CURRENT MISSION

To experience that which I have not already.

ABOUT ME

Biography: I grew up outside Chicago. Graduated from university. I worked for a year. Travel(l)ed for 2.5 years. Spent 9 months hanging out in Melbourne, Australia followed by 8 months in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and about another 8 in Ahmedabad, India. I came back to the States for 4.5 months of travel. And now I am back working a job.

Personal: I like long walks on the beach.

PHILOSOPHY

I do not know. I would say that my personal philosophy is still being molded.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Hosting when I can and want to and surfing when I can and want to. Events when I am interested. I also spread the word about CS best I can everywhere I go. I have converted at least four non-CSers to surfers and at least one more to being a host.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Positive and growing just as quickly as you allow it...

SURFED:
Adrian, Hong Kong (first!) (twice)
*Katie and Natalie, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Peak, Bangkok, Thailand (twice)
Kuni, Singapore
Liam, Tom, and Tom, Melbourne, Australia
*Random household of people, Surfer's Paradise, Australia
*Wendy, Brisbane, Australia
James, Hervey Bay, Australia (twice)
*Bree, Sydney, Australia
Frank, Cairns, Australia
John, Airlie Beach, Australia
Vanessa, Brisbane, Australia (thrice)
*Jason, Burleigh Heads, Australia
Anubhav, Kolkata, India (let's say repeatedly)
Siddhartha, Darjeeling, India
*Reverend David, Pachmarhi, India
Chandna, Delhi, India
*Nolan, et al, Delhi, India (twice)
Vipin, Jodhpur, India
Toto, Mumbai, India
Tony, Nashik, India
*Pastor Niranjan, Hospet, India
Sean, Arambol, India
Shan, Panjim, India
Anuraj, Bangalore, India
Addy, Mysore, India
Avinash, Kodaikanal, India
Arjun, Kathmandu, Nepal
Krishna, Bhaktapur, Nepal
Karanbir, Chandigarh, India
*Veer, Bhuntar, India
Riyaz, Srinagar, India
Swarnab, Delhi, India
Umesh, Delhi, India
*Joyce, Kuala Lumpur (twice), and extended family, Penang, Malaysia
*Nathan, Kuta (Bali), Indonesia
Krisna, Denpasar, Indonesia
Magdalena, Ubud, Indonesia
Guzzman, Denpasar, Indonesia
Ragil, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Iryna, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
John and Matt, Pacitan, Indonesia
Andrean, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Abhu, Jakarta, Indonesia
*Hui, Ayer Tawar, Malaysia
Baer, et al, Melbourne, Australia
Tim, Melbourne, Australia
Regina (and Simon), Camperdown, Australia
Luke, Bega, Australia
Pierre, Sydney, Australia
Ash, Canberra, Australia
Alexander, Canberra, Australia
*Random household of people, Pascoe Vale, Australia
Davor, Chiang Mai, Thailand (twice)
Bas, Bangkok, Thailand
Nick, Bangkok, Thailand
Caitlin (first!), Ao Nang, Thailand
Tiong, Alor Setar, Malaysia
Tarynn, Melaka, Malaysia
Taj, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Lana, Tung Wua Lean Beach, Thailand
*Bertrand, Tung Wua Lean Beach, Thailand
Gordon, Sandakan, Malaysia
Jack, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Vicky, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Lucy & Alex, Kuching, Malaysia
Franky, Kuching, Malaysia
Mint and Mark, Phitsanulok, Thailand
Tamara, Nong Khai, Thailand
Huafu, Ban Chamni, Thailand
Yun, Korat, Thailand
Sireen, Ayutthaya, Thailand
Mimi, Bangkok, Thailand
Toom, Bangkok, Thailand
Wimol, Khanom, Thailand
Linda, Khanom, Thailand
*Jayasanka and family, Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Albert, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka
Fred and family, Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka
Wanni, Badulla, Sri Lanka
Wasantha, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
Lucky, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Surya, Vishakhapatnam, India
Ashy, Varanasi, India
*CK, Ahmedabad, India
Gaurav and family, Indore, India
Aahna, Ahmedabad, India
Paul, Siliguri, India
Larry, Buffalo, United States
Suhail, Toronto, Canada
Al, Montreal, Canada
Javier, Burlington, United States
Harshul, Portland (Maine), United States
Jose, Boston, United States
John, Boston, United States
Hernan and Jon, Providence, United States
Gabi, Baltimore, United States
Beth, Washington DC, United States
Lee, Richmond, United States
Wayne, Columbia (SC), United States
Taly, Atlanta, United States
Dustin, Mobile, United States
A.J., New Orleans, United States (twice)
Jenny, San Antonio, United States
Emilio and Juan, Austin, United States
Gavin, Austin, United States
Arika, For Worth, United States
Michael, Memphis, United States
Diana, Jackson (MS), United States
Nicholas, Nashville, United States
Tye and Sarah, Nashville, United States
Gabriel, Cincinnati, United States
Erica, Omaha, United States
Adam, Iowa City, United States
Amy, Columbia (MO), United States
John, Ann Arbor, United States
Henry, Auburn Hills, United States
Lee, East Haddam, United States
Kathy, Milwaukee, United States
Bryce, Asheville, United States
Maxx, Chattanooga, United States
Audrey, Chattanooga, United States
Jamie, San Francisco, United States
Jonathan, Half Moon Bay, United States
Kenny, San Luis Obispo, Unites States
Cass, Kunming, China
Heimat, Dali, China
Gil, Lijiang, China
Josh and John, Chengdu, China
Kate, Davis, West Virginia, United States
Megan, Morgantown, United States
Heath, Bowling Green, United States
Sara, Dover (DE), United States
Gary, Palm Springs (CA), United States
Joseph, San Bernardino (CA), United States
Rob, NYC, United States
Francis, Tuscon (AZ), US
Robbie, Rockford (IL), US
Todd, Miami, USt
Adam, Cheyenne (WY), US
Bre, FoCo, US
Zoe, Boulder, US
Alanna, Savannah, SC, US
Prasant, Savannah, SC, US
Caroline, Denver, US (repeatedly)
Ovidio, Rockford, IL, US
Joel and Tina, Lake Bluff, IL, US
Jeanne and Jamie, Aurora, IL, US (twice)
Jack, Dubuque, IA, US
Annie, Lehi, UT, US
Kenna, SLC, UT, US
Roger, StL, MO, US
Jack and John, Eureka Springs, AR, US
Keith, Mountain View, AR, US
Brian and Louise, Fayetteville, AR, US
Hannah, Linwood, KS, US
Kuba and Joanna, Frankfurt, Germany
*Ashish(!), Wiesbaden, Germany
Mike, Koblenz, Germany
Cathy, Luxembourg
Harry, Landgraaf, Netherlands
Buckhard, Cologne, Germany
Nico, Hamburg, Germany
*Leonie and Mortiz, Berlin, Germany
Melissa, Madison, WI, USA
Barbara, Mundelein, IL, USA
Zoe, Highland Park, IL, USA
Michael and Renee, Windsor, Canada
Sanjay and Meira, Niagara Falls, Canada
Joe, Watkins Glens, New York, USA
Stephen, Queens, NY (twice)

