"Milmo's Crazy Adventure" darthmilmo's Profile

WHAT'S NEW ?

WOW! Time sure flies by at times... I just realize that it's been nearly five years since I updeted any of my VT pages. Yikes!

Latest VT pages and other links:
- My blog of China - read it as its happens!!! ** New **
- Tunisia, Part I
- Rajasthan, India
- Annapurna Himal, Nepal
- India Blog

I really dig this quote that I found on HOBOtraveler.com:
"Those who visit foreign nations but associate only with their
own country-men change their climate but not their customs.
They see new meridians but the same men; and with heads as
empty as their pockets return home with traveled bodies but
untravelled minds." - Caleb Colton

Life is beautiful and so we need to enjoy it. At a young age I discovered the joy of travel. As many of you out there, I too have the travel-bug, the urge to travel and discover what's out there. My dream is to visit all of the corners of the globe: from East to West; and from North to South.

I love the idea of this website and how it allows us to share our travels amongst each other. I do not like the competitive tendencies of some of VT members. Please do not send me an email to rate your page as I will refuse to do so on principle. Instead, send me an email with a suggestion to read it. Keep in mind that I may be busy working/traveling so if it takes me a while to respond please do not be offended. Lastly, don't overlook the travelogues as they have a wealth of information and pictures.

Timeless view of the Great Wall of China @ SImatai

As many of you, my life has been blessed with opportunities to travel the globe. I have traveled regular style (without a backpack) throughout Mexico and the USA (Texas, Louisiana, Florida, New Mexico, Tennessee, New York, and a bit of North Carolina).

My first backpacking trip took me to Europe in 1999 for almost 2 months. I traveled with my sister through France, Germany, Prague, Budapest, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Vatican City, & Spain. I didn't have a digital camera back then and I'm too lazy to scan all of those pics so I probably won't have any pictures of that trip any time soon.

My second backpacking trip took me to China in the year 2001. It was a short two and a half weeks, but it opened up my eyes to backpacking solo. Check out my China page and travelogues for kewl pics. I had planned a trip back to China in 2003, but the SARS epidemic forced me to cancel my plans. I'll go back there someday for sure though so any tips on China, the Silk Road in particular, are welcomed.

Sureal landscape of Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

My third backpacking trip took me through Latin America in the year 2001 (total 7 months). Shortly after being laid off, I grabbed a bus out of town and headed South of the border. I ended up traveling overland through Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia (took a sailboat ride from Panama), Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, & Northern Chile. Feel free to check my many interesting pages (tips, pics, travelogues, and photologues) under each of these countries.

I had the chance to visit New York City on the first week of September of 2002. It is truly an amazing city worth exploring for weeks and months at a time. I only had 9 short days, but they were great nonetheless. Check out my New York page :).

This pic is a reflection on Lake Baikal, Russia

I circled the world as part of my Round-the-World trip in 2003. Starting off in North America, at home in Texas, I flew into Europe for a quick 3 week visit to Poland (check out my Oswiecim/Auschwitz page), Germany, and the Czech Republic (about one week each). Then, I flew from Warsaw to St. Petersburg, Russia. Once in Russia, I embarked on an overland journey across the Euro-Asian landmass visiting several of Siberia's highlights including the Altai and Evenkia. Due to the SARS epidemic, I was forced to skip Mongolia and China. Therefore, I flew out of Siberia on July 5th and landed in
Seoul, South Korea for a week. After a delightful week in and around Seoul, I flew out of Incheon Int'l Airport on July 11. I landed in Sydney, Australia on July 12th and proceeded to spend the next 5 months traveling around Australia. I traveled north up the East Coast to Cairns, then inland to Darwin. From there, I took the Stewart Highway down the Red Center to Adelaide. Then, I continued traveling East back to Sydney via de Southern Coast. I did take some time to visit the spectacular state of Tasmania in the Southern Ocean. Flying out of Sydney on December, I headed over to New Zealand
(Check out my Paihia page), where I got to explore the north island for 2 weeks before I flew home to North America for the holidays. It was a wonderful 9 month trip!

Dawn ushers the new day at Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)

My latest trip took me to Asia, where I spent 11 months exploring some of its jewels. I started in India, where I got to explore several of its regions (including Diu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kashmir, Ladakh, Varanasi, and much more). I even ventured across the border to Nepal, where I spent three weeks trekking in the Himalayas on the Annapurna Conservation Area. After a taste of the Indian Sub-continent, I flew over to Myanmar (Burma), where I immerse myself in the culture, its temples, and its people. Next was a quick run through Thailand and Singapore en route to Sumatra. My time in Indonesia was cut short right as it started as I frightfully survived the Tsunami. After a few days recuperating in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, my friend and I bought a ticket to China. We spend a few days in Macau and Hong Kong before touring a bit of the mainland. Next we venture to Yunnan, with a small detour to Guilin along the way to see the mystical landscape. Winter was taking its toll on us so after a month in mainland China we headed back to the warmth of South East Asia via Laos. I had such a great time in Laos that I ended up spending almost two months there exploring most of the corners, some of which are rarely seen by tourists. Next I went to Cambodia, where I recruited 5 crazy travelers. Together, we bought a motor boat in Stung Treng and cruised on it down the Mekong River to Phnom Penh. We had our sites set for Siem Riep so we next went up the Tonle Sap River until the boat died on us in the middle of the muddy Tonle Sap Lake. After crossing most of Cambodia by river on our own, we were forced to sell Nora, our boat. We hired a charter boat to take us to Siem Riep across the lake. After a week spent exploring Angkor, I headed to Thailand to spend the last 3 weeks of my trip. Adventure was still with me though so I went ahead and rented a motorbike for 2 weeks to explore the north of the country. I put over 3,000 kilometers on the poor thing and can say I ended up having a blast! The very last thing I did was a three day dive trip to the Similan Islands, where I had some R&R exploring the underwater marvel. Check out the many travelogues filled with pics that I’ve posted on the relevant vt pages.

