Now in: Hanoi, Vietnam
Heading to: Hue, Vietnam

CURRENT MISSION
To take on the world a bit at a time, discovering local haunts, great food, and brilliant bargains. I like to connect with locals to understand what it's like to live somewhere day-to-day, rather than skating along on the touristy surface of a place.

I'm a location independent professional (media research and analysis). I like to write poetry, am festival-mad and love a good chat over wine and good local food. I ran a blog for a while, though this is currently under redesign and re-branding (I have the crazy idea I might want to do some travel writing, you know - for money). I'm also an active twitter user on @salientscript.

PHILOSOPHY

'The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.' - St. Augustine

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm willing to meet up for a drink or a coffee, and attend event nights when I can. I've surfed in Scotland, Sydney, Singapore, KL, Lisbon, London, Melbourne, Brisbane, Christchurch and Welly. Have been known to frequent regular CS pub nights at home and when travelling overseas. I hosted a few people when I was living in Wellington for a bit (I also ran the CS meetup for a short time). I'm also a big HelpX fan.

Interests

I am an information junkie: I have a deep and abiding love affair with the media and arts industries. I am also a bit of a film buff, so you can imagine my excitement at getting to visit many movie locations first-hand! So far I have been to Middle-earth, explored Braveheart's (and J.K. Rowling's) Scotland, wandered through Austen's England, explored Star Wars' Tatooine (that would be Morocco, though Tunisia is still on my list!) and the site of a million romantic movies (Paris of course). I have also been involved with music journalism, and have sung in jazz cover bands. I sometimes write poetry too, and I'm working on a fantasy novel. I love food, coffee and wine, and I am a bit of a chocolate addict. (The darker the better.) :)

• arts
• culture
• books
• poetry
• festivals
• dining
• chocolate
• wine
• coffee
• drinking
• pub crawls
• flying
• movies
• tv
• traveling
• blogging
• music
• jazz
• communications
• journalism

Music, Movies, and Books

I love world film. Picking one is too hard, but anything by Muyazaki would fit. I also love The Spanish Apartment, Amelie, and almost anything by Woody Allen. Went to Star Wars Celebration in Londonlast year and it was the best galactic holiday ever! Also, big BIG LotR fan. I even have some of the jewellery. :)

I used to do a bit of music journalism, so I have quite an eclectic taste. At the moment I'm listening to a lot of electro, film scores and indie singer-songwriter stuff.

Books: I tend to oscillate between memoir/biographical and works of fantasy/supernatural fiction. I write a bit myself, mostly poetry and blogs, and used to run a poetry night in Sydney.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Exploring the limestone caves of Mt. Etna near Rockhampton, Australia was pretty incredible: we witnessed glittering crystal caverns, pokey holes where you had to wiggle on your belly to get through, and giant, echoing spaces where the glinting eyes of slumbering bats could be glimpsed high above in the darkness. Added to that was a dawn trek uphill, where we witnessed millions of these little creatures flying into a cleft in the mountainside. Magical.

Teach, Learn, Share

People who love where they live and like sharing their town's secret joys, who like to share and are interested in cultural exchange: of ideas, thoughts and perspectives on the world. In my experience this encompasses pretty much everybody on here. :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm a qualified massage therapist, so we could arrange a treatment, if you ask. I also practice reiki. I can share stories from my travels in SE Asia, and an abiding curiosity about the world. I love a good chat about travel, ideas, culture and life. I can be slightly geeky, especially pertaining to my favourite TV series, music, books and film (see above). Love a good chat, especially if there's wine involved (wine lover, that's me!). My love affair with great coffee is the stuff of Hollywood romance. ☕️

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Cyprus, Malaysia, New Zealand, Scotland, Thailand, United Kingdom