Yong Kang Road, The French Concession, Shanghai

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On our last day in Asia we took it a little, ahem, easy. With Hazel’s advice from the night before, we made it finally to the French Concession, which not so surprisingly is the former home of French influence in Shanghai. Yong Kang Road has recently been taken over (re-taken over?) by westerners. It wants to remind you of Paris or London or perhaps New York, but really it’s China. It’s very cute. The man roasting unidentified food stuffs over on active fire in his push cart would be one signal it’s China, though. Another signal would be the Chinese woman leering out her second floor apartment just waiting until 10pm when all shops must be closed and everyone quiet, lest she dump water on you. Seriously, that last part was not made up.

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New Year’s Night, Phuket

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We said farewell to Sirey Beach and Phuket in general with a dinner at an unnamed random family-owned restaurant walkable from our villa. They definitely brought us things CLOSE to what we ordered (basically, whatever Mamma was cooking), and they seemed to charge us Pharang (foreigner) rates, but it was lovely and much needed. Sure we were chased by wild dogs and had to dodge crabs on the beach, but that’s just part of staying in the jungle. You be you, Phuket. Until next time…

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Phuket Day/Night 2, Patong

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It’s been 6 days, but we finally had a full 24 hours without a plane, train, taxi, boat, helicopter, or jetpack required for some kind of transfer. But seriously there were jetpacks at the beach.

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Phuket Night 1, Patong

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At last, we arrived in Phuket. The flight was shorter than the taxi. The Kee Resort in Patong is exactly what we wanted and expected: nice, easy, and most importantly near the action and the beach. The rooftop bar is sadly not as cool as it looks, but it’s nice to have.

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Rules to remember in Shanghai

1. Fast walk at all crosswalks as if a motorbike is about to run you over. Because one probably will. Do not get distracted by street fights. Do not comment on how many Starbucks there are. Do not trust street signs.
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