Once again trying to escape the USA. Arrived in Mauritius September 2025, wound up in a shared home in Goodlands. My landlords had a fit about my having friends over one day; so, looks like hospitality will have to wait till I get my own place. But happy to meet any other immigrants, travelers and locals using this site, if there are any here.

So far Mauritius is proving to be a much tougher nut to crack than Egypt was. Not having an easy time. I've been keeping a blog about the experience, have a look: https://greenwanderer.substack.com/

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Quick update: I lived in inhospitable homes most of the time I was most recently in the USA, and did not use Couchsurfing. Hardly ever got any contacts through it, and pretty much forgot about it. CS was totally free when I first joined. I just gave it some money on my out of the USA. I have no idea how active the site is these days and I don't think it has much of a presence here in Mauritius.

Everything below is quite old but most of it is still true.
HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I joined CouchSurfing in the summer of 2009 as I was preparing for my Middle East trip. I Surfed in Egypt, Jordan and Syria, had lots of beautiful and edifying experiences, including making lasting friendships.
A few weeks after wandering into Dahab, I rented a 2-bedroom apartment in Assalah, Chateau Ghettolicious. The second bedroom was specifically for guests, and it was my pleasure to return some of the great karma that I'd been showered with since I joined CS.

At the present I can not host, but I am happy to meet interesting people.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

It has really been incredible. I have met such wonderful people and made lasting friendships. Have had very few negative experiences, and I credit this to my diligence in reading profiles and carefully choosing who I approach with my Couch Requests, and blithely dismissing the majority of Requests I get (the copy & paste variety.)

Interests

• culture
• fashion
• documentaries
• cooking
• yoga
• reading
• music
• cycling
• muslim
• history
• psychology
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

NOT BOTHERING TO UPDATE THIS

A few of my favorite books:
The Power of Now, Eckart Tolle (this book has been extremely influential on me and I am happy to share copies of it);
The four canonical Gospels and the Gospel of Thomas;
Muhammad: a Biography of the Prophet, Karen Armstrong.
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll

In all honesty, though, these days I read stuff on the Web a lot more than anything in print.

a few of my favorite films: Down by Law, I [Heart] Huckabees, Harold and Maude, The Phantom of Liberty...

There is so much music I love I almost don't want to mention any musicians; almost anything brilliant and passionate appeals to me... here are a few I particularly love: Sparks, Rammstein, Metallica, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abdel Halim Hafez, Duke Ellington, Fantômas, Frank Zappa, King Sunny Adé, Hamza El Din, the Skatalites, Tom Waits...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Spent a timeless time in psychic communication with a woman left bedridden and mute by a stroke.

I had accepted a new acquaintance's offer to do magic mushrooms with him, and after we were well under the influence, it emerged that in order to make time for me, my young friend was shirking the daily duty he'd agreed to in exchange for his room and board --- visiting his paralyzed grandmother in the rest home. So, against his protests, I insisted we go straight there.

At one point he left me alone with her in the room, and realizing the unfair advantage I had with my ability to speak, I chose to say little, but listen intensely in the silence. I focussed all my attention on how she expressed herself with the movements of her eyes, slight twitches in her face, changes in her breath, and all the subtleties of a person's presence that we feel without actually sensing anything. Like an attendee of a Quaker meeting, I spoke only when inspired to, and I was rewarded with a deep sense of connection with this woman. I felt as if we had really conversed, and moreover, not as new acquaintances do with small talk, but as old friends sharing the crucial things of life.

It happened that while we were there, his parents stopped by and I got to see how people tend to interact with people who can not speak or act for themselves. While they had not lost love for this family member, they unconsciously treated her as if she were not entirely there, talking with each other about her in the third person, with only passing glances at her. I could see that in fact, it was they who were not entirely there. They were seeing the world and interacting through a screen of their own words, a delusory state considered normal in our society. They had no idea what could have opened up between them and her if they could only shared a bit of her silence.

At one point after my friend's parents left, he said something about his grandmother being unable to express herself. I said that on the contrary, I felt that she expressed herself profoundly. His grandmother punctuated this with the deepest of sighs.

Teach, Learn, Share

I fear I have little practical knowledge to show for my years. I'd be happy to give pointers to anyone wanting to improve their massage skills, and I might be able to help you with your computer.

Of course, the really precious lessons are what we learn from each other just by being truly present. I make no claim of being particularly present, I just mention this as something you can hold me to at any time!

If I make a Couch Surf request of you, it means I want to meet you and not just crash at your place. That said, I also would like to say that I'm a reasonably independent traveler and do not expect you to serve me as tour guide. I will work around your schedule if you are busy. When a guest, unless very tired, I'm always happy to give massage, to cook, help clean and generally keep my hosts' lives running as smoothly as possible. And of course digital treasures are made for sharing!

Countries I’ve Visited

Czech Republic, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Egypt, Mauritius, United States

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