Mint Mocha Musings

The hotelier's wife: an expat affair around the globe

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From Castle to Cage: Hong Kong – A City of Contradictions

by Nicole Webb

A sea of skyscrapers in Hong Kong

It goes without saying, the great divide exists in many countries, but Hong Kong is a place like no other when it comes to being a ‘city of contradictions.’ Never-ending rows of tall, sleek buildings jut sharply from the side of lush green mountains; tropical islands bask in azure blue seas while giant steel-clad container ships chug noisily by. All-you-can-eat Dim Sum bars and street food stalls snuggle up next to Starbucks and McDonalds. Markets selling cheap wares stand cheerfully amongst shiny designer stores; and ancient medicinal shops displaying traditional Chinese herbs reside next to modern day drug-filled pharmacies. Everywhere you turn in Hong Kong, you’re faced with a torrent of juxtaposing images. For the most part it's a pretty impressive sight!  For such a tiny spot on China’s south coast, nowhere more does the old collide with the new, the real verse the fake and the east meet west. But possibly the greatest divide on show in this city - is the blaring gap between the rich and the poor. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asian Adventures, Expat Encounters, Mint Mocha Musings Tagged With: Cage homes, East meets West, Expat, Expat life in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Clubs, Hong Kong poverty, Hong Kong Rolls Royce, Mint Mocha Musings, Poor, Rich

I am woman, hear me roar… 24 Hours in the Philippines

by Nicole Webb

Hosting an awards night in Manila

  Last week I went to the Philippines for 24 hours. You can do that kind of thing around these parts. For me, it's a bit like taking a domestic flight in Australia but hey presto, blink twice and I'm in another country. Another world! Yep! just me, myself and I. As any mother knows, as much as we would go to the end of the earth for our beloved babes, sometimes there are only so many play-dough pussy cats one can make. There are definitely only so many dirty nappies one can change before you need to down tools and take a well-earned sanity break. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asian Adventures, Expat Encounters, Media Matters, Mint Mocha Musings, Motherhood Moments Tagged With: Asia, Domestic helpers, economic, Filipino, Hong Kong, Maids, Master of Ceremonies, Mint Mocha Musings, motherhood, Mum, Philippines, Philippines' economy, stay at home mum, travel, woman hear me roar, working mum

….all the tea in China

by Nicole Webb

Two years ago today, my life did what you might call a 180 degree turn! At 38 years old I went from being a News Reader with national 24 hour news channel Sky News Australia, where I'd worked happily (mostly) for the best part of a decade, to being an unemployed housewife, smack bang in the middle of one of the world's most populated cities. Until then I had been living in a fairly comfortable apartment in Sydney's not so shabby Neutral Bay with my not so shabby hotelier husband. My close-knit family was just a hop, skip and a jump up the road in Queensland and the tight-knit sisterhood of friendships built on a lifetime of shared experiences, all within 'wine-quaffing' distance.  So what happened? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asian Adventures, Expat Encounters, Hotel Confessions, Media Matters, Mint Mocha Musings, Motherhood Moments Tagged With: Chinese, Expat, Hong Kong, Hotels, Mint Mocha Musings, Mum, News Reader, Sky News, television

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Top Posts & Pages

  • About Mint Mocha Musings
    About Mint Mocha Musings
  • Having a Baby in China...the Good, the Bad, the Ugly!
    Having a Baby in China...the Good, the Bad, the Ugly!
  • The Hawaii of the East! Is Sanya a Hidden Gem in China’s Crown?
    The Hawaii of the East! Is Sanya a Hidden Gem in China’s Crown?
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    Travelling Asia and beyond...
  • Eight Cultural Taboos in China You Really Ought to Know....
    Eight Cultural Taboos in China You Really Ought to Know....
  • Like a bull in a China shop....
    Like a bull in a China shop....
  • Why Sleeping in Ikea is Perfectly Acceptable, in China. 
    Why Sleeping in Ikea is Perfectly Acceptable, in China. 
  • Don't Call Us 'Leftovers!' China's Unmarried Women Hit Back at Ikea.
    Don't Call Us 'Leftovers!' China's Unmarried Women Hit Back at Ikea.
  • Out with the old, in with the new...
    Out with the old, in with the new...
  • Six Months in China: What I Now Know!
    Six Months in China: What I Now Know!

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