I'm a Kentish Man who's been living out in Taipei, Taiwan since 1993, teaching piano, performing (occasional piano recitals) and holding several editing jobs for English-language magazines out here.
I regularly return to my home near Sevenoaks in Kent to visit family and enjoy my own culture, and have travelled extensively elsewhere in the world too.
This year (summer 2016) I'm tackling a 3-month-long walk, in aid of two charities, from Dover (at the southeast tip of England) and Cape Wrath, the northwesternmost tip of Scotland. Hope to meet a few interesting people along the way, to punctuate the loneliness of endless nights camping in caravan sites and staying at youth hostels! By the way, if anyone's interested, I'll be updating my progress on a blog I've started for the walk, here: https://dovertodurness.wordpress.com/

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I run a group called Taipei Hikers out in Taipei, leading voluntary hikes in the amazing mountains around the city and further south into the big (10,000 foot-plus) mountains in the center of the island, and love meeting new people, especially those interested in hiking or enjoying the outdoors (or classical music). Unfortunately not in a position to offer accommodation to visitors to Taipei at this moment (although this might change soon when our spare apartment becomes available once more), but always enjoy meeting new people.

Interests

Classical music (especially early 20th century and late Romantic repertoire, 20th century symphonies etc), exploring the world as a backpacker, hiking, river tracing (canyoning), reading (classics especially, if time).

• culture
• humanities
• running
• reading
• blogging
• music
• classical music
• piano
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I mainly listen to classical music (as it's my career) but into lots of 'lighter' stuff too. Thanks to my brother's influence from an early age, a fan of many 1980-90 acts from Supertramp and Kool and the Gang to Kate Bush, and lots of slightly more up-to-date stuff appeals. No time to watch movies these days, but been a big admirer of Hitchcock for decades, and enjoy foreign art movies when I've got the energy to concentrate on them. Read much less these days than I'd like, but used to be well into British classics (Dickens, Trollope, the Brontes, Hardy etc. etc)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Well this is bragging like crazy, but I've been to exactly a hundred countries to date (early 2016) and all seven continents, including Antarctica, and crossed both Polar circles.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Shy at first, but an enthusiastic talker on anything I'm passionate about, and always keen to meet interesting new people to share ideas and views.

Countries I’ve Visited

Algeria, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, French Polynesia, Greenland, Guatemala, India, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mali, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Taiwan

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