CURRENT MISSION

To conquer THE WOOORLD!!! Yep ... one couch at a time ;-)

ABOUT ME

I'm a people person who has already visited 100 countries on 6 continents. I enjoy meeting, talking, sharing, and learning from others. My cultural background is somewhat mixed: born and raised in Europe and then emigrated to North America (so now I have 2 passports), etc. My next goal travel-wise? Very simple: to visit my country# 101!

PS. Oh, I forgot to mention that I enjoy also growing head lice and burping loudly while eating in public... hehehe... just kidding! :-)

In general, here is the LIST OF COUNTRIES (in alphabetical order) I have visited so far (most of them BEFORE I discovered couchsurfing):

Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia (before split up), Denmark, Dominican Republic, East Germany (before unification), Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Soviet Union (before disintegration), Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (yes it is an independent country), Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican, Vietnam, West Germany (before unification).

Yep, 100! Wanna RACE AGAINST ME to the 101 mark?? :-)

My old CS profile: https://www.couchsurfing.com/users/935799/profile/legacy
(The only difference are two maps.)

PHILOSOPHY

To make a difference in people's lives. To live for a higher purpose than just "eat, drink, and be merry". To explore and experience a wide spectrum of GOOD things. (As they say: "diversity is a spice of life.")

Some quotes about travel:
* "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." Mark Twain
* "The world is like a book, those who do not travel read only one page." Augustine
* "The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land." Chesterton
* "The wise man's home is the universe." Democrites
* "Go into all the world..." Jesus the Christ

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Very simple: by being hosted (more) and hosting (less - since I've been a nomad for the last several years). In general, I travel with a purpose. I want to have a positive impact in people's lives. I also enjoy volunteering/working in various countries e.g. in orphanages, schools, etc.

BTW, I usually travel with my own bedding (including my own pillow) so no need to prepare anything for me. I do not smoke/get drunk/take any recreational drugs.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Overall quite positive so far even though it is usually a lot of hard work. But I do enjoy meeting people. So it's worth it.

Interests

Various cultures and their ethnic foods, world affairs, economics, social and environmental issues, world religions, history, theology, sports, healthy nutrition/living, alternative medicine (so I can stay away from those crooks in the conventional medical industries) and of course people.

• books
• cooking
• traveling
• socializing
• sports
• tennis
• volleyball
• economics
• history
• medicine
• religion
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I like music: classical, jazz, etc. In the past I read books that helped me understand the world around me. Now I'm just an internet junkie! Yep, I must admit that I'm addicted to reading news (from around the world), various articles, etc. EVERY DAY. If I watch any movies it is mostly documentaries, biographies, or something based on true stories.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Since I have traveled in so many countries on all continents (except Antarctica) I have had quite a number of adventures (e.g. being arrested on the grounds of Turkish military base under suspicion of being a spy or a fight [mentally and physically] with Iranian border police while trying to cross the border into Iraq).
* I have met many great travelers. For example, in 2010 for ca. 24 hours I accompanied Chris Howe (from David toward Panama City) who was walking from L.A. to Brazil!!! Yep, going on foot from California to South America.
* I have seen some amazing things too. I like mostly nature and enjoy going to national parks. I would recommend Southern Utah, New Zealand, northern Pakistan and Iquazu Falls on the border of Argentina/Brazil among many other places.
* I have also eaten some pretty unusual stuff: e.g. silk worm larve or a hairy, black, and fiercely looking tarantula spider! YUCK

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share my experience from traveling around the world. BTW, I'm glad sharing any knowledge I have (see my interests above). For example, I can educate you about some very dangerous scams I've discovered in this world (yep, there are a lot of lies out there). I can also teach how to play certain sports: ping-pong, volleyball, tennis. For non-native English speakers: I can try improving your English!

I'd like to learn more how to cook.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I will cook at least one home-made meal for you. :-)

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