After being in Manila directly before coming to Jakarta, a city we had mixed feelings about, somewhere over crowded with traffic, poverty, inequality, grime and crime, we expected much the same in Jakarta. Though there were shades of similarities, being huge sprawling cities with unregulated development, traffic jams and chaos, we found Jakarta to be
Asia
Ultimate Backpacking Gear List: Our Southeast Asia Packing List for Beginners! Everything You Need For An Amazing Trip!
Preparing for backpacking can be a stressful time before setting off on the adventure of a lifetime. Your first time heading off backpacking can be a time of so many questions with so many unknowns about surviving travelling long term with just the bag on your back! But fear not, it does get easier and
The Best Adventurous Things To Do in Thailand For Backpackers
Thailand has to be one of our all time favourite countries, especially for backpacking! The variety of things to do from delving head first into the rich culture to exploring the wild jungles and even the inside of an old jumbo jet.. there really is an adventure to be had for everyone! Here we’ve put
Vegetarian Japanese Food That Will Blow Your Mind: The Best Dishes to Try on Your Trip to Japan!
When people think of Japanese food, they typically think of either sushi or rice. It’s understandable since both are practically foodie mascots of the country. But believe it or not, Japan has a wealth of different cuisine, including vegetarian. You wouldn’t think to look for these dishes, but they exist. Everything ranging from appetizers to
Backpacking in Manila: A Guide to 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
A guide to Saigon: The crazy, chaotic and claustrophobic second city of Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City!
Known as Ho Chi Minh city since the late 70’s the city is still often referred to as Saigon by pretty much everyone…even VC vets we’ve spoken to! Saigon is a busy, bustling, crazy kind of place, it almost makes you feel like you can’t get your breath at times. With the worlds largest number of
Paragliding off Babadag Mountain and landing on the stunning Blue Lagoon Beach in Oludeniz, Turkey!
Back in 2006 I visited Oludeniz for the first time, this picturesque beach town on the south coast of Turkey was somewhere Shorty (Paul) had visited many times growing up and we were keen to check it out! Of course, being over 10 years ago and a family holiday it was VERY different to our
Things to do in The Cameron Highlands: A guide to Hiking the Dramatic Tea Plantations, Dense Jungles & Incredible Mountains of the Region. Plus Some Relaxing Activities Too!
Malaysia is such a diverse country and one of the places that really illustrates that is the landscape of the Cameron Highlands. Whilst the rest of the country is baked in sun and sweating in the humid conditions, up here the temperature and climate is totally different. The landscape, wildlife and the lifestyle is unique
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
Penang Itinerary: What to do in Penang in 3 days. A Guide to this Beautiful & Historic Town in Malaysia.
Malaysia, as we’ve waxed lyrical before about, became one of our favourite countries in South East Asia. The amount of diversity within the culture, landscape, architecture and activities on offers across the two halves of the country are unrivalled. From the bustling capital of Kuala Lumpur to the rolling hillsides of the tea plantations of
Things to do in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, Borneo: The Ultimate Kota Kinabalu Itinerary
The small but lively city of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah on the Malaysian side of Borneo is a world away from KL! The distinct culture and history of Bornean Malaysia combined with the dense jungles, unique wildlife, stunning coastline and the towering 4000m Mt Kinabalu makes it an enchanting place to visit. Having already fallen
Seeing Orangutans in Borneo: A magical experience seeing this fascinating endangered animal in its natural setting.
Flying over to the Malaysian part of Borneo most have one main objective: To see the endangered Orangutans in their natural environment in the only place in the world where they exist. With dwindling numbers over the last few decades this bucket list item is even harder to tick. However with many amazing conservation areas
Things To Do In Vang Vieng: A Guide To This Beautiful & Adventure Filled Backpacker Paradise!
Vang Vieng was once a byword for backpackers excess and the devastating effects it can have on a place. In the past this wonderful village surrounded by mountains and stunning rivers was described as a “Paradise Lost”, engulfed by the drunken backpackers who would pass through without a care for the culture or indeed the
Visiting the awe inspiring Leshan Giant Buddha in China, the largest pre modern Buddha in the world! A perfect day trip from Chengdu.
A magical and mysterious place, this ancient wonder left us in awe and made a perfect day trip from Chengdu to Leshan. The sheer scale of this enormous place almost too much to take in, the 90 year project of a dedicated monk it is still one of China’s most sacred Buddhist locations. It draws
Taking the 762 turn Chiang Mai to Pai scooter trip & the information on the bus from Chiang Mai to Pai, Thailand
After riding the length of Vietnam on motorbikes they became our favourite method of transport around South East Asia and wherever possible we would jump at the chance to do another trip. After such a long a gruelling trip in Vietnam though we searched out day trips on bikes as well as shorter multi day