If you’re expecting cobbled-stoned lane ways, an abundance of outdoor cafes where you perch on chairs squeezed together around a minuscule table, just big enough to fit your mini espresso and pain au chocolat, whilst you gaze longingly at an exquisite monument that whispers a thousand tales -- then no, New Caledonia is nothing like Paris. But it is French! Oui Oui! While it was actually discovered by Captain Cook in 1774, in 1853, under the orders of Napoleon the 3rd, the French took control and Noumea was founded as Port-de-France. Trivial fact #1: It became a penal colony until around the late 1800’s with about 22,000 criminals and political prisoners sent here. Trivial Fact #2: In 1849, the crew of the American ship Cutter was killed and eaten by the Pouma clan. Cannibilism was apparently widespread! I digress….. An archipelago, Nouvelle Caledonie is a cluster of islands in the Pacific Ocean and just a very short 2.5 hour flight from Australia (3 hours from New Zealand). So if you’re in this part of the world, it definitely can’t be overlooked as a super easy getaway destination. If you’re not, it’s still a gorgeous part of the globe to visit. Today, its community is largely made up of Melanesians and Europeans. French is spoken everywhere, even in the most secluded villages. (Great if you want to improve that school yard French). If only I could stop saying 'Xie Xie'. Small Person and I were piggybacking on the hotelier’s work trip (as you do), so he met us in Noumea and drove us north to our first stop: The Sheraton Deva located in Bourail! He’d just come back from il de Pins, or Isle of Pines, which is a 20 minute flight from Noumea and a popular tourist’s choice which he tells me lives up to the idyllic hype. New Caledonia is 18,000 sq kilometres, so it’s pretty sizeable and we had a three hour drive north to our destination. Most of it was through the countryside, passing through the occasional small French town. Just between you and me, the hotelier (who drives like he’s still in China) in a hire car, on the wrong side of the car, and wrong side of the road was a little precarious! We may have mounted a curb and arrived with a flat tyre! Nonetheless, we arrived, in tact. ;-) Surprisingly dry, arid and mountainous, the Sheraton Deva backs onto these spectacular ruddy peaks and is flanked by a sparkling, turquoise ocean..... And breathe. It’s also in the middle of nowhere, so is the perfect place to unwind and just let yourself be. But don't despair if you can't lie around the pool for longer than three cocktails. The resort has tonnes of activities plus a world class ‘magnifique’ golf course (if that’s your thing). I was more at home grabbing one of the bikes they keep outside your bungalow and cycling around the resort, mostly in the direction of the spa! There’s also a fully equipped kid’s club…(bonus) snorkelling, scuba diving, kayaking, a glass bottom boat tour… and to my child’s delight (until she found out you need to be at least ten), horse riding! After four nights, it was time to head back to Noumea for destination number 2. If you’re craving more action, this is the place to be. A city about the size of Cairns in Australia, it’s not too dissimilar in appearance. To me, it didn’t feel as French as I’d hoped, but then I was benchmarking it against Paris. The hotelier tells me it reminds him of holidays as a kid in southern France. Home to a stunning harbour, Noumea serves as the chief port for New Caledonia, so there are boats of every shape and size bobbing about, not to mention a couple of ocean cruise liners docked! Le Meridien is right on the beach and while it’s technically in the city, it’s definitely got that resort feel and has a more tropical ambience compared to it’s northern sister. It is the middle of winter, but temps were still pretty warm. The pool was slightly on the icy side, but that didn’t stop small person from jumping right in, again, and again! There are plenty of restaurants outside the hotel. And of course the food on the island is pretty delicious, especially my favourite indulgence, Le Fromage! After consuming my body weight in French cheese and French wine, and then this....chocolate fondant, it was definitely time to hit the gym. Noumea also has a casino if you want to lay your chips down, plenty of museums and a few markets. While this island of norfolk pines and palms is by no means a cheap holiday destination (like, for instance, Bali, where you can eat outside the hotels for a mere pittance) it definitely makes up for it in appeal and sophistication. So, if time isn't on your side and you just want to escape the daily grind for some R & R with or without the kids, this tropical oasis is totally worth a trip with a difference. This is New Caledonia. … [Read more...]
