le_Nil's VirtualTourist Home Page

Please check out my video from my time in Nicaragua. Being a kid doesn't stop me from having some amazing adventures.
Journey to Nicaragua: Ometepe Island

People "in the know" call me Mac, but if you want to get formal with me you can call me McKinley Nile Bierman. I go by "le Nil" here on VT which means "The Nile" in French. Nile is my middle name...so that's the connection. I'm a dual citizen of the US & Thailand. That's the best of both worlds...don't ya think? My friends at pre-school call me Mackie or Kinley. I'm not sure if I'm setting any records for the "youngest VT'er" but if its of any interest I am 2 & a half years old. My Mommy (Awayhome) & Daddy (Borderhopper) brought me into this world in August of 2003 in Bangkok, Thailand. Yeah, Sawadee Kap to all my "peeps" back in the "Land of Smile"! But if the truth be known I actually started life out in Siem Reap, Cambodia (seeds were planted there..haha). Do I really need to explain myself?
By September of 2003, at the ripe old age of 3 weeks, my Pop's took me on my first trip outside of the house. We're not talking about the doctors office at Bumrungrad Hospital.....Mom & Dad took me out to historical Ayutthuya & the surrounding temples where Daddy & me climbed Wat Yai Chaimongkon! That was pretty cool. Oh, and yes, travelling is better than Chocolate Cake!

When I was 2 months old Mommy took me on a trip to Taiwan. We also went home to Los Angeles, USA. Gosh, since my first trans-Pacific flight in 2003 I've now been on 37 airplane flights! Have I earned my wings or what?!? So, here I am hanging out in Los Angeles & I decided to take a break from Dad's geography lessons (I've got America, Thailand, Russia, and China memorized pretty good on Daddy's map) & compile a list of the countries I've traveled to over the last 3 years. So here it is:
1).Thailand
2).United States
3).Cambodia
4).Laos
5).Myanmar
6).Republic of China
7).Japan
8).Mexico
9).Costa Rica
10).Nicaragua
11). Germany
12). United Kingdom
13). Austria
14). Switzerland
15). Italy
16). France
17). Belgium
18). Luxembourg
19). Netherlands
20). Liechtenstein
21). Singapore
22). Malaysia

My travels aren't limited to to over sea's. I've been to 11 US States:
1).California
2).Nevada
3).Arizona
4).Utah
5).Idaho
6).Wyoming
7).Texas
8).Illinois
9).Tennesse
10).Georgia
11). New Mexico
I love taking road trips with Mommy & Daddy. One time Daddy drove us all down to Chihuahua, Mexico where we cruised to Sonora & all of these other cool places in Northern Mexico.
My favorite places besides Thailand & America are Kyoto, Japan, and Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua! I backpacked through Central America and rode the Tica Bus from San Jose, Costa Rica to Granada, Nicaragua. I even saw a big volcano called Volcan Santiago in Masaya, Nicaragua. That was so cool.

Well, I like cute girls, rock climbing, climbing trees, Thomas & Friends Choo-Choo trains, Pider Man, Bat Man, reading Tom Sawyer books, School, Camping in Sequoia National Park, riding horsey's at Griffith Park, playing baseball, learning Thai, going to Buddhist temples, hanging out with my Grandma & Grandpa, & most of all I love my Mommy & Daddy more than anything in the world.
My daddy named me after Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America, and the Nile River.....I think its the longest river in the world. So I got geography & travel in my blood. I'm sure I'll be climbing mountains & sailing down rivers in the next few years. Gosh, I already explored a steamy jungle on the back of an elephant!

June 2006:
I've been published in the June-July issue of "National Geographic Adventure Magazine".
I wanted to share this latest news with you guys (my friends & family). Some of you may or may not already know that one of my Daddy's photos was picked up by National Geographic Adventure magazine and was published in the June/July 2006 issue, in an article within the "North American Parks Special". Of course I've always aspired to be a famous adventurer but I never thought fame would come so soon. The magazine actually solicited me after finding the image on one of my Daddy's personal web pages. So, no effort was put forth by me to get this photo published.....making it a very nice surprise when Daddy got the first e-mail from them asking him permission to use an image of me,McKinley Nile, in front of a giant Sequoia tree in Sequoia National Park. It's always been a dream of mine to work for National Geographic (Hey, 2 year olds have dreams too!) or even get a photo published in one of their magazines...so needless to say I am very honored and happy that they found me.

As you can see from this picture I sometimes have to battle bad cowboys. Life isn't always a box of chocolates for an adventurous kid like myself. I've got bad guys to contend with, rouge super heros to put in place, and wars to win with my six shooter ,"the peace maker". I may not have fought at the Alamo but I did once stroll down the streets of war torn Masaya, Nicaragua. I didn't find any Sandinistas.....Daddy told me the war in Nicaragua was over and the people have been enjoying 20 years of peace. That's cool with me!

Now let's get things straight. Just because I'm a kid doesn't mean that I can't join Mommy & Daddy on backpacking trips throughout the world. When we travel I strap on my very own backpack, filled with essentials & a hydration pack, and I trek anywhere they do. Here I am in front of the National Theatre in San Jose, Costa Rica. It's never too soon to get us kids used to the "backpacker lifestyle". Look, I'm not perfect when it comes to packing my little backpacks. I do tend to sneak in a few toys...but c'mon, a kids still gotta play even when he's on the road!

You parents may think we kids are fragile, but don't under estimate us just because we're small. I've got friends at school who've been so sheltered that their idea of a vacation is a day trip to the Zoo. Protect us but please don't under estimate our ability to hang with the big boys! My play ground is the world. I swing on jungle vines...not jungle gyms! I ride elephants, not tri-cycles, I eat Sushi...not Fruit Loops! Do you get my drift? It's your obligation to lead the way...but let us have some fun & see the world with wide open eyes! Check me out here in this picture wading in the murky waters of Lago de Nicaragua. We kayaked to a remote beach on Ometepe Island & hung out with Howler Monkey's & other jungle creatures. Did I forget to mention that Bull Sharks also ply the same waters as I'm swimming in. No worries though!

I hope you've enjoyed this brief look at some of my amazing adventures. Remember, VT is not only for you old folks. We kids like to hang out here too! I hope I have inspired some of you Mom's & Dad's to gather up the family and hit the road. It's never too early to strap on a backpack and explore this amazing planet. Life is beautiful....even from way down here!