Travel Mishmash

Lono Flow propped against wooden sticks on the beach

Lono and I are getting serious

Sonia February 9, 2025 2 Comments

It's February and I thought it's high time I revisited my Lono addiction. It is clear that Lono and I are getting serious. As I was thinking which of my two Lono Flow darlings I should take for a photoshoot this time to prepare an honest recap of my Lono dating so far, considering adding another pair to my modest collection, it just occurred to me we haven't really had a proper holiday yet. And...

Manila is no vanilla but I loved it

Sonia October 8, 2024 0 Comments

My philosophy is that if a place feels like extra precautions are needed so as not to run into trouble, I'd rather not visit. Nothing spoils a trip more for me than having to be on alert constantly. And yet, when it seemed that I have exhausted ideas within easy reach of Hong Kong for a quick getaway - mind you, ideas that'd jolt me out of my day-to-day reality and show me a totally new angle - I...

Photo of leg wearing a pair of white barefoot shoes feet hanging above water

My love story with Lono

Sonia July 2, 2024 0 Comments

So, it finally happened! I fell in love ... With shoes. I know, I know. Before you judge me for being a totally hypocritical, utterly superficial, and terribly vain human being, hear me out. After all, Carrie in one of the episodes of my all-time fave Sex and the City got even married because of her shoes. Her exclusive Manolo Blahniks got stolen at a house party and the host didn't think it...

Should you really blog these days? Five years of active blogging and what they brought

Sonia March 22, 2024 0 Comments

Like many 'cool' things in life, blogging has this unbelievable veil of attractivity and immense freedom. In fact, nowadays the trend that seems to prevail is that if you don't blog you are probably crazy because by the looks of it everybody should blog, right? I am also sure that most of the aspiring bloggers, like me, for example, have fallen into the trap because they relied way too much on...

Sail with a smiley face landing on the beach after flying in the sky

Year with Thailand and my second chance with this country

Sonia January 23, 2024 2 Comments

When I first travelled to Thailand in 2017, I did everything wrong. I came unprepared, naive and a bit arrogant too, so quite unsurprisingly I got scammed at every turn. To make matters worse, as if my bruised ego weren't enough, I sunbathed on a beach in Koh Samui which became a crime scene as a dead body was discovered buried under the sand. Another blow to me, an unsuspecting scammed and...

A mural of a girl letting a red balloon fly away

How to enjoy Seoul with soul

Sonia November 25, 2023 0 Comments

You know how sometimes bloggers passionately describe how a place has etched in their memory like no other? I used to do that too. And many times it was true. But with Seoul? Oh no, it won't touch your soul the way many other Southeast Asian countries do. Having said that, I believe that Seoul has potential, but accessing it will largely depend on what kind of traveller you are. If you are like...

Female students riding really funny and pink electrical motorbikes

Luang Prabang – Fragments of pleasure – Part 2

Sonia October 8, 2023 0 Comments

While the trip in general wasn't great, today, when looking at the photos, I must admit that nostalgia hits me hard and I can't help but admit that it had its inexplicably powerful aura of beauty. I found pleasure in small daily moments that I will remember forever. Even if it made me sick, it was a great reminder that it's usually the powerful experiences that stay with us for longer as we tend...

Luang Prabang – When travel gets messy – Part 1

Sonia August 11, 2023 0 Comments

In my previous thirst-provoking post I hinted at one of my trips. From the photo you surely guessed I was in Laos. While sampling local beer was fun, the same couldn't really be said about the trip itself. Though it wouldn't be me if I didn't find silver linings. So, in these two upcoming posts, I will reveal both the good and the bad of my trip to Luang Prabang, though in reverse order. Let's...

To beer or not to beer – should that be the question?

Sonia June 12, 2023 4 Comments

I'm sitting here besieged by a thick smog and there's absolutely no escaping it. It's everywhere. It attacks my eyes, my nostrils, my clothes - everything. I am mostly depressed but I find a strange pleasure in returning to this little restaurant located at the edge of a busy touristy street, thus offering respite from the overwhelming buzz. Another thing I love about it is its proximity to a...

Spending summer holidays in Hong Kong aka how to make the most of it

Sonia April 18, 2023 4 Comments

Yay! It's July. Holiday time! On the one hand you jump for joy, immensely looking forward to having a few weeks of a well-deserved and long-awaited time off in the summer. But the minute you realise you are still in 2022 and tight sealed Hong Kong, you suddenly experience a bout of depression. It's holiday time but your are not going anywhere. That is not anywhere you would like. But c'est la...