ABOUT ME

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I Like Turtles*

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Hey! You like turtles too!Welcome to my house :)

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Please give a quick read before messaging me.

01/02/12 Please note, due to timewasters, I will no longer reply to generic or copy paste couch requests and messages. It reached the point where I would say Yes to requests and then never hearing back from Couch Surfer again. So, you will only be guaranteed a reply if you follow below instructions. Don't worry, their fun ;)

Grazie Mille!

Why surf my couch ?
I have a secret love affair with Lisbon and feel it is Europe's best kept secret. This is a Magical place to discover, and if you are lucky to stay at my place I will do my best to pass on this feeling to you. Being a genuine local all my life, I know the trendiest spots, the most beautiful views, the best beaches, and the most fun nightclubs. Lisbon is not just downtown. It is Belem,Estoril, Cascais and Sintra too.

Understanding.... Me !
To better understand who I am, here are 51 random facts about me. Because I'm all about fun, I prefer to host people who I know will be a match and are all about fun too. Therefore I will only host you if we share at least three similarities. So please, when you write me, let me know what facts we share in common and why. The more, the merrier! This is my filtering technique to filter out unwanted,dull people just looking for free place to sleep.

So, lets have some fun !

1. My name is unusual for Portugal and translates to the... Savier, ie. He who saves.

2. My name is also the name given to lifeguards on the beach... ie. Nadador Salvador... :/

3. I share the same name of a Country and its Capital in Central America.. ie. El Salvador/San Salvador

4. In Uni, the name I was most mistaken for was Santiago... After the Capital of Chile... :/

5. I have a very sarcastic/ironic humor accompanied by very thought out witty remarks.

6. I have 3 sisters, and being the only guy in the family has always been very advantageous.

7. I lived in London for 5 years, but decided to leave after too many signal failures on the London Underground Metro.

8. After battling many years with different housemates due to warm milk in the morning. I now live alone.

9. I have multiple interests in various, unrelated,different subjects, which helps me to socialize with almost any type of person.

10. I work freelance.

11. I like to be spontaneous (and so have a hard time accepting fortnight CS requests)

12. I'm Straight.

13. I was one of the first people in Portugal to have Facebook (studied in an American Uni) and one of the first to leave facebook (2011 new year resolution due to procrastination -> not a dirty word, google it)

14. I love airports.

15. I try to avoid taking long distance flights with friends, especially the talkative ones.

16. I have never been to Mt Everest. And if I had, I would never wear just a T-shirt and a cap.

17. I dont like eating popcorn in the movies, but I love Maltesers.

18. I have no problems going to the movies alone. Especially in Oscar season. But only during the 5 o'clock session.

19. I have cable tv with over 100 channels, but only watch two: Movie channel and Espn America.

20. I love to drink coke from the glass bottle. The glass gives it the pure original taste.

21. I love American Sports.

22. My football team in Lisbon is Sporting Lisbon (I can take you to a game).
I surf

24. I snowboard (backcountry only)

25. I play Tenis

26. And I play.... Golf ! (sorry to the most skeptic, but this is a Sport)

27. I also play Poker. But I dont consider this a Sport because my AA's have been beaten too many times to confirm bad luck is involved.

28. My favorite hand is AQ suited.

29. I have never played strip poker.

30. I have a Dog named Jack of Monterey,a ridgeback. (Named after Monterey Jack Cheese).

31. My favourite artists are Dali, Degas,Gauguin and Roy Lichenstein.

32. I had goosebumps when I entered Sistine Chappel in the Vatican.

33. I had goosebumps when I saw Picasso's Guernika in Madrid.

34. I think Joan Miro draws/paints like a child. :/

35. I'm not an intellectual (see #9).

36. I learned how to screenprint on my spare time.

37. I Tried to start a T-shirt business with the logo "Porn is fun".

38. I have adrenalin rushes when Snowboarding on powder snow.

39. I have adrenalin rushes after surfing a good wave or wiping out in a thick one.

40. I have an adrenalin rush when I avoid an accident from some idiot driver doing something stupid on the road.

41. I had the biggest adrenalin rush when I bungee jumped over 100 meters.

42. I did not however, have an adrenalin rush when I skydived. It felt peaceful and Zen and I could hear birds.

43. I also have a rush when I leave deadlines to the last minute.

44. I multitask often.

45. I dont drink coffee.

46. If I'm silent, it does not mean I don't like you or that I'm bored. I sometimes appreciate silence.

47. I'm a Capricorn.

48. I consider myself a perfectionist. Until... until I finally give up !

49. I can parallel park 8/10 times on the first try.

50. I find women who are good drivers a big turn on. (especially who paralell parks naturally). But a very big turnoff the ones who Smoke and Drive at the same time.