Life After China: Six Months in, the Reality of Returning Home!
Suddenly out of nowhere, it hits me! Ah hello, I’ve been waiting for you. Wondering when you’d make an appearance and rain on my homecoming parade. And here you are, almost like clockwork, six months to the day that we landed, back, on Australian soil. I can’t quite pinpoint the feeling. Is it a black cloud? A hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach? Whatever it is, I hope it’s fleeting, because black clouds aren’t my thing! Experts say it’s often those who’ve adjusted most successfully overseas, who have the most difficulty returning home. Is that us, I quietly wonder? That night, the hotelier hits the nail on the head, when he arrives home to our “normal” household in the ‘burbs. Small Person’s watching ABC Kids and I’m cleaning up(!), after a fairly uneventful day. He tells me he’s thinking about our next trip away. Away from normality, I think, because maybe we just don’t know how to deal with that anymore? This time last year we were clambering up the side of a mountain in Tibet, desperately trying to breathe, after all. Despite the frequency of trips to far flung places that often come with expat life (because, hello, everything’s much cheaper) believe it or not, we have been craving that thing called ‘normality’ for a long time, but now it’s here, do we even like it? In China, everything about life was difficult, unusual, or just plain strange. Deep breaths were the order of the day and a damn good sense of humour was non-negotiable, if you wanted to survive. Sounds alluring, I know! But life ran on a constant shot of adrenalin and we all know how addictive that can be. In a foreign country, normal day to day things like, work, the school run, sports days, even shopping - is carried out with tinted glasses, probably not rose-coloured, but there’s definitely an exotic aura. Even if you don’t always enjoy it, (actually it’s highly possible you’re hating it), you’re doing something out of the ordinary and that’s oddly comforting and yes, slightly addictive. Until now, moving back home has occupied our every being! Things like buying cars, sorting schools, different work projects and buying our very own house to nest in - fluffing it like a peacock parades his feathers - has all been part of the great repatriation reality... and novelty! But suddenly the joy of cleaning my own castle is peaking… I need to learn how to cook again and ironing is back on the agenda. (Anyone for midday champers?) I'm wondering if I need to get a proper job and this whole reinventing yourself thing takes effort and time.....(just write that bloody book, Nicole.) Whilst the freedom of driving is still fresh, the songs I was excited to bop along to and finally learn the lyrics of are wearing a little thin. There’s only so much Miley Cyrus “Next to yoouuu in Malibuuu” you can listen to, right? And while I'm keen to hear how "We do it, down in Puerto Rico!" I get the gist. Sitting in front of the TV with old faithfuls like ‘A Current Affair’ and ‘Home and Away’ feels equally as jarring (read: did we ever leave?) as it is comforting, when you’ve been living with 55 channels in another language. It’s kind of soothing to see you again Alf Stewart and I do like catching up with the local news every night, but admittedly it’s been quite nice living in denial. ;) Yes, one might call that 'avoiding reality!' (There's a lot to be said for it.) I still forget to turn the car lights on at night; And the distinct lack of people trawling the streets, at all hours….perplexes me (probably just as well if my lights are off), as does the nation seemingly finishing the day at dusk. Straya??! And Mondays for that matter? Do we just close up shop? And as much as I know, I complained endlessly about the squat toilets in China’s public areas (they are pretty disgusting), I think I’ve become quite partial to the ceramic ‘hole in the ground.’ It’s actually a lot easier than trying to hover over a “normal” western toilet! Who says old habits die hard! Oh and I’ve discovered my phone phobia is real. Yes, please don’t try to call me. Living overseas, I realise it’s been allowed to fester because very rarely people would or could call me….and if they did, I’d have no idea what they were saying and have to (conveniently) hang up. Here, every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to call, for a “chat!” A chat??! Just text me. Still….. running on adrenalin, constantly, can be exhausting, physically and mentally…which makes the ease I can live life with Down Under, a definite reason to exhale. That blue sky that stretches out forever like a luminous, glass rooftop still gets me, every single time; the fresh, crisp air and sheer ability to speak English at all times, makes just about everything effortless (despite those phone calls). The five minute school walk and the cushioning of a community is reassuring, even if it is a very different kind of community. My old community was a bunch of expats from around the world forever contemplating their next move and weighing up the pros and cons of raising children as global citizens. Here, it’s about which high school to send them to (in five years time, I might add)! Really? So soon! When our new Chinese tutor comes over, I can sense the excitement we all get, even the hotelier when he yells out ‘Zai Jian’ (goodbye) as she leaves and tries to get out his few Chinese words he spent years mastering. Just like old times, I giggle to myself. And it seems it’s not only us humans that need to adjust to a new life… pets do too. My friends have just repatriated to America, with their ‘Chinese’ Golden Retriever, Penny. Poor old Penny is having to learn how to ‘dog’ in America. Suddenly she is surrounded by space and huge fields of fresh green grass to run in. There are lots of other dogs just like her and she can even go swimming with them…. In America, it’s a dog’s life! But for Penny, it’s daunting and overwhelming… she just can’t figure out why everyone is being so nice to her and wants to pat, play…..and chat!! Me neither, Penny! I’ve heard on the grapevine, returning home brings a definite fear of forgetting your overseas experience. Does returning to your old life mean the expat one never happened? I hope not. No one said it would be easy…but it sure was nice being able to wind the car window down this morning without fear of choking on pollution! Perhaps I just need to get my adrenalin rush in other ways. Bungee jumping anyone? Six months in, this is repatriation. … [Read more...]
Expat Looking for Your Next City? The Cheapest Places in the World to Rent!
As an expat living overseas, we all too often find ourselves consumed with thinking about the “next place!” Where to when this gig expires? Naturally, it usually comes down to where you can get a decent job; of course you also have to weigh up the costs associated with said job. If you’re upping stumps to move overseas, you usually want it to be a cost effective exercise not to mention career enhancing and an amazing life experience, right? Often the company you work for will cough up for living expenses, but that’s not always the case. So if you’re thinking about where to next or even where to first, RENTCafe came to me with their latest stats on the best rental prices in the world’s so called “Cities of Opportunity!” (I note Xi’an’s not on the list, but just for the record, while it may not be a city of ‘huge’ opportunity, yet, it sure as hell is cheap as chips!) ;-) This table gives you the top 30 Cities of Opportunity (according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.) 1. London, GB 11. Seoul, KR 21. Shanghai, CN 2. Singapore, SG 12. Berlin, DE 22. Moscow, RU 3. Toronto, CA 13. Chicago, US 23. Mexico City, MX 4. Paris, FR 14. Los Angeles, US 24. Johannesburg, ZA 5. Amsterdam, NL 15. Tokyo, JP 25. São Paulo, BR 6. Manhattan (NYC), US 16. Madrid, ES 26. Bogotá, CO 7. Stockholm, SE 17. Dubai, AE 27. Rio de Janeiro, BR 8. San Francisco, US 18. Milan, IT 28. Jakarta, ID 9. Hong Kong, HK 19. Beijing, CN 29. Mumbai, IN 10. Sydney, AU 20. Kuala Lumpur, MY 30. Lagos, NG But of course, as appealing as most of them are, you won't be surprised to learn that opportunity comes at a price! In New York, London, Hong Kong, even Sydney…. buying your own piece of dirt in any one of these glittering global hubs costs an arm and a leg, at the very least! And renting is usually just as hefty on your hip pocket. Traditionally, housing costs that exceed 30% of the household income have been viewed as a red flag! Manhattan in New York comes out as the priciest place to rent on the planet and the second least affordable. Sadly all of you Big Apple dreamers (including myself) may need to rethink a stint in the city of dreams, for now! Manhattanites apparently shell out an astounding 59 % of their income on rent. London, which has been declared the world’s best city to live and work in, is still a tough one with a 40% rent-to-income ratio. No revelations there really. But what is surprising is that Sydney emerges as top choice for renters in search for a more relaxed lifestyle. Not too hard to argue with the harbour city on the relaxed front and heartening to know rent-to-income ration is around 29 % - which is considered acceptable. So all you 'eager expats in the making' or expats who just want to keep on, keeping on, consider coming and joining us Down Under! And the most affordable city for renters amongst the big guns? Roll our the red carpet for ......