A regional dish reputed to be one of the spiciest in the world, the famous Sichuan hot pot was something we had to try. Call it naivety or just youthful enthusiasm, but we totally bit off more than we could chew here. With the spiciness giving one of us nightmares and making the other one
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Visiting the wonderful Pandas in Chengdu, a look into the lives of these beautiful, funny and charming endangered animals!
For years visiting this place has been on our bucket list. Seeing these wonderful and clumsy creatures in a place as close as possible to the wild was a dream. To see them being so well looked after, protected and eventually prepared for the wild was the most rewarding element of the day. But seeing
What to expect in China: The good, the bad and the crazy!
what to expect traveling in china: China is a crazy, beautiful and shocking place. Many of us feel familiar with Asia and even Chinese culture. Especially as backpackers/ travellers as so many of us have visited the well trodden nations in the South East of the region. In the west we also have many China
The common scams in China and how to avoid them
Despite being well-seasoned travellers, China being our 45th country and having just completed 4 months in Eastern Europe we have yet to come across many scams. We are not the naïve first time traveller but at the same time we consider many of the regions we have been to as being well known for their
How to apply for a Chinese visa for UK passport holders!
When we began to plan out the next leg of our round the world adventure we decided on China as our first stopping point. Flying into the north of Eastern Asia before making our way down through the South East and to Australia and New Zealand. We had always wanted to visit China, for many
Hong Kong Urban pack hostel: The perfect base from which to explore this amazing city!
Hong Kong is massive, bigger than you could ever imagine, or we ever did! Hong Kong isn’t just a city but an entire administrative region that incorporates many areas, islands, beaches and even mountains. So choosing where to stay in this dramatic and contrasting city can be hard. But one thing is for sure, you
Exploring the epic Mutianyu section of the Great Wall Of China, How to tick off this amazing experience from Beijing
To visit the Great wall of China must be on everybody’s bucket list and to actually get the chance to experience China’s greatest feat of engineering was a dream come true. We were initially a little confused about which section to do, going to the great wall isn’t just a case of going to “the” section,
Delving into the post apocalyptic world of abandoned soviet Chernobyl. 30 years on we visit our UrbEx dream!
For years now visiting Chernobyl and the post apocalyptic abandoned soviet town of Pripyat had been a dream. There is something eerily alluring about the idea of a town trapped in time, as the world has moved on this time capsule of the soviet era has been slowly crumbing. Twisting this once idealistic Utopian dream
How to survive the dreaded night bus! A necessary evil when backpacking!
Night buses are a nightmare, literally! Sitting in the stifling heat packed closely together with a bunch of strangers or shivering away clinging to your belongings… at no point is sleep even mentioned! 12 hours, 16 hours even 24 hours and longer spent sat on a bus. You can’t just get up and walk around
Doors Hostel Bucharest: A hippy paradise in this beautiful city!
After spending 2 weeks in an apartment with a pool down in Fethiye, Turkey visiting family and freinds and generally taking a break from hostels and backpacking we found ourselves in Bucharest. Back on the hostel scene we were both excited to be back out there and also not so much looking forward to sharing
A guide to Cappadocia: The magical, dream like, out of this world landscape that we flew above!
When we decided to head over to Turkey again there was one place so high on our bucket list we knew we couldn’t miss it out this time: Cappadocia! The surreal lunarscape of this fairytale destination really captured our imagination, waking up from our night bus in the middle of this strange land it felt
I.Q Hostel Chisinau, a converted home with local charm. Moldova.
Heading into Chisinau, the capital of Moldova we were really unsure what we would discover in this off the beaten track country. It was an added bonus then that we also discovered the most amazing little hostel in a converted house, here of course we felt right at home but more than that we enjoyed
Is it safe to visit Turkey? We headed to amazing Istanbul, Fethiye & Cappadocia and this is what we found.
When we decided to make a detour to Turkey on our travels around Eastern Europe this year it brought about universal signs of upset and disbelief. Whilst down in Plovdiv, Bulgaria we decided to take the night bus over the border and down to one of the world’s oldest and most impressive cities: Istanbul. But
Hostel Review: Cinnamon Sally, Riga. A fun, youthful and artistic hostel in this beautiful city!
When we arrived in Riga we were tired and a little overwhelmed. After travelling on night buses for a few consecutive evenings we were looking for a comfortable, warm and welcoming place to stay. But at the same time we hadn’t had all that much time to research the city either and worried we might
Hitchhiking to the tropical Bogove waterfall in rural Albania, a day of real adventure! (Plus: shorty skinny dipping!)
Whilst on our amazing 11 day adventure through Albania and the ensuing love affair that resulted, we found ourselves in the charming town of Berat. This beautiful Ottoman city has clung to the side of mountains for centuries and we inevitably ended up extending our stay. We heard whispers amongst our fellow travellers of a