CURRENT MISSION

Zigzagging my way across South America, trying to learn how to roll my 'r's

ABOUT ME

After eight years of living and working in London, I needed a change from city life.

I had wanted to come to South America for a long time, ever since I read Che Guevara's 'The Motorcycle Diaries' when I was growing up.

The book whisked me away from the sleepy Scottish village where I lived to the dusty roads and expansive skies of South America, the ideal location for both a physical and internal journey.

Last year, I decided to embark on such a journey myself. I don't have a motorcycle, and I'm not really keeping a diary, but I do have Che's patchy beard.

PHILOSOPHY

Always be open. Open minded, open to new experiences, open with people.

And smile a lot.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm currently travelling, so I am looking for couches to surf and people to meet.

But if and when I return to the UK, who knows...

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Before South America, I had no experience of Couchsurfing. I'm excited about giving it a go.

Interests

I am definitely a fox rather than a hedgehog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hedgehog_and_the_Fox), so I have a pretty broad range of interests.

Food and football are important to me. That's one of the reasons why I'm enjoying Argentina so much, because these things seem to be very important to people here too.

I love anything to do with words and pictures, whether it's immeresing myself in a book, watching a film, grappling with a new language or wandering around an art gallery.

I also like drinking tea and coffee. Conversations are always more fun and books more interesting over a tea or coffee.

• arts
• books
• dining
• coffee
• drinking
• traveling
• soccer

Music, Movies, and Books

I love all types of films, music and books, so there are way too many to list in this small space, but recently...

I saw '12 Years A Slave' and thought it was incredible. I can't remember being so moved by a film in such a long time.

I read 'In Patagonia' by Bruce Chatwin and found it captivating. I loved how each chapter was like a photograph, a crisp image of a place or a person.

And I have been listening to a lot of Nicolas Jaar. His eclectic, intense mixes are perfect for long bus journeys.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Trekking in the Torres del Paine National Park was a very special experience.

On the final day of my week there, I got up at 6am, strapped a torch to my head and scrambled up to the top of the mountain. I unrolled my sleeping bag on a rock and got in. Then I laid back and looked up at the sky, as the glowing stars disappeared and the mountain peaks turned orange in the dawn light.

I will remember that morning for a long time.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can make a really good cup of tea, and I'd like to learn about how to transfer this skill to making the perfect cup of mate.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Chile, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Senegal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom