Back in the Saddle... Lessons Learned from a Thailand Vacation

OK. Remember that quote by Nietzsche? The "what doesn't kill me" one? Consider this: 23 hours from Phi Phi Don Island (in Phuket) to Guangzhou in China. 3 hours on a boat, a quick lunch, a drive to a "gem showcase" where we were pestered by sales drones while looking at a godawful selection of tacky gems. Then, the airport: wait, wait, wait, board the plane. Oops! Back off the plane, it's broken. 5 hours of no answers from Orient Thai Airlines, followed by a 10pm departure, 2am arrival, bus to downtown Hong Kong to a bus to the Shenzen border to a van to Guanzhou, arriving at roughly 7am.

Sigh.

Also, while there were some nice moments (an elephant ride, a half day snorkel trip), Patong really is only suitable for 23 year olds and creepy old men who like young Thai women. Not for families.

So, I need a vacation to recover. Would we return? Well, maybe. But not to the same places.

Hong Kong

We've begun our May Holiday (aka Golden Week) with 3 days in Hong Kong. Shanghai and Hong Kong are often compared ("Shanghai is the new Hong Kong"). What is striking is just how different they are.

• Shanghai is flat and sprawling; Hong Kong is dense and mountainous
• Hong Kong is remarkably multi-ethnic; Shanghai by comparison is just Chinese

The food has been quite excellent, with only one minor exception. Julia had a fabulous time strolling through the Ladies' Market shopping for hair ties and watches.

Plus, of course, the inevitable Mao memorabilia...