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SINGAPORE: He has scaled Mt. Everest – twice, visited both the North and South Poles, cycled from Singapore to Beijing and set a Guinness World Record for the Longest Scuba Submergence in a Controlled Environment.
But a professional adventurer doesn't stop seeking adventures, even if he has already journeyed to both "Ends of the Earth".
Singapore's best known adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow has ambitions for yet another quest – he is off to clock his next record, this time on inline skates.
Khoo is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for Longest Journey on Skates, currently at 4,175 kilometres, with a 6,000 km skating feat.
The epic journey started off on Saturday at Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam.
The journey is scheduled for 100 days, and he will travel through major cities in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia, before finally ending in Singapore in late January 2008.
In conjunction with title sponsor, Brocade, the trip aims to bring about environmental awareness, in particular, the issue of energy conservation.
Khoo hopes that with the wide coverage of his skating feat across Asia, he will be able to visit schools, give speeches and meet the media along the way to convey his message.
"I have been to many beautiful places in the world – South Pole, North Pole, Everest... and one doesn't have to go very far nowadays to read about glaciers melting and all that," he explained.
"I think it's (a cause) very close to my heart because these are beautiful places. We should try to preserve them for our children."
Surprisingly, Khoo could not skate well a year ago. For this trip, he hired a coach to teach him the sport for nine months.
The adventurer, who also attempted Mt. Everest without aid of oxygen tanks on his second climb, claims he loves challenges, and sees the process of learning an unfamiliar sport a great part of the adventure itself.
The 43-year-old has taken 100 wheels with him on this skating trip, or 12 changes as each set of wheels (four for each skate) will last only 500 km.
Also the author of "Journeys to the Ends of the Earth", Khoo said his drive for surviving grueling cold, psychical exhaustion, financial distress, and near-death experiences is his sheer love for adventures.
"I think the over-riding motivation is that life is really short. You're only young once and you've only got one shot. So just try and do it, if not when you're old, you will have lots of regret."
- CNA/yb
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