"The Unholy Travels of a Globetrotting Malcontent!" wilocrek's Profile

I live in paradise, where the mountains soar high into the sky and all four seasons change with a seamless beauty that can't be explained, only seen. A place where winter is truly a wonderland and spring rings in with the splendor of new life. I can go from a sprawling metropolis to a stunning canyon surrounded by pine trees and streams in less than 20 minutes. I live in Salt Lake City, and yet I can't wait to get out of town and see more of the world. Paradise is not a place where you live, rather, its the different places you visit. Traveling the world is my passport to paradise, Salt Lake City is merely the gateway. I live in the wonder of the natural beauty that I'm surrounded by but my mind is miles away wandering among the mysterious Mayan ruins of the Yucatan Peninsula or taking a stroll through the awe inspiring Roman Forum. My heart will always belong in Salt Lake City, but my mind will never be at rest until the world is mine! When we die, traveling is the one crown jewel that we can take with us. Everything else gets left behind and fought over by next of kin, but not the memories of the experiences we have when we travel. Many people place far too much emphasis on material things but for me the only thing that brings me true satisfaction is the joy derived from being able to see the world! I live my life with a scowl on my face as I stroll the streets of Salt Lake, but inside my mind I'm planning my next adventure and thats the only thing that brings a smile to my face, other than a beautiful woman of course!

Giza Pyramids, Egypt

For some, traveling the world is a life long goal to visit their personal "mecca". When I visited the Vatican City in the summer of 2000 it was filled with faithful Catholics celebrating their religion. I was there for kicks and giggles. I don't have any holy purposes for traveling other than I like doing it. So if my purposes are not holy than by default they must be unholy. As far as I'm concerned, much like anything thats spiritual there is nothing in between. Your either holy or your unholy. So now that its been established that my travels are unholy, the next question that is just begging to be answered is what exactly qualifies me as a traveling malcontent? The first part is easy, as its been already established, I love to travel. The problem for me though, is that I don't get to travel as much as I want to, and that is why I'm a traveling malcontent. Much like a starving man is malnourished because of a lack of food, I'm a malcontent because traveling is what makes me feel content and I don't get enough of it. So when I'am traveling I have a big crap eating grin on my face at all times! As you can see from the picture of me in front of the main temple at Palenque, why wouldn't I be happy? The sun is shining, I get to run around like a half naked Mayan savage and the backdrop is to literally die for!

Tulum, Mexico

Traveling does more than just take me places it also opens me as an individual in two distinctly different ways. The main focus of traveling for me is to see historical places and experience different cities, but I have also found that traveling has enabled me to not only meet new people but to observe them as well. When I'm traveling in Mexico, specifically the Yucatan Peninsula, I find that I'm more of a social butterfly when it comes to meeting people. I think its the laid back atmosphere of the beach cabana's that I stay at, or maybe the fact since I'm on the beach and the sun is shining, I'm just more relaxed. I think the real reason though, is that I'm meeting people that are from different countries, which I find interesting and generally since they are staying at the same type of beach cabana's that I stay at, they are also generally laid back and adventurous. People like that are fun to talk to and seem to have an open way of thinking. At home I'm used to meeting people whose idea of vacationing is hitting up Las Vegas for a weekend. I have been especially impressed with the European woman I have met in the Yucatan. They are generally in their early twenties and travel fearlessly in pairs. They are not only educated but they speak their minds and are not afraid of new experiences. I find its easy to be comfortable with people like that and I tend to be far more social when I'm in the Yucatan. However when I'm in Europe its the other way around, I'm more like a fly on the wall. For me nothing beats hanging around the Coliseum or sitting on the Spanish Steps and just watching all the different people that come and go. I see tourist groups hop on and off buses as they are paraded like sheep from site to site by some loudmouth with an umbrella that they wave like a matador to keep their groups attention. I watch as fathers try in vain to explain to their children the significance of what they seeing, while they fiddle with their Ipods with glazed eyes of indifference. I watch as newlywed couples conjoin as one as they split their time taking in the beauty of what they are seeing and looking deep into each others eyes. I watch as vendors hawk their wares to the unsuspecting tourists who feign interest at first and then in frustration finally open up their wallets to shoo them away. Being a fly on the wall is almost as fulfilling as being a social butterfly, it adds another level of excitement and enjoyment to traveling!

