Beijing ii

One overnight train from Harbin and we were back in Beijing.

Harbin

Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang, is famous for the International Ice Festival held in January every year.

The Great Wall: Jinshanling

A trip to China would be incomplete without a visit to the Great Wall. During the planning stages, I knew that we didn't want to go to Badaling or Mutianyu which can get quite crowded with the tour groups. However, due to time restrictions, we could only visit a section that was accessible as a day trip. Jinshanling met all our requirements, including being accessible with local transportation (aka without a driver or taxi).

Beijing i

Beijing - the capital of the People's Republic of China.

Shanghai

Is it embarrassing to admit that I didn't know much about Shanghai apart from pan fried pork buns, xiao long baos, the Bund and the fact it is a financial hub?

Terracotta Army

The main drawcard for Xi'an is the famous Terracotta Army.

Xi'an

Xi'an - the capital of Shaanxi province and known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor or the Terracotta Warriors.

I'll be frank. I didn't enjoy my visit to Xi'an.

Giant Pandas

When I was a kid, I watched a Cantonese dubbed movie about a panda cub that was captured by humans, taken to a zoo and then he became depressed and died alone in a zoo. To say that the movie was sad would be an understatement - the final scene where he was remembering his mum (who was killed when he was captured) was utterly heartbreaking. Years later and many obscure Google searches later (i.e. panda movie capture Cantonese) finally led me to the name of the movie -  a 1981 Japanese film called Tao Tao: The Story of Panda.

Chengdu

Chengdu - the capital of Sichuan province and home to the famous giant pandas.

China: Overview

China was a lot different from what I had expected and in a good way! I had heard quite polarising views from people who had previously visited and, admittedly, was a little apprehensive on what to expect.

I'm on holiday!

I am currently on my long-awaited holiday! It has been a long year and - yes I know this is such a privileged thing to say- I am thankful that I am able to take some time off.

Lady Antebellum

Ever since I got my first "adult" job, music has taken a backseat in my life. Sure, I listen to music whilst I'm at work. However, it is to simply tune out my colleagues' chatter when I need to concentrate (ah the joys of an open plan office). I almost exclusively listen to audiobooks on my commute and haven't really connected to an artist for a quite a while.

Adventures in Sydney: Hidden 2019

It is that time of the year. The yearly tradition of wandering around Sydney's largest cemetery as part of HIDDEN.

Adventures in Sydney: Coastal Walk

The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk is on quite a few listicles - The Top X Things you MUST Do in Sydney. However, Coogee isn't the terminus for the coastal walk as you can continue to Malabar (and eventually to La Perouse when they finish the construction).

Adventures in Sydney: Oatley Park

For my weekly dose of nature, I ventured to a new area of Sydney, Oatley Park located in Sydney's south.

Adventures in Sydney: Lake Parramatta

Breathe. In and out.

Life has been busy and I haven't had the chance to venture out into nature to reconnect. If I'm being honest, I just haven't prioritised it. Although I have been trying to incorporate small changes in my everyday life, detours to a green-er space in an attempt to get the nature fix.

Adventures in Sydney: Bardwell Valley Parklands

Growing up, a trip back to Hong Kong entailed a visit to a Chinese travel agency to organise the flights. The ones that advertise a 12 day international trip for something ridiculous like $600 (excluding flights) and only accepts cash payments. Eventually, we simply booked directly via the airline's websites and the act of visiting one of those tiny rooms filled wall-to-floor with ads ceased.

The Final Vivid

I have been to see Vivid semi-regularly over the last 10 years, however, my interest in the event has been diminishing after each visit.

How to Henna your Hair

My name is Natalie and I am a proud henna head. I have been dying my hair with henna for the past 5 years and I actually wrote a short "tutorial" about it in the past. However, the post was definitely due for an update with more information and better photos.

** IMAGE HEAVY POST **

Adventures in Sydney: Cape Banks Headland

'Happy Valley' in La Perouse was the largest migrant / unemployment camp in Sydney during the Great Depression. It operated from 1930 to 1939 and included 130 encampments and approximately 330 people. S's grandfather actually lived there for a little while. To learn more.

Melbourne 2019

I have technically visited Melbourne twice over the past few years; one was for a work trip and the other was merely as the gateway to my Bendigo / Ballarat roadtrip.

Adventures in Sydney: Australian Botanic Garden

A few years ago, I discovered that Western Australia is known for its wildflower display which spans between the months of June to November. I will visit one day. One day. But until then, a visit to the Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan would have to suffice.