CURRENT MISSION

Escape!

ABOUT ME

People have called me Mr. Lonely Planet, and l'homme solitaire, a gentleman scholar and Wild Bill. I think everyone that knows me, knows me differently. For some, I'm a bit of a clown, who dances like mad at the party, for others I can be the serious academic, or the wallflower. The nice guy next door (nice guys always finish last), or maybe, maybe even probably, something of a glacial bastard. I think that I'm lucky to have the friends that I have, and I hope they feel the same about me. For now, I've made a commitment to explore something of the world, its major civilizations, languages; it's literature and music... and of course it's people. I am always hoping to make a new discovery, whether a good book, a new insight about existence, a new flavor, a new sound, or a new friend.

PHILOSOPHY

While sometimes its quite difficult to find a purpose to things, I try to remember Goethe's words: "If you want to receive joy from this life, you must attach meaning to this world". I guess I would adhere to Camus' philosophy called Absurdism. To search for meaning where there is none, and enjoy the search; to make life worth living, by creating your own rules.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I do not normally like to ask people for a couch, although it has happened. My preference is to meet up and go for a walk or have a drink and a talk. I've hosted people in Istanbul and Paris when I was living in those places.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Some people become friends very fast. I've met wonderful people who have shared insights and book titles, and life stories that have enriched my own.

Interests

I love to read. My motto is "never leave home without a book." I am also quite interested in languages. I am always studying one or two. I like people, even though I don't understand them well. I can think myself to a torpor, so movies are a great escape. I limit myself to following one sport and one team: Basketball and the Utah Jazz, but I love to play any sport, although I am pretty bad at them, but I'm told I have 'hussle'. I find reasons to be curious about everything.

• books
• literature
• wine
• partying
• drinking
• movies
• magic
• music
• jazz
• sports
• basketball
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Top Fiction: "Cry, the Beloved Country" Alan Paton, "Remains of the Day" Kazuo Ishiguro, "The Plague" Albert Camus, "Love in the Time of Cholera" Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "Zorba the Greek" Nikoz Kazantzakis, "Mother Comes of Age" Driss Chraibi, "The Tunnel" Ernesto Sabato, "A Season of Migration to the North" Talib Salih.
Top non-Fiction: "Natasha's Dance" Orlando Figes, "Identity and Violence" Amartya Sen, "The Unfolding of Language" Guy Deutscher, "Nothing to be Frightened of" Julian Barnes.
Movies: Vengo, Water, Cry the Beloved Country, Waltz with Bashir, A Serious Man, Bab'aziz, Black Cat White Cat, Shawshank Redemption, Remains of the Day... and many more.
My music tastes are very eclectic.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Spending a day in Udhaipur with beggar children dressed as gods, chatting in Hindi about their lives and seeing them light up when we went for a boatride.
Camel rides in Morocco, Egypt, India, Jordan.... nights in the desert with brilliant stars.
Eight world-class operas in one month in Moscow.
Arriving to Edirne, Turkey after a blizzard and admiring the majestic Selimiye Mosque under a blanket of snow and a star studded sky, followed by mulled Turkish wine.
Magic mushrooms.

Teach, Learn, Share

Readers, thinkers, laughers, teasers, builders, dreamers, creators, survivors.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Albania, France, Turkey, Ukraine, United States