I have always been a big Indiana Jones fan, and not just because he has a whip! Rather I envy the fact he travels the world in search of ancient treasures and along the way has such great adventures. As a child watching those films I dreamed of becoming like Indiana Jones, and now as a adult, (from an age perspective anyway), I feel more like Indiana Jones everyday. I have the Indiana Jones fedora, the leather jacket, and even a replica whip, but those are not the reasons that I feel like Dr. Jones. I have followed in his path of traveling the world to seek out its ancient treasures. Although I haven't had to dodge bullets and witness satanic rituals like my hero, my adventures have all ended with the treasure I was seeking. My treasure is seeing the world through my own eyes and experiencing the wonders of the world in my own way and on my own clock. True treasure is being able to walk through the Roman Coliseum or climb a Mayan pyramid and then be able to hold on to those memories for the rest of my life. No matter how hard things may get back home, I only have to close my eyes and conjure up the memories of walking on a picture perfect beach in Punta Cana, or strolling among the ancient ruins of Pompeii and I'm at peace. Those memories and experiences are my treasure, and much like any treasure seeker I have an insatiable desire to have more. Enough is never enough! Much like Indiana Jones, my adventure is never over, its always just beginning.

2012

Yucatan Adventure Part V: Feb 27 to March 6th

- Isla Holbox
- Valladolid
- Chichen Itza

2011

Taste of Asia: Aug. 30th to Sept. 25th

China: Beijing - Xian - Guilin

Vietnam: Hanoi - Halong Bay - Saigon

Cambodia: Phnom Phem - Siem Reap

Yucatan Road Trip Part IV: Feb. 10th to Feb. 21st

- Tulum
- Coba
- Becan
- Calakmul
- Palenque
- Uxmal
- Chichen Itza

2010

September 1st to 22nd

- Rio de Janiero, Brazil

- Buzios, Brazil

- Ouru Preto, Brazil

- Buenos Aires, Argentina

- Iguazu Falls, Argentina

August 16th - 24th

- Calgary, Canada

- Glacier National Park

July14th - 23rd

- Burlington, Vermont

May 19th - 22nd

- Las Vegas

- Zion's National Park

March 17th - 27th

- Puerto Rico

2009

November 14th - 16th

- Las Vegas, Nevada

October 15th - 20th

- Montego Bay, Jamaica

September 10th - 13th

- Chicago

Yucatan Road Trip Part III: August 6th - 16th

- Tulum, Mexico (Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Palenque, Becan, Labna)

Feb. 20th - March 16th

- Greece: Athens - Ageana
- Egypt: Cairo - Luxor - Nuweiba - Mount Sinai (St. Katerine)
- Israel: Jerusalem - Ein Gedi - Masada - Bethlehem
- Jordan: Amman - Petra - Aqaba
- France: A Evening In Paris - (16 hr layover)

2008

- San Francisco - August

- Yucatan Road Trip Part II: June 13 - 20
Tulum / Calakmul / Palenque / Uxmal / Chichen Itza / Becan

- San Francisco - May

- Moab, UT / Arches National Park - April

- European Vacation: Feb. 11th - Mar. 5th
Rome / Naples / Positano / Capri / Pompei / Florence / Pisa / La Spezia /
Cinque Terre / Nice / Eze / Cannes / Monaco / Antibes / Venice / Paris

2007

- Yucatan Road Trip Part I: September (9 days)
Tulum / Coba / Chichen Itza / Calakmul / Palenque

- San Juan, Puerto Rico: June (4 days)

- A Taste of Italy: March (10 days)
Rome / Naples / Pompei / Florence

- A Taste of the Yucatan: Jan. (6 days)
Tulum / Coba / Chichen Itza / Playa de Carman

2006

- A Tour of the Islands: Hawaii - October (7 days)
Honolulu / Lahaina

- San Francisco, CA - September

- San Diego, CA - June

- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - Feb. (7 days)

2005

- Yucatan Experience - Jan. (7 days)
Cancun / Tulum / Chichen Itza