CURRENT MISSION
Nature travel.

ABOUT ME

globetrotter, entrepreneur, and outdoorsman

PHILOSOPHY

I am on a constant quest to learn, try new things, meet interesting people, and explore.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I use couch surfing as a way to meet interesting people when I visit new places.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

visited over 120 countries

Interests

I love being in the water - sailing, scuba diving, swimming, ..... and also the mountains. My ideal places are where mountains meets the sea (Capetown, Santa Monica, Rio, ....)

I am very fond of live music, thai food, sushi, and a good microbrew.

Music, Movies, and Books

Candide, 1984, Rigged, Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman

Travis Band, Bebel Gilberto, Belle and Sebastian

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1) A 54 day camping trip from Nairobi, Kenya to Capetown, South Africa which passed through Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia. Almost 2 months of seeing wildlife and meeting native people.

2) Exploring the desert areas of Wadi Rum, Jordan and Petra

3) Hiked to several lakes in Southeastern Kazahkstan - Lake Kandai, Kolsai Lakes in particular

4) Chasing lemurs through mountains and jungle in Madagascar

5) Diving the Indian Ocean circuit (Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion)

6) Riding a camel into the Sahara desert and watching hundreds of shooting stars.

7) Diving in raja ampat - seeing whales, oceanic mantas, and the most pristine coral on earth

Teach, Learn, Share

A Few Travel Tips

1) Leave your e-mail address / FB account on the inside of your passport. Despite being extremely careful, this has saved me a few times

Update: do this for your drivers license and other important travel documents too. It's a lifesaver

2) Airport taxis are often 3 times cheaper if you find one in the departures area (i.e. someone getting dropped off). When in doubt upon arrival somewhere new, I try to find a taxi there and save big money

4) Always take a picture of your taxi-cab license plate before getting in. This keeps questionable drivers in check and also is useful in case your forget something in the taxi or need to report a bad driver

5) Always insist that taxi drivers use the meter (except under extreme circumstances where there are no taxis and you're stuck or super tired) but always try your best

6) Don't be afraid to use the concierge of 5 star hotels for advice and recommendations even if you're not staying there.

7) Take a photo of your backpack, suitcase, or other luggage before you check it in. When the airline loses your bag, you will be thankful for having a photo of exactly what it looks like.

8) Make sure that you get an entry stamp in your passport when you arrive in a new country. Otherwise you may need to bribe officials or end up with another hassle.

9) Spend your long travel days on Sundays and Mondays whenever possible. Much of the world shuts down on these days and especially Monday for museums.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curaçao, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Northern Ireland, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Réunion, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin (French part), Samoa, Scotland, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S., Wales, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, United States

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