CURRENT MISSION

Work to live, not live to work.

ABOUT ME

Like you, I'm trying to see a good chunk of the world, and meet some cool people in the process. I'd say about half my travel time is spent in the great outdoors (Oman! Vietnam!), the other half in big urban cities (Sao Paulo! Shanghai!). I like to think I'm fairly open-minded -- Chinese, grew up in France and the States, etc. In my book, curiosity is a positive personality trait.

I like to meet locals when I travel, especially in far-flung places. As far as hosting, I'm interested in people who have taken the time to check out my profile and genuinely want to hang out -- rather than people who just want a crash pad... To that end, when writing, please type the word "REAL MCCOY" in the subject line of your e-mails! That way, I know you've actually taken the time to read through at least part of my profile...

PHILOSOPHY

I'm not much for boxing myself into a "philosophy." That said, as I get older, I try and focus on living in the now and less on the future. It's a fine balance.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have crashed on other people's couches all around the world, and I've hosted several times (mostly when I lived in NYC). I've met some cool people in the process, including some I would consider good friends now. Overall, it's been all positive experiences. I have also couchsurfed while traveling, and that's also been a lot of fun!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

This isn't a story from CS.org strictly speaking, but it is a couchsurfing experience. Pamplona, summer 1999. I was 22, arrived with friends for the Running of the Bulls. Our plan was just to sleep in the park. A man accosted us outside the train station, and told us he could put us up in an apartment for a reasonable price. Turns out the apartment was empty (no electricity, no running water), in between renters. Total illegal squat. The guy had somehow gotten the keys, and put up some smelly mattresses and was raking it in renting to backpackers. We were over a dozen in the smallish apartment. You know what? It was an awesome experience anyway. I'd never give a stranger my money like that ever again, but what the heck, I was 22.

Interests

Travel by motorcycle. Outdoor sports. A long-term project is to take sailing classes and eventually get a skipper license. A dream trip would be to rent a boat with friends and sail down the Almafi and Dalmatian coasts in Italy/Croatia.

• writing
• books
• beauty
• running of the bulls
• recipes
• running
• boating
• traveling
• eating out
• outdoor activities
• sailing
• sports
• boxing

Music, Movies, and Books

Recent travel books - Jupiter's Travels (4 years around the world on a Triumph motorcycle!), some Paul Theroux is lined up, Hemingway's Moveable Feast.

A recent book I loved was Jeffrey Eugenides' The Marriage Plot. John Le Carre is a guilty pleasure. Finally got around to reading The Handmaid's Tale -- shockingly good, and plain old shocking. Kazuo Ishiguro is always a reliably fantastic read. I'm also really into historic biographies, especially revolutionary characters, but recently read a cracking good biography of Cleopatra.

Music is also all over the map. A band most people have not heard of and that I love (and saw at SXSW a couple of years ago) is Republic Tigers. Rich, layered music with awesome melodic crescendos.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Not enough space in this box to write it all down, but I have to think that traveling through the Middle East a few years ago was an eye opener. The region is awe-inducing in its beauty -- and has more, much more, than just deserts. The far more amazing thing was the warmth, generosity and flat out friendliness of the people I met there. I went around Lebanon, Dubai, Oman, Jordan and Bahrain with a US Passport, and never received so much as a dirty look. Quite the opposite -- I was invited to tea, given help with a flat tire, let off the hook for speeding by multiple policemen, and generally treated with utter hospitality and kindness. I often wonder if a man from the middle east who traveled in my home country would receive the same level of hospitality, and I work hard to personally treat foreigners well when they visit the US of A.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I speak French. I've got some a few decent recipes up my sleeve. I'm pretty good with anything skating related (rollerblades, ice skates...).

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