Accepting Guests
- 95% response rate
- Last login about 18 hours ago
Join Couchsurfing to see Michael’s full profile.
Overview
About Me
I'm a retired newspaper reporter and college professor living in the town of Volcano on the Big island of Hawaii.. Before moving here in 2020, I lived in Honolulu for more than 40 years. My interests include hiking, reading, walking, listening to music and podcasts, tennis, spending time with good friends, and traveling the world.
Why I’m on Couchsurfing
I'm lucky enough to have extra space in my small apartment and interested in sharing it with like-minded travelers in order to make new friends. I love meeting people and helping them learn more about Hawaii. However, I will not accept requests from people who are not vaccinated against Covid-19.
Interests
I spent most of my time in retirement working in my garden, hiking in the national park, and taking care of the surrounding rain forest. I'm also a life-long learning and I've recently been taking community college classes in the geography, geology, botany, history and culture of Hawaii.
- gardening
- reading
- music
- hiking
- volcanoes
Music, Movies, and Books
Musically, my tastes run mostly to classic rock, although I like to be open to many new styles and often spend my time listening to new Internet radio stations.
As a lifelong reader, I have a long list of favorite authors. My early favorites were the modernists like Proust, Joyce and Faulkner. Current favorites, who I am still discovering, include Russell Banks, T.C. Boycle, Italio Calvino and many others.
I'm also a fan of good film, best seen in large theaters. I try to see a current film about once a week, although I'm often disappointed in the quality of what is being released now.
Teach, Learn, Share
if you are looking for a traditional beach, bars and city vacation, Iʻm not the host for you. My house is in a mountain rain forest, where it is chilly and misty most of the time and about 25 minutes drive to the nearest grocery store. But if you are interested in exploring the other aspects of Hawaii, including hiking in a national park and visiting places that are shaped by traditional Hawaiian culture and the ever present, still-active volcanoes of the Big Island, then check me out. I live just a few miles from the entrance to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and know the surrounding area pretty well. As a resident of Hawaii for more than 40 years, I feel that I have a lot to share about our islands and their culture as a host. I'll be happy to share that knowledge with any travelers who are interested in learning more about the islands.
Countries I’ve Visited
Cambodia, England, Germany, Guam, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Micronesia, Federated States of, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand
Countries I’ve Lived In
Greece, Spain