I grew up in Miami and the mountains of North Carolina in the U.S. When I was older, I travelled and studied mushrooms and mycology in the Northwest, and worked with bears. This is when I started hiking

I went to University near Santa Cruz, California, and then eventually went travelling down in Colombia and Ecuador. I was a sailor before getting off in Panama, where I lived for more than 3 years now. I started and ran a successful eco tour company on the north coats (near Portobelo), and then later began working as a researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. There, I studied beetles and fungus, and I also spend a lot of time in the Darien raiforest hunting and exploring new caves. I worked as the Director of science for the most remote cloud forest in central america, which brough me in contact with scientists of all walks.

Latin america has one of the wildest and most biodiverse rainforests in latin America, so Ive learned a lot on how to survive in that kind of enviroment! I specialize in Insects (Blatteria and Onychophora) and biospeleology (cave life)! I also worked a lot with computers and tech, but i havent done that professionally for a long time.

Here in southeast asia, where im now living permanently, i am exploring and documenting the most unexplored refions of this archipeligo on a journey that will take me deep into uncontacted lands in the mamberamo basin.

I am very used to.adventures, but now i am on something of a quest. I am collecting mythologies and finding new cave sites for hints on the first melanesians to colonize papua, austrailia, and the surrounding islands, because recent evidence suggests that this place might be pivotal in understanding how our species came to be what it is today.

I like exploring thick jungle and caves. I love trekking in wild areas, and old growths forests are my absolute favorite. I am always equipped for camping anywhere I dont usually stay in hostels, i prefer to camp out wherever I am. But I dont stink, i promise.

I love art, good food, poetry, street art, very spicy food, hiking, climbing, food, good movies, bad movies, scary movies, dogs, and chocolate.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to meet new and interesting people, and I think spontaneous meetings are the greatest part!

I also love food, so Im always interested in trying some interesting cuisine, or special local dishes. I literally eat all food. I could talk about delicious food for a long time- please give me recommendations!

Interests

• street art
• documentaries
• hiking
• camping
• snorkeling
• sailing
• swimming
• anthropology
• biology
• earth science
• science
• food
• video
• street food
• climbing
• cinematography
• caving

Music, Movies, and Books

I like movies about time travel, and weird philosophy stuff. I also love scary movies.
I like films that deconstruct concepts, and I think about the philosophy of film making a lot.

I read a lot in general- my favorite fictional author is Kurt Vonnegut.

but i generally read a lot more non fiction - I like the early history of man, along with the birth of languages and psychology. I am interested in social histories and overarching narratives of human development.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I rescued a baby ocelot from a farmer deep in the jungle who had killed its mom by engaging in a drinking contest, and smuggled it back to a rescue station. It is doing well, and her name it Mita.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you spanish or how to cook, or about how to survive in jungles, or just get very excited about whatever ypu are passionate about.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I know a lot about caves and camping, I can teach how to make a fire. i can teach how to spin a staff. I am terrible at singing, but i know lots of blues and sailing songs.

I have also worked as a chef, and I cook a lot- I would love to cook you any meal!

Countries I’ve Visited

Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guam, Indonesia, Japan, Micronesia, Federated States of, Morocco, Panama, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ecuador, Indonesia, Micronesia, Federated States of, Panama, United States, Zimbabwe