HOSTED:
Miri & Chris (first!), Bavaria, Germany (Melbourne, Australia)
Priscilla, Dresden, Germany (Melbourne, Australia)
Ricardo, Lisbon, Portugal (Melbourne, Australia)
Cloe, Riom, France (Melbourne, Australia)
Bastien, Jura, France and Kaela, Tutukaka, NZ (Melbourne, Australia)
Samer, Paris, France (Melbourne, Australia)
Olga, Krakow, Poland (Melbourne, Australia)
Renan, Haifa, Israel (Melbourne, Australia)
Brendan and Amanda, Maryborough, Australia (KL, Malaysia) (first!)
Zita and Francesco, Budapest, Hungary (KL, Malaysia) (quadrice)
Jacob and Hannah, Rochester, USA (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Ignacio & Melisa, Buenos Aires, Argentine (KL, Malaysia)
Luba, Moscow, Russia and Hassan, Damascus, Syria (KL, Malaysia)
*Anubhav(!), Kolkata, India (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Livia and Rafael, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Adrian(!), Frankfurt, Germany (Chicago area(!), United States)
Jess, Upstate, New York, US (Schaumburg, IL, US)
Liana, Kiev, Ukraine (Schaumburg, US)
Michael (Chicago, US)
Chris (Chicago, US)
Michael and Renee(!), (Chicago, US)

* indicates non-CS couch surfing

Interests

Just about everything. I like learning new things and make an effort to be learn when afforded the opportunity.

