Mint Mocha Musings

LATEST ARTICLES ( 186 )

• Twilight: Chinese New Year in Pictures!

  

  Xin Nian Kuai Le! This week I’m going to give you a break from my running commentary on life in China, with a Chinese New Year colour fest instead! Read more

  Posted on 02 March 2015 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Behind the Curtains on China’s 5-Star Stage: Hotel Confessions

  

  Five months living in the hotel and I finally got a backstage pass! (Just who do you have to um..know ’round here to get a behind the scenes tour!? Read more

  Posted on 26 February 2015 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• China’s Genie in a Bottle: It’s Called Baijiu

  

  I tentatively walked into the packed, brightly lit Chinese restaurant. While I’m getting used to being the only Gweilo in the room, this was my first ‘local’... Read more

  Posted on 15 February 2015 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Life in China: A Class Act?

  

  The wheels crunched over the broken bitumen as we rolled into the driveway.I was in a fairly unremarkable area of Xi’an with a few large iron gates looming... Read more

  Posted on 27 January 2015 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Life in a Chinese City – What’s It Really Like?

  

  China! It’s the country on everybody’s lips. The topical talking point on the global table.But aside from being home to the world’s biggest economy, what is it... Read more

  Posted on 19 January 2015 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• When the Christmas Tree Comes Down: Another Goodbye….A New Year Ahead

  

  I tentatively unlock the door…tiptoeing inside.It’s past midnight and I’ve just made a two hour round trip weaving speedily through the darkness of town,... Read more

  Posted on 12 January 2015 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Christmas in China: What Happens in Xi’an?

  

  Latest column for Expat Focus…“He’s checking his list, he’s checking it twice, he’s going to find out who’s naughty or nice…..”Sing it with me! “….Santa Claus i... Read more

  Posted on 24 December 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Five Fail-Safe Ways to Save Money (after Christmas)!

  

  Copyright: feverpitched / 123RF Stock PhotoAhhh “money” and “saving” in the same sentence. I know! Trust me, it’s not exactly my area of expertise (or... Read more

  Posted on 21 December 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• We Are All One Type of Human – The Sydney Siege

  

  Today like so many of you, my heart is heavy….the pit of my stomach hollow. The Sydney siege is playing on my mind.Glued to the television like thousands,... Read more

  Posted on 17 December 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Living in China: Is There a Doctor in the House?

  

  So it’s been one of those weeks in deep dark China, where our family needed a visit to the local GP…. Winter lurgies and all are upon us… and after a 20 hour... Read more

  Posted on 09 December 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Ni Hao Xi’an: The Birth Place of Ancient Civilisation

  

  Warning: this is not a history lesson but it may involve the words ancient, museum, monuments, ruins and dynasties!Three months into this relationship, it’s tim... Read more

  Posted on 04 December 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Hotel Confessions: Cushioned by the Five Star Bubble(s)!

  

  Eight weeks in deep, dark China and hurrah, we are finally in our own apartment (albeit attached to the hotel…which in all honestly is proving more often than... Read more

  Posted on 12 November 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Expat in a New Country? My Top Ten Survival Tips

  

  Latest Column for Expat Focus….I’ve been living in the middle of China for almost two months now.It’s my second expat posting, so while I’m not a newbie to... Read more

  Posted on 05 November 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Xi’an’s Terracotta Warriors: The Largest Jigsaw in the World

  

  Mention Xi’an – one of China’s 656 cities and more often than not, you’ll (understandably) get a blank look.Followed by: “How do you say that? EX-ee-arn?... Read more

  Posted on 28 October 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• China Visa Fiasco: Medically Speaking, I Was Over-Exposed!

  

  If you’ve ever had to obtain a visa to live in another country, you probably know where I’m coming from when I say, getting a China visa is like navigating an... Read more

  Posted on 16 October 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• China – Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Backwards.

  

  We all have those days don’t we, where everything we attempt to do is just plain difficult!The Gods are not smiling on us…..we usually just put it down to one o... Read more

  Posted on 10 October 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Week Three: So This is China…

  

  Spot the foreigner!So, it’s almost three weeks into this “journey” and I’ve had some time to exhale and gradually ease myself into life in China. Read more

  Posted on 05 October 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• When the Lights Go Out: Hotel Confessions

  

  It was late afternoon and little Miss A and I were sitting in the hotel lobby bar having a spot of afternoon tea. (What’s a girl(s) to do in a new city!)Ava... Read more

  Posted on 28 September 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Wedding Crashers in China

  

  So, our first weekend living on the mainland, somehow we inadvertently became wedding crashers! (As you do!)It was Sunday after all and following a mammoth... Read more

  Posted on 25 September 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL

• Living in China: Week One – One Foot in Front of the Other

  

  You know the feeling when you visit a city you’ve never seen before? That dizzying anticipation, the unbridled excitement, the curiosity and wonder of what... Read more

  Posted on 22 September 2014 EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION, TRAVEL