I consider myself lucky to have been born with a natural curiosity, and it is the extremes of human experience which absorb my attention, for they offer rare reflections on our fortitude, beliefs, and purpose. This curiosity has been a driving force behind the passions in my life: medicine, mountaineering, and travel. Each has allowed me to understand the world a little better, made me a little stronger, and feel more connected with the people around me. I'm a lucky guy to be able to pursue them uninhibited.

I think every traveler, and especially couchsurfers, share a similar sense of curiosity. There are few things I enjoy more than indulging in this shared sense of adventure, whether it be through sharing our favorite local haunts, talking late into the evening with our spirit of choice in hand, or doing something spontaneous, reckless, dangerous! Let's shake up each other's lives.

If this quote, borrowed from Gertrude Bell, resonates with you, then I think we will get along just fine!

"To those bred under an elaborate social order few such moments of exhilaration can come as that which stands at the threshold of wild travel. The gates of the enclosed garden are thrown open...with a wary glance to right and left you step forth, and, behold! the immeasurable world....Into it you must go alone, separated from the troops of friends that walk the rose alleys, stripped of the purple and fine linen that impede the fighting arm, roofless, defenceless, without possessions. The voice of the the wind shall be heard instead of the persuasive voices of counsellors, the touch of the rain and the prick of the frost shall be spurs sharper than praise or blame, and necessity shall speak with an authority unknown to that borrowed wisdom which men obey or discard at will. So you leave the sheltered close, and, like the man in the fairy story, you feel, the bands break that were riveted about your heart as you enter the path that stretches across the rounded shoulder of the earth."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Because it's the best way to travel! I've had incredible experiences both being couchsurfer and couchhost, and those who I have met along the way hold a special place in my heart. If you are reading this, then you're probably a cool person! Let's meet up.

Interests

Alongside mountaineering, photography is the other medium by which I interact with the natural world. I love capturing these isolated moments in nature and sharing them with other people. I have put a few photos in my profile in case you are curious!

• culture
• books
• literature
• concerts
• walking
• politics
• technology
• reading
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• rock climbing
• swimming
• astronomy
• history
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Music -
Tennis, Quadron, lots of pop music, oldies, to be honest it's kind of everywhere

Books -

When Breathe Becomes Air
Beirut to Jerusalem
Meditations
A Song of Ice and Fire series
Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Spy Who Loved
Mountains Beyond Mountains
Beyond the Mountain
Brothers Karamazov

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In the winter of 2016/2017, I attempted to climb Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas at ~23000ft (7000m). It was the most difficult times of my life! Heavy packs with heavy shoes, sub-zero weather, pooping in bags and carrying them with you, 150km/h winds, not showering for weeks, the list goes one! But it felt like suffering with a purpose, and I came off that mountain enriched and full of life, even though poor weather prevented any summit attempts. I have a ton of stories from this trip!

Teach, Learn, Share

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

- Helen Keller

What I Can Share with Hosts

Endless stories, an attentive ear, dish washing duties, the bar tab, and spartan needs for housing (just give me a floor!)

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Canada, China, Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Sweden, United States