• culture
• architecture
• running
• meditation
• walking
• boating
• tv
• traveling
• bouldering
• cycling
• hiking
• kayaking
• surfing
• scuba diving
• sailing
• rock climbing
• soccer
• paragliding
• swimming
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I like all sorts of movies, dramas and comedies drawing particular favor. Almost all music, especially rock and enjoy music I have not heard before. I read mostly what I can find in hostel book exchanges and second-hand bookstores, which makes for a wide variety of reading

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

October 2014 marked 5.25 years of travel. To commemorate those 63 months, here are 63 highlights (mostly chronological except for the first and somewhat geographically representative based on time):

1. CouchSurfing (for the first time) in Hong Kong (China)
2. (My profile picture) Ascending Masada for sunrise (Israel)
3. Floating in the Dead Sea (Israel)
4. Rambling around Petra (Jordan)
5. Riding a camel around the Great Pyramids of Giza (Egypt)
6. Wandering the islands of Andros and Samos (Greece)
7. Paragliding in Fethiye (Turkey)
8. Stunned by architecture in Dubai (UAE)
9. Stalking lion in Kruger National Park (South Africa)
10. Bloukrans Bridge bungy jump (highest in the world) (South Africa)
11. Shark diving in Gansbaai (South Africa)
12. Culture and train culture (Japan)
13. A big night out in Seoul (South Korea)
14. Walking the Great Wall in hail (China)
15. Motorbiking the Taroko Gorge National Park (Taiwan)
16. Gambling profitably in Macau (China)
17. Running the street circuit of the Macau Grand Prix (China)
18. Living and rock climbing in Yangshuo (China)
19. Relaxing in non-touristed beach towns (Vietnam)
20. Awed by Angkor Wat (Cambodia)
21. Exploring rural Ratanakiri Province (Cambodia)
22. Impromptu 500km boat trip up the Om River (Laos)
23. Chiang Mai for Songkran (twice) (Thailand)
24. Deep-water soling and rock climbing in Krabi Province (Thailand)
25. Learning to SCUBA dive off the Perhentian Islands and Advanced in Tioman (Malaysia)
26. Free week-long sailing trip on the east coast of Australia culminating with Sydney Harbor (Australia)
27. Diving in the Great Barrier Reef while on a live-aboard (Australia)
28. Admiring Sikkim (India)
29. Durja Puja in Kolkata (twice) (India)
30. Parasailing in rural Pachmarhi (India)
31. Stars of the Thar Desert of Rajasthan (India)
32. The madness of an Indian wedding (India)
33. Being an extra for a TV show while in Udaipur (India)
34. Trains, trains, and more trains (India)
35. Bouldering in Hampi (India)
36. Trekking the Annapurna Circuit and Langtang, Gosaikunda, and Helambutrails (Nepal)
37. Mountain biking in the Kathmandu Valley (Nepal)
38. Abseiling (rappelling), canyoning, kayaking, and rafting in/near the Trisuli River (Nepal)
39. Hanging out in Kathmandu (Nepal)
40. Zorbing at the foot of the Himalaya (India)
41. Going beyond Zero Point of the Pindari Glacier trek (India)
42. Surfing on a secret beach (Indonesia)
43. Everything in Melbourne (Australia)
44. Working illegally in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
45. Swimming with phosphorescent algae off Rabbit Island (Cambodia)
46. Learning to kitesurf (Thailand)
47. Hiking in Sarawak (Malaysia)
48. 2200km motorbike trip (Thailand)
49. Tracing the Mekong and in Isan (Thailand)
50. 10-day Vipassana meditation course (twice) (Nepal and Malaysia)
51. High (tea fields), low (beaches), and between (Sri Lanka)
52. White-water rafting on the Ganga (India)
53. Living in an Indian city (India)
54. Pilgrim towns along the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh (India)
55. Creating my own trek in the Himalaya "lowlands" (Nepal)
56. (My other picture on CS) Discovering Palitana (India)
57. Surprising family and friends with my return to the States to...
58. Attend one of my best friend's wedding (both USA)
59. Visiting Canada for the first time (Canada)
60. Hitch hiking in the NE (USA)
61. Experiencing the South (USA)
62. The one-of-a-kind experience that is a fantasy football draft in Texas (USA)
63. Returning to my favorite city in the world (Chicago, USA)

Teach, Learn, Share

Keep an open mind. Stuff usually works itself out, but be prepared just in case. People are nicer and more helpful they are often given credit for.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, China, India, Malaysia, Nepal, United Kingdom, United States

• 

•