Travel Mishmash

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? Seven Years of Active Blogging and What They Taught Me

Sonia March 22, 2024 0 Comments

Like many deceptively glamorous pursuits in life, blogging is enveloped in an enticing veil of effortless freedom. In fact, the prevailing modern narrative suggests that if you aren't cultivating an online side-hustle, you are somehow missing out on life. Many aspiring writers, including myself, initially fall into this trap, lured by the abundance of overwhelmingly optimistic advice online. Now,...

Summer Staycation in Tai O: Discovering Last Gems of Hong Kong

Sonia April 18, 2023 4 Comments

Yay! It's July. Holiday time! There is immense joy in having a few weeks of well-deserved and long-awaited time off in the summer. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade—so here is my creative summer cocktail, spent exploring the hidden, rustic corners of my beautiful home base of Hong Kong. Going around The first thing I did to beat the heavy Hong Kong blues was visit neighbourhoods and areas...

20 Things I love about Hong Kong so far …. and you would probably too

Sonia April 4, 2022 5 Comments

As you might have heard Hong Kong is or perhaps I can allow myself to say 'was' under fire. In early 2022, the complex challenges of the global pandemic were felt intensely across the region. Like many international financial hubs navigating strict health controls, the city face immense economic, social, and structurel pressures as it fought to protect its commnities. But I like to look on the...

Taiping – Old Is the New Black

Sonia October 14, 2020 32 Comments

Some 266km from Kuala Lumpur, in the state of Perak, further up north from Ipoh, lies a small sleepy town called Taiping. It's not exactly a tourist destination, but it's certainly worth a visit, as goes with many other sleepy towns here in Malaysia. I ventured to this one as part of my recent sudden passion-for-local-travel outburst, which I described in this post. When you have spent years...

10 days with my love – Myanmar – Part 1

Sonia January 6, 2020 11 Comments

Myanmar is just another world to which I will hopefully be returning so that I can explore more places and meet more wonderful people that Burmese certainly are. It's just a dream. Yangon itself feels like going back in time. In a good way. It’s a place with a charm and vibe that is hard to find anywhere else, at least to me, of course until Myanmar gets discovered by mass tourism, which I...

10 Days in Kampuchea aka Paradise Found Paradise Lost – Part 1

Sonia November 3, 2019 19 Comments

Cambodia stole my heart the minute I first set foot in this land. It's the kind of experience I had deeply longed for. The kind of thing my soul had always craved. My first steps took me to Siem Reap, then Phonm Penh and then Sihanoukville. Each of the trips was done separately and for a different length of time. And each of them carved their name in my heart in their own way. However, as much as...

The Art of the 20-Bath Tour: How I Got Lovingly Scammed in Bangkok – Part 1

Sonia October 6, 2019 4 Comments

Part 1 I woke up at the surprisingly civilized hour of 6:00 AM on my first morning in Bangkok. Having spent the previous night navigating the electric, neon-soaked labyrinth of Khao San Road to fully absorb the city's legendary energy, my hotel was, fortunately, just a stone’s throw away from the action. The Rookie's Bangkok Dilemma Resolved to capitalize on my early start, I set off...

About Sonia

Sonia September 22, 2019 24 Comments

🛠️ Editorial Update: The Travel Mishmash Revamp Welcome! Travel Mishmash is currently undergoing an exciting editorial transformation. After seven years of raw digital journaling, I am systematically reviewing, upgrading, and polishing my extensive archive. This comprehensive redesign focuses on elevating the prose, enhancing visual aesthetics, and shifting toward a more structured,...