CURRENT MISSION

to bond with the world

ABOUT ME

I'm an outgoing, charming, intelligent, playful guy with a passion for breaking glass. I've traveled extensively, mostly by bicycle, but now have a disability that prevents me from doing so. I am retired from federal government. I have written an historical novel and I also have a small stained glass workshop in my home.

I've a passionate Canadian and world citizen. I have had a wide range of volunteer work and civil rights activism - mostly with and for the gay community - and I have traveled extensively, mostly by bicycle, through North America, Europe, Asia and New Zealand between 1982 and 2008.

PHILOSOPHY

My Karma ran over my Dogma. I believe in listening instead of knowing, honouring my sense of humour and the strengths of others, respecting different cultures and sharing/caring across cultural lines. Among other wise men, I love the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love to meet and talk with alternative people from other cultures and to listen to their insights, struggles and adventures. I was helped and hosted by so many good people when I cycled from country to country and now its payback time. Even though I do not travel like I used to and have not had the opportunity to surf the couches of others, I feel honoured and fulfilled by hosting others. I am willing to hang out with surfers or show them around, based on my availability and ability - I use a scooter to get around as I cannot walk without assistance or hanging onto things.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

This past 9 years I have given a couch to more than 310 times to couch surfers from 54 countries. I have made some wonderful friends through hosting.

Interests

I love reading, architecture, photography, watching dance, theatre, music, playing board games, sharing stories and food, studying human conditions, ecology, social justice, democracy, and exercising my humour. I am a "Radical Faerie", known to my Faerie community as 'Luke Warmwater'.

Music, Movies, and Books

MOVIES: independent films mostly. Not into blow-'em-up violent mainstream Hollywood action or formula romance flicks. BOOKS: Margaret Atwood, Ann Marie MacDonald, Timothy Findlay, mostly classic 20th C fiction. MUSIC: various from classical to folk to rock, but not rap or most country. Matthew & Sons, Stormae, One Republic, Loreena McKennitt, Joni Mitchell, Talking Heads, Tragically Hip, REM, U2 and classic 60s, 70s and 80s rock.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I traveled on bicycle from Lisbon to Oslo to Mumbai in 1991/2 over 49 weeks, getting caught in the war in Croatia and falling sick in Iran along the way. I even slept one night in a snake pit surrounded by very large vipers one night in a Pakistani desert. I have hiked and camped in the high Arctic and sailed in the Caribbean with friends.

Teach, Learn, Share

stained glass, friendship, love, respect, Vancouver, traveling stories, local adventures.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cuba, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Virgin Islands, British

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada

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