A freelance designer/photographer, passionate about Lake Baikal.
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(!!!!!!!!!) I'm from Irkutsk, but I temporarily (till summer 2019, I planned) stay on the Olkhon Island. I can host you there in a small house I rent, and make a company for a hike/ride/whatever when I have time. I also happen to be in Irkutsk for a few days once upon every two weeks, so I can pick you up from the city with a car — as I usually have some places, and it's cheaper/faster than going with any other mean of transport.
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I have a separate Instagram for my photos of Baikal: http://instagram.com/baikalian
You can also befriend me on: http://facebook.com/vasiliy.leytman, https://vk.com/vasok
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I see the Lake as a living person and an entity that deserves some time and respect. So if you're thinking how to pack seeing all Baikal in a day and put a checkmark in your list, I'm not the right person to do it with.
All in all, I'm more into nature, not cities, easy-going and sociable, tho introverted, a bit autistic — so I enjoy slow-paced, concentrated experiences, not parties and noisy environments.
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Lost of great people I have hosted left some words about me in references, so who the hell needs more narcissism — go check the truth ;)

I always answer to people who seem interesting to me (either by reading their profile, or the request) and who spent a few minutes reading my profile to get sure we have things in common — so pls add "ivereadtheprofile" anywhere in your request.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I selfishly, shamelessly enjoy helping out people who have stories to tell and need a shelter for a few days ;) Listening to their life and travel stories is always a pure joy to me ;)

Interests

1) Hiking/trekking, 30km a day, mixed terrain — a recipe for happiness.
2) I fear heights, so I'm keen of bungees and ropejumping, max height conquered was 160m in Nepal.
3) Sled dogs riding, SUPboarding, dog trekking, rafting — boy I'm in ;)
4) Not into parties — got helluva lot of them in my twenties, and it's boring for me when people need to get drunk to have fun.
5) Like music/art festivals, exhibitions, open air museums, ceremonies, rituals.
6) Don't like small talk, and don't fear silence with the right people — though always happy to discuss any interesting topic.
7) I'm a Jew. Am more into local/ethnical stuff, than Russian.

• massage therapy
• skiing
• trekking
• ropejumping
• 

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: jazz classics and new age for relaxation, deep house and old-school trance for hard work, ethnic music to better understand myself.
Movies: More into books than movies, though once in a while, I love a nice comedy, standup show (yo, Mr. George Carlin) or a drama.
Books: everything from sci-fi novels to self-development, that's well-written. I love words ;)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Walked Camino de Santiago, 900km/33 days by foot. Kinda changed my outlook on life :)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you some Russian, make a massage (studied as a massage master), cook some local meal, recommend good places I know, make a company to Baikal, share whatever I have.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belarus, China, Cyprus, France, India, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Montenegro, Nepal, Spain, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Thailand, Ukraine, Viet Nam