51. I have a fascination with the number 23.

* I Like Turtles is a Youtube joke. Go ahead, search for it.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I mainly Host, but also surf and hang-out with locals on a couple of my travels.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I was away from CS until 2011 because I was sharing a house with more people and there just wasn't enough cold milk in the mornings. So now I moved to my own place and have a free couch available again.

Since summer of 2011 I have accepted close to 100 requests bringing an average total of about 200 people surfing my living room.

And I'm happy to report,my morning milk has been at an ideal temperature of 11C ever since.

As of Summer 2012, I also began surfing, and all I can say is that it's great !

Interests

Anything that takes me outdoors and keeps me active. Although staying in and whatsaping with friends also has an interest in me. In the last years I've also gained an interest for strength training at the gym. And of course, traveling is my biggest interest and what gives me a sense of purpose in life.

• dogs
• birds
• cheese
• coffee
• drinking
• movies
• tv
• traveling
• socializing
• poker
• outdoor activities
• surfing
• bungee jumping
• skiing
• snowboarding
• sports
• soccer
• swimming
• golf
• world cup
• business
• emergency services
• freelancing
• beaches
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Music ranges from a bit of everything, from Jazz to Dance, Trip-Hop to Indie Rock,Classical to Soundtracks and of course... Fado ! However, there is just one album I always, always take with me: Melloncollie and Infinite Sadness" - Smashing Pumpkins

Movies, I go by directors. Quentin and Robert are two for New Age action. David Lynch and Michele Gondry for the absurd surreal. Daren Aronofsky and Paul Thomas Anderson being on the edge of indie/hollywood movies. Cameron Crowe for Hollywood love dramas. And Wes Anderson for silly nonsense dry comedies.

Books, I'm a big fan of Catcher in the Rye. I guess because I read it at about the same age of the main character and became quite attached to the free, bohemian lifestyle. I'm also very fond of Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, every adult should read this book. Then, The Great Gatsby - Fitzgerald, On the Road - Jack Kerouac. Any short story from Roald Dahl.

More recently I've turned into non-fiction writing and with a theme based on Adventure and Survivalism. This includes: Into thin air (The Everest Disaster); Alive (The story of the Andes Survivors); In the heart of the sea, Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage; Desperate Passage: The Donner party perilous journey west.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Heard the sound of a Balinese Gecko. (Believe me, when you hear it at night, its quite an experience).

Got a chance to swim,hug and play with dolphins as child.

Fell in love at first sight inside a Krakow tram.

Drank vodka with 3 off duty police agents for 12 hours on the Donetsk-Kiev night train.

Unexpectedly traveled through South and Central America for 7 months because of a world cup final ticket and a tinder match.

Visited "my country" (El Salvador) and got mugged at knifepoint (quite the reception).

Converted my Hyundai i20 compact passenger car with a double bed and roadtripped around Portugal for 3 weeks.

Did the Amazon river public transport boat ride sleeping in a hammock for 5 days.

Been to 19 consecutive Portugal World Cup and Euro Cup Matches, including the final in France 2016.

Went viral on ESPN during France 2016 Euro Cup and have been mentioned in many interviews and media since (ask me why ;) )

Got completely lost, alone, for an hour or two in the Amazon forest in Brasil. Yes I panicked but eventually got control of the situation.

Just recently tried nude sunbathing in an official nude baltic beach. I turned out to have more of a rush and adrenaline feeling than jumping out of a plane. Amazing life experience and really made me feel alive.

Teach, Learn, Share

Lisbon sidewalks are composed of old-style cobblestones. They've been around since forever. Although very beautiful to look at (some have special patterns designed), they can prove very fatal to women who are fond of high heels :D Therefore it is advisable for women to bring your sandals, sabrinas or the less attractive, sneakers. You have been warned :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm a storyteller and have many great stories from wandering this world alone. But of course I can also cook a warm Portuguese meal :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, El Salvador, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Portugal, United Kingdom

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