Hi Fellow World Citizens and Travelers!

Travel and meeting new friends from different cultures is my passion. So far, I have been fortunate to explore 46 countries from Afghanistan to Vietnam, but there are still so many more countries and cultures to experience. I love to "travel-like-a-local" with cultural immersion generally stay in family-owned pensions and hostels, which I find to be more friendly and have more helpful fellow travelers than fancy hotels.

I am new to Couchsurfing, but have hosted dozens of foreign visitors in my San Diego home via a separate ¨homestay¨ English language immersion program with our local American Language Institute.

This April, I am activating my bucket list to ski the Swiss Alps and then backpack my way through Eastern Europe including Prague in the Czech Republic, Krakow, Poland, Vienna, Austria, and Budapest, Hungary. I would love to share at least part of the trip with one or more compatible companions of any age who are willing to share their ¨couch¨or perhaps travel together within their country and share the adventure!

I am a tall, athletic, retired physician who, in addition to travel and skiing loves an outdoor lifestyle including hiking, biking, golfing, and swimming. I am in my 60's, but as you might infer from the above activities, think and act like I am in my 50's. I am a non-smoker, but do enjoy a glass of wine or beer with all the wonderful foods of Europe.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I most like traveling at the ¨local¨ level sharing experiences with people of the countries that I am visiting. From talking to several Couchsurfers, it seems that they are an unusually kind, tolerant and interesting group of people to connect with.

Interests

• traveling
• hiking
• camping
• history
• snow skiing
• art museum

Music, Movies, and Books

Jazz and Classical Music
¨Casablanca¨, romantic comedies, documentary movies
¨Getting to Yes,¨ ¨Freakomonics

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hitch-hiked from San Francisco to Alaska, built a log raft, and floated down 300 miles of the Yukon River over ten days.

Teach, Learn, Share

As a physician, I love to talk about the amazing human body and am happy to help explain various medical conditions and alternative treatments.

I love economics and politics and enjoy ¨comparing notes¨ with people from different countries and backgrounds about both of these topics.

I LOVE preparing and eating(!) foods from different cultures and would be happy to pay for any ingredients we might need to accomplish this goal :-)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am happy to pay all the costs of any meals that we share and bus or taxi fares that we incur to explore their village or city.

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Costa Rica, Guatemala