (and keep it hot) til needed? Our way makes no sense. (Wonder if I can sneak a couple of heaters through customs on the way home. I need a new water heater.)

Livingroom/main room

Dining area

Kitchen

New bedroom in the new digs. Mine is the only one occupied til new volunteers arrive.

View of the street from my bedroom balcony.

Looking down the street.

Even a park bench at the park near us!

These are million baht homes on the other side of the canal from us, we were told. Very upscale.