**Drum Roll** Kuala Lumpur! Here in this exhilarating Malaysian capital, rent only takes 20 % of the median household income, giving the skyscraper city a definite place on your list. Moscow and Johannesburg win the day as the most affordable cities of opportunity...and although Tokyo, Hong Kong and Madrid technically fall into the moderately rent-burdened category, people in these cities still spend less than a third of their income to pay the rent. Renters in Mexico City, Manhattan and Lagos face severe rent burden, meaning the rent takes up more than half of a household’s income each month (60%, 59% and 57% respectively). In other words, in an average family with two earners, one of them works only to pay the rent, and it’s still not enough. Renters in Los Angeles also cash out 47%, almost half of their hard-earned dollars on rent each month—and the situation is not that much better in Paris (46%) or Singapore (44%). For a quick flyby of the most rent-burdened cities of opportunity, check out the video below: Of course it’s not just about affordability when you’re sounding out the next spot on the map to hang your head, it's important that quality of life ranks highly, along with safety and healthcare. (Mind you, sometimes you just can't win 'em all! ) Oh and before you travel the expat path be sure to read the Top 5 Mistakes Expats Make and (most importantly) how to avoid them. Good luck and Go Get 'Em! This is Expat Life. … [Read more...]
Sunglasses Giveaway with Mint Mocha Musings
Nihao peeps, Mint Mocha Musings has joined forces with SmartBuyGlasses who've given us a pair of these awesome Rayban sunnies to giveaway! If you'd love a pair....just "like" these two Facebook pages -- SmartBuySunglasses and of course Mint Mocha Musings (if you haven't already) and leave a comment below, tagging someone who'd love to win! Too easy! Winner drawn August 31st. For a closer look at these super sunnies click here :-D Cheers, Nicole … [Read more...]
The Digital Kingdom: Will China be the First Cash-Free Society?
Written by Nicole Webb and Chao Huang, Edited by Nicole Webb Living in China, my purse was usually stuffed with wads of cash. Sadly, not because I was super rich but because I couldn’t use my non-Chinese credit cards in any stores other than those western brands like H & M and Zara (Oh dear, you feel my pain right?). And opening a bank account in China was like pulling teeth, so cash it was all the way. Counterfeit money is a huge problem (almost every cashier slides your notes through a scanner) so the biggest note made in China is 100RMB - which is equivalent to about US$14 - so you can imagine, this makes your wallet even fatter! Mind you, I wasn’t alone in my cash stashing ways; as the first country to introduce paper money in the 11th century, most of the Chinese population have long been cash converts, renowned for carrying briefcases full of cash to buy everything from jewellery to cars, even houses! A few years ago, the New York Times reported a guy showing up to a dealership in China in a beat-up old Honda carrying a black rubbish bag stuffed with cash. He bought a brand new BMW with it. In Xi'an, I heard about stories like this all the time! But it seems that's all changing...with China on track to become the first cashless society! What does that mean and how does that even work? Guest writer, my dear friend and local Chinese, Chao Huang from Xi'an, gives us the low down! A quick question: what do you take with you when you leave your house? Keys, wallet, and your phone, right? And people from China? I can tell you, most of the time, I just take my phone and just like me, there are now millions of people in China enjoying this cash-free life. You may have heard the news that some ardent 'Apple' fans in China sold one of their kidneys (sure, we have two of them - a spare one - so it isn't that big of a deal, is it?) to buy a new iPhone 4 when the revolutionary smart phone first came on the scene, sending fans into a frenzy. Of course not everyone goes to such extreme measures and most of us keep our kidneys and settle for cheaper Chinese brands like XiaoMi, Huawei and Vivo. ;) In February last