Shots of Mae Sot Part 1

I have not taken many pictures here as I have felt rather reluctant to go around snapping away like a common tourist in the place I am trying to make my home! On the other hand, I know that people will be wondering what my surroundings are like, so I made a bit of a start today on a photographic record.

This is Phannu House, the guest house where I have been staying. It is very comfortable and the staff are incredibly friendly and helpful:

Here is "Auntie's" coffee shop that does an all day breakfast. I have treated myself there a few times to scrambled eggs on toast. TOAST! Proper TOAST!!
There is a huge variety of places to eat out in Mae Sot - Thai, Burmese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian, Canadian, Italian ..........

There are also several temples in Mae Sot. I haven't really explored them properly yet, and I think I could do with a guide to explain a bit about them. I visited this one today. There seemed to be quite a bit of activity going on, getting the place decorated ready for the new year celebrations:

Just a couple of hundred metres across the road from this temple is .... THIS!

This is the small TESCO in the centre of town. There is also a huge TESCO superstore just off the main highway. I know that some Westerners here boycott them. Personally, I am still undecided on that one, not least because I haven't discovered enough yet about the alternative places to buy all the things I will need! The other chain that is ubiquitous throughout Thailand is 7/11, of which I think there are at least four in Mae Sot.

This TESCO store is on Mae Sot's only roundabout:

Not quite on the same scale as Swindon's Magic Roundabout, but then the magic roundabout doesn't have elephants or a clock or traffic bollards declaring "Swindon I love you"! I had not noticed, until I took these pictures, the little pillar in the middle with different religious symbols on. I would have liked to take a closer look, but decided not to risk life and limb crossing to the middle of the roundabout!