tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389Mon, 07 Oct 2024 06:26:16 +0000Kite surfingBacuit ArchipelagoChina travelEl NidoMoganshanOctober National HolidayPalawanPuerta Princesabangkasbeachesboatsfiestaislandslife in Shanghaisanto ninotriathlonweatherxiamenThe exciting adventures and other, more mundane minutiae from the life and travels of a British girl living in Shanghai.http://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)Blogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-8015228727571340198Sun, 03 Jul 2011 01:17:00 +00002011-07-03T09:18:47.289+08:00Moganshantriathlonweather And here we are again. Six months later. Well almost seven actually... and nary a blog post in between. I shan't even try to make excuses as really there just aren't any to be made, I've just been hopelessly lazy, so there.&nbsp;So, what's up in Shanghai? Well, summer seems to have arrived with a vengeance after a few weeks of the usual plum rains that were unusual in the fact that this year http://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2011/07/rain-rain-go-away.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-3094104053466118430Sun, 12 Dec 2010 14:46:00 +00002010-12-12T22:46:27.614+08:00So. I was going to write a big fat post but after having farted about with the last one that I never posted, the internet being painfully slow, the VPN not playing nice and me being far too easily distracted, that doesn't seem to be happening too quickly. Anyway, since last writing, the Expo is finally over and the pavilions being ripped to pieces and carted off to god-knows-where, and there's ahttp://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/12/crimble-and-capoeira.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-6994625569025358846Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:20:00 +00002010-12-12T21:46:41.120+08:00China travelKite surfinglife in ShanghaiOctober National HolidayxiamenIt seems that the first paragraph here is far too true and lackadaisical is the word... so much so in fact that I appear to have neglected to actually post this when I write back in October. Ooops! Anyway, in the interest of being lazy and not wishing to re-write everything, I'll post it retrospectively as is, and needless to say, Flo is not still on the train from Shenzhen!In keeping with my http://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/10/in-keeping-with-my-general.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-2124590801761843057Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:38:00 +00002010-07-05T22:28:18.863+08:00Greetings from a very wet and soggy Shanghai. It's "plum rain" season again and rainy it has been. I narrowly avoided a proper soaking this afternoon when returning from a quick shopping run on my bike. Sunshine on departure then the heavens opened and a dumped a ocean of water in a matter of minutes, just as I pulled back into my lane. As much as they're incredibly inconvenient, I do kind of http://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/07/plum-diddly-dum.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-8267231931661668174Mon, 24 May 2010 05:13:00 +00002010-05-24T13:16:39.634+08:00<!--StartFragment--> That last post was the final segment of my jaunt down memory lane, back tracking to Vietnam from where we returned at the beginning of March. That leaves almost two months to be accounted for. If you have been re-directed from whereareyou.net, apologies for any repetition here. The month of March was mostly more non-eventful waiting. Then April came, as did the long awaitedhttp://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-beginnings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-4344521742980073889Tue, 18 May 2010 05:16:00 +00002010-05-20T19:18:30.543+08:00Next stop was Hue, a few hours north. Though one of the oldest centres of politics, culture and religion in Vietnam, its charms were a little lost on me. It was hot, I was sick, we’d spent the morning tramping round trying to find a hotel and, having ended up in one of the two backpacker areas, couldn't walk down the street without being accosted by cyclo and motorbike drivers. Every 10 metres http://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/05/h-is-for-hue-hanoi-and-halong.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-1090079275269146511Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:06:00 +00002010-04-16T18:44:39.903+08:00From Rooftops to Ruins and Rice Fields to Rivers...Nha Trang and Hoi An Rock!!We stayed for one night and two days in Nha Trang and though the beach there was beautiful, we didn't actually spend too much time lazing about in the sun. We rocked up at about lunchtime and found ourselves a place to stay. Six bucks over budget but who’s going to quibble with a roof top terrace and sea view! We made http://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/04/from-rooftops-to-ruins-and-rice-fields.