CURRENT MISSION

Attempting to become a more interesting person, while having a good time on the way.

ABOUT ME

My name is Mike (or Pachete, if you wanna use my nickname). I'm 33 years old and in that time I've been lucky enough to see a good chunk of the world. However, there are a lot more chunks to see! I used to use an old school bus covered in artistic murals that ran on vegetable oil to travel around, but I have since sold it and fortunately/unfortunately have turned to ever so slightly more conventional means to travel. I believe in a world-wide community, which is why sites like this are so awesome.

PHILOSOPHY

"Do what you want and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind"
--Dr. Seuss

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My couch is usually on CS, though I don't get many requests because there isn't much near me. I've hosted thrice, and I've surfed several times and it has always been a fantastic experience.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

The summer of 2011, I traveled around the country going to music festivals. We managed to go to seven in total, in seven different states! And not once did we pay for lodging for four months, CSing all the way! I also took a vacation down to Virginia and also CSed the whole way. And while I was backpacking through Scotland, I stayed with a few CS hosts. Such an amazing way to meet people!

Interests

• reptiles
• amphibians
• arts
• music festivals
• festivals
• environment
• beer
• traveling
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• ecology
• history
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Too many to count. You'll have to ask me.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Putting hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars into making a school bus into a vegetable oil powered RV, complete with it's own couch, bed, sink, etc. Then taking it cross-country.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am an educator at heart, I have always loved to teach Outdoor Education. I used to teach middle schoolers about the outdoors and our environment. So if you've got a question about the natural world, I might have the answer. Maybe. I've also taught English in China, Vietnam and South Korea.

What I Can Share with Hosts

A damn good conversation. And I try to do at least one nice thing for each of my hosts. Whether that takes the form of buying a round of beer, or assembling a bunch of Ikea furniture!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, China, England, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Laos, Macao, Myanmar, Netherlands, Saint Lucia, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, England, South Korea, United States, Viet Nam

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