Updates from the road...

Reach for the sky at Machu Picchu

If you are interested in receiving updates from my next trips, just send me your email and I will add you to my yahoo list.

BTW, I now know that travel is in my blood so I am always on the lookout for the next destination and travel partners. Let me know if you know a kewl place regardless of where it is in the world :).

Hope you enjoy my pages!

Feel free to contact me via email with questions, comments, and suggestions.

Cheers, Fernando
darthmilmo at yahoo dot com

A few thoughts on VT and traveling...

Journey to the center of the Earth @ Sonora, Texas

Here are my thoughts on several important issues related to VT. I may add more at a later time.

1) What's my view on VT?

I guess I view VT as being different than a guidebook... in ways it's even better. I use this sight to see pics and to read anecdotes of places I would like to visit. After deciding on an itinerary, I buy the guidebooks (LP or otherwise) to get a good idea on cheap accommodations and sometimes what to see there.

Therefore, rather than a guidebook, VT helps as a good source to plan or fantasize a trip. I love looking at pics of exotic destinations and reading about the incredible ride you had in a far away place. I try to reflect this on my pages. Who cares about xxx hotel or $$$ restaurant... I can find this on my own. Therefore, I'm leaving the 'guidebook tips' to the books (LP, Lets Go, Footprints, Rough Guide, or whatever rocks your boat). If you're looking for where to stay, where to eat, etc than please look elsewhere. Otherwise, hope you enjoy my anecdotes and pics :). BTW, I did include a few hostel and restaurant tips. In my experience, these places went well over the call of duty.

With that said, my VT Pet Peeve is seeing Hard Rock Cafe recommended as the best Restaurant to go eat. Argh! If I wanted to eat there I will just go downtown thanks :) (it will be cheaper than flying to the other end of the globe). I may recommend a franchise from time to time if it is the only cheap option in town.

Now, do not get me started again with the rating system. I am getting tired of the competitiveness related to it. Who cares who is #1! Just enjoy VT. If you like a page do leave a comment so the person building the page can read it. Trust me, he or she will appreciate that more then the ratings.

Standing tall on Cradle Mt, Tasmania (Australia)

2) Can I count a layover to a new country as a country I have visited?

A: I only count those countries were I have done something worthwhile and where I have fond memories regarding events outside of normal transportation means (i.e. airplanes, trains, buses, etc don't count). I don't have a set number of days, but I certainly wouldn't count airport layovers, or overnight trains. In general, if I did something there I will count them, if not, why bother??

If I did, I would have to add Canada, Taiwan, North Korea (spend about 5 minutes across the DMZ line in the the room the cease fire was sign), Belgium, Slovakia, and the US states of California and Illinois, to my list.

Remember, the only one you fool is yourself. So if you don't care about the egos and stuff, let it go and enjoy the memories of those countries you've truly been to.

********************************************************************************

I'd like to leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. "- Albert Einstein

I M A G I N E

Please respect my photos and me by not using my pictures without previous permission. Cheers. ? Copyrighted by Darth Milmo :)

Intro Updated Jul 24, 2012
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Personal Pages (4)

1 - 4 of 4

Comments (171)

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pieter_jan_v Jan 28, 2013 at 10:01 PM

Fernando, Happy Birthday. PJ
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TheWanderingCamel Jan 30, 2012 at 9:09 AM

Just in case you drop by some time - happy 2012 birthday - and here's to many more great ones to come - leyle
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adeeltahir Jan 29, 2012 at 7:13 AM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - I WISH YOU MANY HAPPY THINGS AND GOOD TRAVELS.
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Durfun Jan 29, 2012 at 5:51 AM

Hi Fernando, Happy Birthday, Sorry you lost your hands in the mishap. Darshan
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pieter_jan_v Jan 28, 2012 at 11:39 PM

Fernando, Happy Birthday. Greetings from the Netherlands. PJ
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olja1234 Jan 29, 2010 at 12:27 PM

Happy Birthday to you and all the best from Slovenia.
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matcrazy1 Jan 29, 2010 at 3:00 AM

Hi Fernando! Happy Birthday to you! You are very, very welcome for Euromeet 2010 in Krakow, Poland! Think over it, we miss you! Any chance to see you? Smiles from both matcrazies in Poland ---> :-
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Donna_in_India Dec 6, 2009 at 6:25 AM

Hi Fernando - you're the featured member so I thought I'd stop by and say hi. Love your hp - fantastic photos! Agree with your thoughts on VT. Going to take a peek at some of your pages. Take care.
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msbrandysue Oct 18, 2009 at 10:49 AM

Your profile came up on the home page and I liked your hippo pic haha I have to ask how can you travel for 9 months in a row?? TEACH ME!
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sylvie-uk Apr 29, 2009 at 4:33 AM

re: my view on VT i agree to the fact that people can look for themselves prices but how can they know if the reality that s on offer is right?