Whilst considering the countries we wanted to visit whilst touring South East Asia, Myanmar always came up as the one which held the most intrigue and unknown. A country relatively few visit in this region, one only just opened up to tourism where the culture is vastly different to that of places like Thailand or
Asia backpacking
Ayutthaya Thailand: The lost world of ancient Thailand & a treasure trove of temples
Ayutthaya Thailand is the one time ancient capital of the Siam, the precursor to the modern day kingdom of Thailand. Founded in 1350 it is Thailands answer to Angkor Wat or Bagan, a huge complex of crumbling ancient temples awaits the intrepid to explore this historic gem. Easily accessible from Bangkok Ayutthaya can make a great
Faloe Hostel, Kota Kinabalu: A modern, homely and down right perfect hostel in this amazing city on Borneo!
A place where you feel at home and like family Faloe hostel isn’t just a hostel, it is a small and homely converted space ran by a wonderful young couple. They literally make you feel like family when you stay here, welcoming you into the fold with a huge smile and a warm heart. You
Pai: The hedonistic hippy heaven in the mountains we almost never left, Thailand!
The longer we spent travelling around South East Asia the more we heard of this little mysterious place in the very north of Thailand with a funny old name: Pai! Everyone who had been was raving about this hippy hideaway in the hills that feels miles away from normal life, where you can explore by
Exploring the strange world of the White Temple, Chiang Rai: This beautiful and weird work of art!
Chiang Rai is a relatively obscure city in the north of Thailand, most people are only aware of it due to the weird and wonderful Chiang Rai White Temple, otherwise known as Wat Rong Khun on the outskirts of the city. After touring South East Asia you would be forgiven for thinking you’ve seen enough temples,
Chiang Mai things to do: The amazing and adventure filled Thai city that instantly felt like home
Chiang Mai is one of those places we just knew we were going to love before even arriving. There is a legend surrounding this perfectly sized city surrounded by a wealth of activities, culture, food and budget accommodation. Chiang Mai had a lot to live up to, but thankfully it didn’t disappoint and very quickly
Trekking for two days through the jungles of Chiang Mai: An eye opening trip which left us with mixed feelings
Chiang Mai trekking in the jungles of Northern Thailand was something we had wanted to do even before we knew anything else about the area, about trekking in South East Asia or even had any other plans for backpacking. It became our code word for the adventures we would have on our long term travels
Surviving Manila: How to explore the crazy capital of The Philippines
We’ve travelled all around the world, to some of the planets largest and busiest cities, but nothing quite prepares you for Manila. The capital of The Philippines is chaotic, overwhelming, intimidating and bigger than you can comprehend. Crossing the city takes hours, the traffic is exhausting, the poverty of the local people is so plain
Baan Khun Nine: Bangkok. The boutique hostel that is redefining the term and blurring the lines between that and a hotel!
We are constantly trying to fly the flag for hostels here at The Roaming Renegades, attempting to dispel the myth that they are all filthy pits filled with drunken backpackers! We often go in search of the best, most modern and innovative boutique hostels that prove they can be the perfect places to stay, offering
An emotional visit to the Death Railway of Kanchanaburi, the infamous “Bridge on the River Kwai”, Thailand
Visiting Thailand is a bi-word for fun, adventure, parties, elephant visits, temples and of course amazing food. However what many don’t expect to encounter over here is the kind of unavoidable and heartbreaking WW2 sites that litter Europe like the craters left by the luftwaffe. Kanchanaburi is the location of the infamous “Bridge on the
Visiting the beautiful elephants of Chiang Mai at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary: Selecting the right place to do good rather than harm
For years we have dreamt of meeting the beautiful elephants of Asia, but after hearing many horror stories of bad treatment and awful conditions we were wary of doing more harm than good in seeking out this dream interaction. After much research, speaking to others who had visited many of the sanctuaries and so called
Paper Plane hostel, KL: A 100 year old converted building with a modern and artistic spirit
Kuala Lumpur is a city of many sides, many cultures and a mixture of huge skyscrapers to historic architecture. Upon our first visit to this city we had dreamt of visiting for years we wanted to stay in a place close by to the action but with a local feel and a connection to the
Flying through the rainforest with Flight of The Gibbon, Chiang Mai! An adventure tour with a conscience!
When we arrived in Chiang Mai there were a few things on our list we knew we had to do, from bathing elephants at the rescue centre to wandering the glistening temples this city has too much to offer! Being adrenaline junkies the idea of whizzing through the jungle tree tops on some of the worlds
Learning to SCUBA dive in Borneo: Completing our PADI course in the most stunning and unexpected place!
When we set off backpacking around South East Asia, doing a PADI course to become qualified open water SCUBA divers was one of the first things we added to our list of things to do! After doing a taster session over 10 years ago on a family holiday to Turkey and also having friends who
Taking the 2 day slow boat down the Mekong River from Luang Prabang, Laos to Chiang Rai, Thailand and how to do it yourself!
Backpacking around South East Asia is an amazing adventure, travelling through amazingly diverse landscapes and from country to country like a true explorer. But we always like to add to the adventure if we can, for example buying motorbikes in Vietnam added so much more to our time there than just a method of transport.