year statistics showed 1.28 billion mobile phone subscriptions had been registered in China, which means more smartphone users than the US, Brazil and Indonesia, combined. It's an understatement to say that Chinese are now living in the People’s Republic of Digital. And it's no surprise that this year a study found China's smartphone users spent an average of 98 minutes a day using their phone. You might be wondering what we do with our phone given it's no secret we can’t go on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram or Google?! But let me tell you, when the internet censorship Gods handed Chinese lemons, many of the smart and diligent Chinese internet companies made so much lemonade, that most of the Chinese people don't even care about those Western websites. Super app, Taobao, is one -- and if you haven't read Nicole’s article about the company that has changed the way Chinese live, please click here. (Oh and did I tell you, I made 2.6 yuan last week just by putting my un-used money on my Alipay investment account?) Super apps in China have changed our life, blown our minds, and introduced a new era where small change and cash has been left behind. Credit cards weren't brought into China until the mid '80s, so it's fair to say, China has largely bypassed cards....and looks to be going from cash, straight to mobile! Software and gaming giant, Tencent monopolised an entire generation of Internet users in China with its clever multi-use platform WeChat. Not only can you communicate with friends via text messaging and calls, use it as a platform to share moments and pictures but it’s also your Trip Advisor, Amazon and Uber equivalent, and most importantly, your cash card. Alibaba’s Alipay digital wallet has been around since 2004 and easily trounced its US counterpart PayPal. The Alipay Wallet, currently sees 80 million transactions a day. The company has cooperated with a growing number of wet markets selling fruit and veggies, to install a QR code at each stall. What's a QR code? It's a Quick Response code which is a two dimensional barcode with a random pattern of tiny black squares against a white background, capable of holding 300 times more data than a traditional one-dimensional code. Shoppers scan the code with their phones after selecting their goods. The days of plastic buckets and polystyrene boxes filled with cash, lining the pavements are truly on their way out. In a sign of the times, everything from supermarkets to convenient stores, shopping malls, hospitals, restaurants, parking tickets and cabs can now easily be paid by the scan of a smart phone. The fact is, every morning when I go to buy breakfast at the street cart vendor, my 4RMB (US58c) Chinese jian bing (a kind of pancake with vegetables and eggs inside, which is really yummy by the way) I can just scan, beep and walk off with my pancakes! There are even reports of homeless people wearing QR code tags around their necks, so passers-by can easily give them money with a quick scan. A bridesmaid even wore a QR tag to collect gift money from guests at a wedding ceremony! The South China Morning Post reported, "Some restaurants have pinned barcode tags to the chests of waiters, waitresses and even chefs. Customers can scan the code to leave a tip if they are satisfied with service." It sounds like China's started the transition to a cash-free economy faster than anyone could have imagined, but what about those older generations so used to paying with cash? My parents and a large number of their friends (most are in their late 50s or early 60s) all own smart phones and are daily users of WeChat, but say they never use any form of digital payment. And this cultural preference for carrying large sums of cash instead of credit cards has travelled together with the new wealthy class out of China. Chinese tourists are the prime target for pickpockets and muggers because it's known they carry far more cash than visitors from other countries. This reminds me of a childhood memory whenever our family went on holidays, my parents would wrap a red cloth around their money bills and stash them inside their underwear! Today not much has changed, my mum protests, “If you go to any local markets without cash, it’s like going without wearing clothes.” (Which of course you need to stash the cash!) But it looks like she'll have to get used to bearing all, because experts say by 2030 China will be for all intents and purposes, cashless! Stay tuned. This is China. … [Read more...]
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