CURRENT MISSION

I'm home in Vancouver, and it's been a long time getting settled after 2 years on the road... exploring life and riding the ups and downs surrounded by good people.

ABOUT ME

i left home in June 2011 and spent a year wandering around asia followed by a year in NZ.

i love meeting other travelers along the way. exchanging insight, inspiration, good books, movies, music, and stories.

I'm a photo geek, i love to tell the story of my experience through images along the way.
my website is terribly out of date, but i'd really like to get some of my travel photos up on there at some point.

PHILOSOPHY

perhaps the most suitable quote to describe my own journey that i have found to date:

It is part of the unceasing human endeavour to prove that the spirit of man can transcend the flaws of his own nature.
- Aung San Sun Kyi

I'm a firm believer that north american values put far too much weight on possessions and the economy, and not enough on freetime and personal happiness. I think we've had the idea that more possessions = happiness drilled into us and if we can break the cycle we can live simpler happier lives while working and consuming (much) less. still very much working on implementing this in my own life :)
I'm also realizing the value of community, haven grown up in the city, it's been an eye opener getting involved with numerous communities that look out for each other along the way.

other thoughts and bits and pieces:

the only thing we take with us is our wisdom and our experience. i think the second leads to the first.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace... - hendrix

i believe that compassion and foresight are the definitive traits that make us human. i'm also cynical enough to think the world would be a lot better place if we found more of these traits in mainstream society. I try to exercise both daily :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I had numerous friends recommend couchsurfing over the years and finally made it happen. I've done plenty of hosteling and hitchhiking, had near strangers crash on my sofa on occasion, crashed on a few random couches over these travels, and have loved (almost) every minute of it. why stop now?

Interests

Photography, hiking, cooking, exploring, languages and cultures

• photography
• cooking
• motorcycles
• movies
• traveling
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• history
• languages
• tourism
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

books:
Papillion
the electric kool-aid acid test
the dharma bums
hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy
on the road
into the wild
rum diaries
Fear and Loathing
scientific progress goes "boink"

movies:
Waking Life
Bucketlist
Smoke Signals
Blow

I have pretty eclectic taste in music. the burners have definitely left me with an appreciation of good electronic, but not specific enough to pick out if it's trance or psy-dub or house or, or, or... if it's got a good rhythm i can groove to it. i like some country music, some concious westcoast hip hop, some mellow folksy stuff and a little bit of almost everything on occasion.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

showing up in montreal with nothing but a backpack, a hostel booking and a fistful of resumes and staying a year. hitching out to the gaspe and realizing my montreal french did not let me comprehend the locals.

overlooked lake nam tso in tibet, at almost 5200M of elevation, short of breath and giddy to be surrounded by amazing nature and history.

Burma. Hitch hiking and travelling in villages that are not over-run with tourism yet. Riding a scooter down dirt roads past people who smile and wave at the sight of you, and invite you in for lunch when you stop to talk to them.

4 days on a motorcycle in the Philippines, I may have terrified a few locals with my Cheshire cat grin. 4 of the best days of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

i'm a camera geek. almost anything photography i can probly give you a bit of guidance on.
I cook. I'm no chef, but I can throw down a nice dinnner when I need to :)
i'm also reasonably outdoorsy and while the seasoned camper might put me to shame, i may have some knowledge/tricks to contribute to your pre-trip plans.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, New Zealand

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