CURRENT MISSION

To get to a place where winter never comes. Maybe finally build on my plot in the Dominican Republic, maybe join this ecovillage in Brazil that I have been communicating with. My dream is one day to live in the tropical rain forest -- preferably in a treehouse.

ABOUT ME

Ongiini! Wa lala po? Africa and African languages fascinate me, although unfortunately I have only so far managed to spend a couple months in Namibia and learn a few basic sentences of Oshindonga (Kwatha ndje popya kashona!). Couchsurfing doesn't let me list that as a language I am learning.

Also, I am gay, vegetarian, and I love snorkeling and swimming in wild places. I am so happy to have found a naturist community in the tropics, and am slowly working to make it my permanent home.

I can only sit down for a short while before I have to get up and do something. I usually have some kind of project going on -- gardening, sewing, writing, artwork. I spend a lot of time outdoors, hiking, camping, gardening, birding, and my most rewarding jobs have been outdoors also, working for scientists, collecting their data.

PHILOSOPHY

I find I have little tolerance for inconsistent or simplistic thinking. If you are going to express a belief, you'd better be prepared to apply logic to it.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I take in that rare couchsurfer who is willing to set foot outside the major cities and come to the places I live. I figure, if I build up a good rep little by little, then when it is my turn to travel, I will be helped in turn.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I discovered Couchsurfing when I got thrown into a situation, had limited resources, and had to make do. Does that make me the "freeloader" that other CS users say the site is not meant for? Since then, I have been more focused on taking in carefully vetted CSers while I am not able to travel, knowing that eventually, it would be my turn again.

Interests

Biodiversity, biodiversity, biodiversity -- the "endless forms most beautiful" that Darwin wrote about are truly awe-inspiring. So many kinds of animals and plants, so little time to see and learn about them all.

• books
• vegetarian
• gardening
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• camping
• snorkeling
• swimming
• languages
• logic
• nudism
• nudist
• autism
• nudity
• nude
• nude beaches
• nudismo
• gays

Music, Movies, and Books

I have been getting into house music lately. Beyond that, the many musics of the world fascinate me, especially when one music migrates to a new place and mixes with another.

Books, books, books! I grew up surrounded by books (literally -- bookshelves lined the walls). I remember one book in particular, that I still have: a big, colorful, coffee-table type book called _The Wonders of Life on Earth_. I can say with a certainty, that book has affected who I am, and every life decision I have ever made. When I was still very young, my mother read me _The Swiss Family Robinson_, which opened my eyes to other ways of living, far from suburbia.

I am currently exploring foreign and indie films.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The first time I was ever truly awestruck was upon seeing a tropical rain forest for the first time. No big coffee-table book can convey the awesome grandeur of Monteverde Cloud Forest. On a map, Costa Rica looks like just a narrow strip of land; but get into it, and you could disappear as long as you wanted to. Also: did you know the ocean is different colors in different places? Deep ultramarine off Hawaii, slate gray near Japan, almost purple east of Australia...

Teach, Learn, Share

One thing I have learned in life: we would never miss most of our possessions if they were suddenly gone. I have things that have been stored in boxes in relatives' garages for years, waiting for me to get my life together so I can use and enjoy them; meanwhile, I have been enjoying my ad hoc, disorganized life without them.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I've done a fair bit of traveling before joining CS, so if you need to know about a country, ask me if I've been there. Some of my best travel experiences have been away from the major cities and popular destinations, so if your location is making it difficult for you to gain CS experience (and references), I just may be the one you're looking for! I also do most of my own cooking (vegetarian only, sometimes vegan) and will be happy to take my turn at your place.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, Micronesia, Federated States of, Namibia, Singapore, Thailand, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

Dominican Republic, Taiwan, United States