CURRENT MISSION

traveling the farthest reaches of the world... promoting the goodness of People everywhere I go

ABOUT ME

I am a Free Spirit. I live for adventure. Nature is my favorite place to be. Blowing my mind is my favorite thing to do. In seeking out these passions, I independently travel the far stretches of the world and mingle with her people.
I strive to strengthen myself, both physically and mentally, so that I can continue to climb mountains, cross deserts, trek rainforests, and keep an open mind... all in my quest for knowledge and wisdom.

PHILOSOPHY

I live my life to see what is around the next corner. I have an insatiable curiosity about the world and her people. I have independently traveled 83+ months of my life thru 102 or so countries on 7 continents seeking knowledge. Learning languages is key to opening the world and is my passion. I have learned that all people are inherently the same: we love, we are happy, we are sad, we cry, we hurt, we all want the best for our children, we all bleed red, we all ultimately strive for peace and health and happiness and a good life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have had the pleasure of hosting 5 fellow backpackers/couchsurfers... great experiences!
Although I have not yet surfed, as an adventure traveler I have stayed on "couches" all over the world. Spontaneous chance meetings have always led to my most favorite "couch" experiences. So I feel it is my duty to give back... I feel happy to reciprocate for the countless times in my life where people have "taken me in for the night".

Interests

intrepid world travel, learning languages, Tibetan reiki, meditation, yoga, strength training, God, Family, Nature, Tibetan Buddhism, Orion, People, Africa, the power of the moon, astronomy, high altitude trekking, skiing, photography, backpacking and camping, wildlife, astrology, world religions/superstitions/rituals/healers, being in the middle of Nature where I can be surrounded by my favorite color green, blowing my mind as often as possible

• wildlife
• photography
• yoga
• meditation
• reading
• hiking
• camping
• skiing
• catholic
• astronomy
• adventure travel
• nature
• trekking
• cultural anthropology
• reiki
• family and friends
• world religions
• tibetan buddhism

Music, Movies, and Books

World music
African drumming
Kirtan chants
Reggae
Cuban music
Rock
non-fiction movies and books

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I feel so fortunate that there are hundreds. Here's a few:

--11 days with His Holiness the Dalai Lama receiving the Kalachakra empowerment

--10 days with the powerful Jet Lie achieving Reiki Master

--2 months in Tibet: overland travel all the way from Hong Kong, prostrating along the Mt Kailash kora, witnessing a sky burial

--6 weeks trekking in Irian Jaya (the most remote area of the world) living with locals in treehouses 90 feet off the ground!

--crossing the Sahara Desert of Mauritania in a Peugot 504

--standing among thousands of emotional Berliners witnessing Checkpoint Charlie being picked up by a crane, placed on a flatbed truck, and driven away. Being among the first to walk into a free East Berlin.

--venturing to the last remaining traditional whale hunting village in the world.. in remote Indonesia.. accompanying hunters with a hand-held harpoon in their 12-foot boat in quest of the sperm whale.. smack dab in the middle of an Indonesian Moby Dick novel.. what we brought in blew my mind.

--standing amidst the electric energy of Carnaval in the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

--after 5 days of hiking thru the Andes on The Inca Trail.. sleeping at the Sun Gate and awakening to sunrise over Machu Picchu... Peru

--sitting in the dark by the warmth of a campfire in northern Alaska watching a giant translucent green question mark appear high overhead in the sky... my very first sighting of the aurora borealis... and then the whole sky started going off with powdery-translucent swirling greens and reds... wow!

--trekking for 7 days in the middle of National Geographic magazine... the animist Dogon area of Mali, West Africa. A funeral on the last day where the women wailed and the blanket of the corpse was beaten with sticks to drive away the last of the spirits.

--7 days in the DPRK

--ice camping in Antarctica

Teach, Learn, Share

I am a highly experienced intrepid world traveler, having independently traveled 80+ months of my life thru the farthest reaches of 102 or so countries on 7 continents. People often come to me to hear my stories and seek advice, specifics, and how-to's about travel.

What I Can Share with Hosts

--intrepid travel experiences- 37 years of backpacking the world- I can help with travel itineraries, logistics, advice

-- English language lessons- I'm an ESL teacher.

--yoga and meditation- I lead both.

--Reiki healing

-- holistic nutrition

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antarctica, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Fiji, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Pakistan, Palau, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Russian Federation, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Western Sahara, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Switzerland, United States

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