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-7313253203651521547Tue, 06 Apr 2010 03:24:00 +00002010-04-08T00:31:42.138+08:00Considering that three days before leaving we had no plane tickets and no visa, it was the mother of all Chinese holidays, Chinese New Year in China and its Vietnamese counterpart, the Tet Festival, it was a small miracle that we made it to Vietnam at all. We’d been back in Shanghai for a week and still there was no news from Flo’s job and the outlook for the holidays looked bleak. Crappy http://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/04/considering-that-three-days-before.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-6252699098493597427Thu, 01 Apr 2010 07:51:00 +00002010-04-06T13:19:48.020+08:00A Roundabout Return: Singapore – Malaysia – Singapore – Malaysia again – Hangzhou – Shanghai….Finally, it was time to head home to Shanghai. We’d chosen the slightly unconventional and geographically illogical route of going via Singapore as we’d been railroaded into buying our return flight last minute at the airport (Filipino customs don't like you not to have an onward international ticket – http://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/04/homeward-bound-2-9-february-2010.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-1998831833961782467Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:53:00 +00002010-03-30T14:23:32.849+08:00Coron - The Long Way RoundIn the northernmost reaches of Palawan province, lies the Calamian Group, another set of densely packed islands, filled with more secret beaches, towering limestone cliffs, lush greenery, blue lagoons and hidden freshwater lakes. We stayed in Coron Town, which is on the largest island of the group, Busuanga, and its namesake, Coron Island, is just a short boat ride http://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/03/wow-philippines-iii-21-25-january-2010.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-321803750795698361Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:28:00 +00002010-03-19T16:09:58.110+08:00Let's take a break here for something more timely. Allow me to transport you to Shanghai on an, almost warm, spring Wednesday afternoon of this week. I have to admit we haven't been terribly active since getting back from our trip last week - when you have nothing pressing to do, it can be very tricky to motivate yourself to do anything at all (though Flo has taken thehttp://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/03/bridge-with-view.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-5512935607879066412Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:37:00 +00002010-03-19T09:53:03.820+08:00Bacuit Archipelagobangkasbeachesboatsfiestaislandssanto ninoGoing Bangkas in the BacuitThe island landscape is truly awesome and the best way to enjoy it is by bangka (the local style of boat with a narrow hull and two arms either side to balance it and bounce off the waves). Craggy islets dot the azure blue sea, their rocky profiles dangerously sharp in places. Most are uninhabited but for the occasional fishing hut and many swallow birds whose nests arehttp://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/03/wow-philippines-ii-17-20-january-2010.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-979619272952747989Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:22:00 +00002010-05-31T09:18:32.740+08:00El NidoKite surfingPalawanPuerta PrincesaAs far as national tourist board catchphrases go, this may not be the most imaginative but it hits the nail right on the head. Both being big fans of the Philippines after a great trip to Bohol a couple of years ago, Palawan had been on our hit list for some time. Billed as the last frontier of the island nation, an adventurer’s paradise, unspoiled by the ravages of commercial tourism, this long,http://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/03/wow-philippines-i-12-16-january-2010.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-8794302756657845526Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:42:00 +00002010-03-17T18:57:35.856+08:00Christmas and New Year 2009/10 passed smoothly and happily in Shanghai with plenty of turkey, Champagne and making merry with the good friends that had stayed put for the holidays. Flo’s contract at work ended with December and the new one in Singapore was still not confirmed. I was freelancing and finishing up some temp teaching, so we both found ourselves starting the New Year in a cold, damp http://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/03/waiting-for-jobot-dec-09jan-10.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-952838858035972389.post-3962446205578135089Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:23:00 +00002010-03-16T22:25:59.364+08:00<!--StartFragment--> I’ve been having some serious issues trying to write an update for my friends and family recently as there is so much to tell. It’s entirely my own fault of course as I have been too lazy and distracted to do it as things happen and now I am left with almost two months’ worth of tales to tell. As this is going to be the first post on a new blog (which I plan to keep updated http://goodnessgraciousgroom.blogspot.com/2010/03/beginning.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0