CURRENT MISSION

Make the most out of life and meet lovely people on the way.

ABOUT ME

I've been lucky enough to have led a fairly varied life and have done several really big trips, living and teaching in Nepal, hitching around the world on sailing boats and trekking through Patagonia on horseback and then living on a remote Estancia there. Seeing so many amazing places-each beautiful in its own way-and having met so many lovely and interesting people, I've become really open to different ways of looking at the world and am always open to expanding my horizons and meeting new people.I've spent most of my working life as a scientist/programmer, although I started off in journalism. I've always been fascinated by how the world works, but the more I study conventional science, the more I become aware of its limitations and interested in other ways of looking at the world.I'm currently studying for a PhD in structural biology at Liverpool University, but my interests in sustainability and permaculture have led me to set up an urban farming company, so between the two I"m kept pretty busy.

PHILOSOPHY

Live your life to the full and help others to get all that they can out of theirs.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've been lucky to have met and stayed with some amazing couchsurfers throughout the world, and although I've not been able to host any myself, I've been able to turn a fair few people on to couchsurfing by telling about the great experiences I've had doing it.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I met my first couchsurfer in Trinidad, and then couchsurfed my way through Colombia, staying with some lovely and incredibly generous people along the way.

Interests

I've always been pretty active, so I've a wide range of interests including music (I play guitar, violin & mandolin), sailing, martial arts, cycling, walking, reading, computers, theatre, philosophy, history; actually pretty much anything that involves learning about life and being present to what it can offer.

• horses
• arts
• walking
• reading
• music
• guitar
• violin
• cycling
• equestrian
• sailing
• martial arts
• biology
• history
• journalism
• languages
• science
• software

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm passionate about all types of music and love discovering new stuff, whether it be classical, pop, country or even experimental electro-accoustic wierdness! I was lucky enough to discover Nick Drake and Bob Dylan when I was growing up and still think that's about as good an introduction to music as you could get.

I love reading so it would take me forever to list all the books that I've got excited about, but recent ones that I've read and thought were great include Atonement and On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan, The Time Traveller's Wife, The Act of Creation by Arthur Koestler and Jared Diamond's Collapse.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Playing the music for the first ever wedding on Suvarov, one of the most beautiful and remote coral atols in the pacific.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a bit of a computer geek and have worked in various languages (mainly Fortran and Python), and lots of experience working with and repairing operating systems like OSX, Linux and Windoze, so would be happy to share my knowledge with anyone with an interest there.

I hitched my way across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, so can give advice on anyone thinking of doing the same.

Also, having bought my own horses in Patagonia to do a trek and spent 7 months living on an estancia there, I'd be happy to tell anyone thinking of doing something similar what I learnt and what might be useful advice.

I'm also learning lots about aquaponics and urban farming through my company, so I'm interested in sharing and learning anything that people may know about that.

Countries I’ve Visited

American Samoa, Barbados, Cabo Verde, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Ecuador, Fiji, French Polynesia, Gibraltar, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Panama, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Germany, Nepal, United Kingdom

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