CURRENT MISSION

My mission is to discover my mission - which I am slowly managing to do.

ABOUT ME

I have spent the 12 years or so making my way through east Asia trying to figure out what I am doing. The last 7 years have been spent in Yunnan, Southwest China. I have spent a lot of time in the remote corners of rural Yunnan learning where I have learnt a lot about Chinese culture, minority cultures, the vast biodiversity and geographical diversity, and slowly getting better at speaking the language.

I was in the process of planning a further move west out of China, but realized that I'm in a unique position to work in conservation and ecotourism with local minority communities. So that is what I am going to start doing in 2019.

PHILOSOPHY

Don’t know if I really have a specific “personal philosophy”. Just take life one step at a time and come what may. Understanding the future is Gods domain.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I began my journey as a part of the couch surfing project in Wellington as a couch host through Dinithi Seneviratne. Six of us (Dinithi, Shamina, Keith, Lydia, and Cori [and later Pablo]) were all hosting couch surfers from around the world for about 5 months.

Having hosted for 5 months or so, and having surfed couches, floors, and back lawns of friends myself, I figured it was about time I joined the couch surfing community on line.

A few years ago I started couch surfing in Seoul, South Korea, and hosted there for 3 years.

Now I am living in Yunnan (Southwest China).

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Interests

Fine arts (particularly colourist painting and old style East Asian painting/inkwork),painting, drawing (esp charcoal and chalk); the outdoors (camping, tramping, exploring, hunting, fishing, and especially just “being”); interesting and unusual animals/critters; food (both cooking and eating [I find cooking very therapeutic]); people, society, and culture; ancient history and culture ; fire and fire related activities :p ; philosophy/ religion; environmental/society issues; …etc etc… the list goes on.

• arts
• culture
• humanities
• environment
• dining
• cooking
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• fishing
• camping
• hunting
• surfing
• history
• religion
• nature
• exploring

Music, Movies, and Books

I have seen some movies, read some books and I listen to music.

Favourite movie – The Sea Gypsies;
favourite book – The Lorax;

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Once upon a time, on a cold moon-lit night, in a dark damp forest. Where moss grew and hung from the trees as if the very beards and ragged hair of the ancient sentinels themselves. An eerie mist hung close around the tops of the trees, as if faint wisps of smoke exhaled by some mysterious taniwha that lurked in the foreboding dark depths of the forest. And somewhere far up the valley, distance echoes of tormented beasts in battle disrupt the unnatural calm of the damp river flats.

Oblivious to a looming unseen danger, a young man and his uncle lie sleeping calmly beneath the silent gaze of the ancient woods. A tui stirs in its roost. But beneath the simple tarpaulin the sleepers lie in their false sense of peace.

CRASH, ROOAARRR!! Seemingly out of nowhere, two huge, fierce dragons come smashing through the undergrowth. In full battle they tumble, gnashing teeth and slashing horns. Un-heard through the frightening raucous the terrified tui screams away into the black night. But trapped in their flimsy shelter the two men await their rapidly approaching doom.

Terrified, and delirious from half sleep, the young man covers his head with his hands, crying “DRAGONS!!” As the taniwha close in on the tent. Next to him, in calm excitement his uncle snaps awake and grabs his ready rifle. The abominations tear past the tent in full flight. The wind they create nearly lifts the tent from its hapless inhabitants. The thunder then rapidly diminishes as the beasts disappear as abruptly as they had appeared. Then the uncle raps his half witted nephew round the ear. “Snap out of it, ya wazz” He whispers. “Two deer just ran through the camp. Grab the spotlight...”

I was the nephew, and it was two large Red Stags that ran through the camp. In my defense, I was half asleep, delirious, and still partly dreaming. Haha, but yeah I’m a twat.

Taniwha is a mythical Maori dragon, spirit or monster.

Teach, Learn, Share

I hope to contribute a person to be couched, a couch to be personed, and share all that may come with it.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Colombia, New Zealand, South Korea

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