Born in England, raised and educated in France, where I studied philosophy, I'm now working as a journalist. My main passions are songwriting, playing guitar (blues and folk), reading, and of course travelling. I've lived in China, Russia, Bulgaria, and more recently India - a country I love deeply and still hope to learn more about.

I like to think I'm down-to-earth and easygoing. I prefer simple street food or home cooking to five-star restaurants. I tend not to judge habits and ways of life that are new to me, and thoroughly enjoy meeting and listening to people with a different outlook on life.

People are the main reason I travel. I would rather spend time with interesting or friendly people in some small town, village, or suburb, than on my own in the heart of a fancy city.

I also love animals, especially dogs. I find their presence soothing, sometimes even therapeutic, especially when I'm far from home...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to travel whenever I have the opportunity, sometimes for a week, sometimes for several months. I'm keen to venture off the beaten track, to get to know places thoroughly, through the perspective of a local. As a journalist this is especially important, as the best stories come from people you meet and spend time with! I especially love to end up in "random" places I had never planned on visiting, or better still, that I had never even heard of.

Interests

• traveling
• guitar
• history
• philosophy

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Howlin' Wolf, Van Morrison, The Kinks, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Khruangbin, Rhye...

Books: Midnight's Children, (Salman Rushdie), The Moor's Last Sigh (Salman Rushdie), Don Quixote (Cervantès), The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoievski), War and Peace (Tolstoi), Wind, Sand and Stars (Antoine de St-Exupéry), Night Flight (Antoine de St-Exupéry), One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)... Currently I'm reading and loving the work of J. M. Coetzee. I've also developed a keen interest in spiritual and mystical thought, including Hinduism, Sufism, and Carl Jung.

Movies: The Meaning of Life (Monty Python), The Life of Brian (Monty Python), Withnail and I (Bruce Robinson), Barry Lindon (Kubrick), 2001: Space Odyssey (Kubrick), The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick), Solaris (Tarkovski), Fanny and Alexander (Bergman), Defending Your Life (Albert Brooks), Mud (Jeff Nichols).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Living and surviving in New Delhi in the middle of the summer: 48°C feels just that bit hotter when you add spicy masala dishes!

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to share simple things, like food, recipes, a cold beer, a good laugh.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can cook for you, especially French and Indian dishes... More importantly, I'm always up for interesting conversations, sometimes deep, sometimes silly - I love listening to people's stories. I can also song you a song or two, although I'm not a great singer!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bulgaria, China, France, India, Russian Federation, United Kingdom