Happy South African teaching kids English in China. Napaholic. An imperfect dreamer and schemer. Braaier of delicious meats. pretend jogger. Botcher-upper of impersonations. Peripatetic tendencies. Papercut survivor. Tolerant and liberal. Professional procrastinator. Abysmal joke reciter of some renown. Puppy wrangler.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

A reformed writer, I am on a life sabbatical. Which basically means I'm running away from my responsibilities. Couch Surfing allows me to a) keep on running, and b) meet likeminded runners. My current HQ is mainland China, Hebei province.

Interests

Cocktails! Food! Wild swimming!

• animals
• pets
• dogs
• dining
• cooking
• cocktails
• running
• traveling
• surfing
• swimming

Music, Movies, and Books

Favourite Music: Miriam Makeba, Freshly Ground, Rage Against the Machine, Marvin Gaye, Paul Simon, Brenda Fassie, UB40, Frank Sinatra, James Morrison, Jack Johnson, Michael Jackson (his old stuff), Fela Kuti, Dirty Skirts, Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys, Edith Piaff, Chris Isaak, Harry Connick Jnr, Etta James, Dearie Blossom

Favourite Films: Pineapple Express, Little Miss Sunshine, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Neverending Story (nostalgia), Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (haven't we all wanted to forget at some stage?), Be Kind Rewind, Pan's Labyrinth, ALL the Monty Pythons (It's a dead parrrrot!)

Favourite Books: The Folk of Faraway Tree, Power of One (Bryce Courtenay), African Farm (Olive Schreiner), Perfume (Patrick Susskind), Life of Pi, Acid Alex (Al Lovejoy).
Anything written by: Peter Godwin, Bridget Hilton-Barber, Zakes Mda, Alexander Mcall Smith, Nadine Gordimer, Andre Brink, K. Sello Duiker, Roald Dahl, JM Coetzee, Bill Bryson, Dalene Matthee, Alexandra Fuller, Steinbeck, John Simpson, Alan Paton, Bill Bryson, Rian Malan, Fred Khumalo.....

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I visited four countries in one day. I'm not sure why I did that, it really was a waste of passport space.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I make a mean White Russian cocktail, and I like doing dishes. And if you have pets, I will dote all over them - I love animals, especially dogs. Please also let me cook you something tasty, perhaps a dish from my home country. And of course, I would very much like to repay your hospitality with a nice meal at a nice restaurant.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Israel, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, South Africa, United Kingdom