OffTrack
Issue #6
The Elephant pants I know, don’t ask
What’s happening {{first_name}}!
In this issue we’re diving into cultured adventure instead of chaos.
Ancient temples, jungle ruins and beautiful sunrise moments.
And naturally I still managed to rip my trousers causing me to walk round like a muppet for the whole day. So we might as well double down and I’ll also tell you about the time I missed a bus I was standing right next to… enjoy!
The Adventure in Review
Sunrise at Angkor Wat (Cambodia)
Angkor Wat
I hired a tuk tuk driver for the day and committed properly to seeing one of the worlds most magnificent pieces of history.
Pitch black early morning start.
Day Pass for the full complex purchased.
Hundreds of people waiting silently for sunrise like a global event.
And to be fair when the sun rises over Angkor Wat, it earns the hype. Even if your not an architectural person (I am not), you can’t ignore the scale, the detail and the fact humans built this all them years ago when most people nowadays struggle to assemble IKEA furniture.
It feels like stepping into an Indiana Jones movie, just with more selfie sticks.
On the day, I visited multiple temples, including Ta Phrom, the tomb raider temple, a location used for the first movie. It was easily my favourite, half swallowed by the jungle like it had came to reclaim its debts. It looks unreal in person.
At the start of all of this I bought some elephant pants (only long ones they had available I promise) because I thought you had to cover up your knees. Turns out men can wear shorts, I wished I’d have known that before I paid over the odds for something I was never going to use again. Not that I could use them again anyway because after climbing round the ruins of temple number 3 I ripped a massive hole in them straight down the area you don’t want a hole, and spent the rest of the time moving strategically to hide the damage.
That’s a full story for a future misadventures section anyway (I have the pictures as well don’t worry, just wait)
Quick Details:
Location: Siem Reap, Cambodia
Length: Half a day (full day pass)
Best part: Sunrise and the Tomb Raider temple
Who’s it for: Anyone who loves a more chilled out adventure and amazing sites.
Question I asked myself: Would I visit again? Yes but probably in more structurally sound clothing.
If you want to see the temples I visited and laugh at my elephant pants check it out here👇
Explorer’s Hack
Keep digital copies of your documents
Passport, driving license, visa, travel Insurance.
Keep a password protected folder on your phone with photos or scans of everything.
If your lose the physical copy or forget your log in, you’re still in trouble but having proof helps massively when replacing things or sorting things out.
It won't save you, but it may help to reduce the chaos.
One for the List
African Safari.
An African Safari has always been high on my list.
Early mornings on open plains searching for some of the world’s most majestic & dangerous animals. Proper raw wildlife without fences or viewing platforms.
Everyone talks about seeing the Big 5 (Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant & Buffalo) but I recently learned about the Secret 7 as well. A group of rarer species that are much harder to spot (Aardvark, African Wild Cat, Civet, Large Spotted Genet, Pangolin, Porcupine & Serval). Which makes them really interesting.
This one popped back into my mind after a recent conversation with my Dad as I know it’s one on his list as well, so maybe it’s one I can do with my parents in the future.
Lets make being hunted by Lions a family affair
The Weird & Wild
There’s a “Door to Hell” that’s been burning since 1971.
In Turkmenistan, a gas crater was accidentally set on fire by Soviet engineers who thought it would burn out in a few weeks.
They weren’t far off I suppose, its only been burning over 50+ years, and still going strong.
Misadventures
I missed a bus I was standing next to.
So i’m in Australia, travelling down the East Coast using their famous Greyhound bus services which I found out about after I’d already booked a domestic flight for part of the trip, but we will save that one for another issue.
I had already caught one of these buses on the first leg and now I‘m waiting for my second. I’m at the bus stop early (obviously I don’t want to miss it I’ve got somewhere to be). A bus turns up a bunch of people jump off, and everyone else at the stop jumps on. I check the destination on the bus and its not mine, its not where I’m going no worries. Little did I know till shortly after it had left, that this was my bus, my destination was just a stop along the way.
So instead of asking the driver a simple question “Excuse me mate where is this going?” cause that would have been too easy. Like an absolute donut instead, I watched it leave, and the next one… 8 hours later.
I was heading to a surf camp in Arrawarra (fun name to say, yes I’m a child) a place in the middle of nowhere. So they pick you up from the bus stop to take you to the camp. Which now meant I had to rearrange everything, explaining yes I missed my bus and I’d be arriving late in the dark, and if they still could pick me up that would be great.
All this could have been solved in one sentence “Is this bus going to…”
Trust me I have never made the mistake of not asking or double checking again.
8 hours to kill, watching films, doom scrolling lying on a bus bench, but hey, at least it was a bench in sunny Oz and not in “sunny” Britain
Silver linings
Yep I even ordered food to the bus stop
At least it’s sunny
Got a travel f*ck up or “why did I think that was a good idea?” moment? Reply to this email and the best ones might get featured in a future issue (anonymously if you'd prefer).
Wise words…
“Time reveals everything … Usually too late .”
I’d love to hear from you.
👉 What’s the weirdest, funniest or most ridiculous thing that’s ever happened to you whilst travelling? Or maybe you have your own trick, tip or favourite piece of gear to share?
Hit reply and share, I might even feature your story or advice in a future issue.
Until next time,
Chase the Adventure.
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