CURRENT MISSION

be a living testimony of hopeful and funny humanity. I love life and people, so just come and let's meet.

ABOUT ME

Artist with various means of expression: painting / drawing, poems, writing of (cruel but funny) short stories. I love listening to people, cooking for them, show them around if I have enough time . After finishing the renovation of my house I will build another on poles overlooking the sea with total respect of the nature and trees around me, living amidst the treetops. I am an old "68er" no more baba cool but nearly so (something always remains), don't smoke any more, accept the differences in other people's behaviour.

PHILOSOPHY

Whatever can make me grow is welcome. Even more when it is a little difficult, as I grow faster by trial-and-error. Life is a beautiful thing while it lasts, afterwards there is another staircase to climb leading to..."?". Whoever is not afraid of living is not afraid of dying, but it is necessary to be fully awake to live well.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I met people from many countries, usually independent minds who don't need "babysitting", are not parasiting but lend a helping hand if necessary. Since 2011 I receive traveller-friends from the whole world, sometimes 8 at the same time (with tents, luckily), they tought me "portunhol", the international south-american language, we exchanged cooking recipes and had great times talking and walking. Artists are especially welcome!

Interests

Art, litterature, architecture, classical music (this is a vital MUST for me), any other and world music (bring samples of typical music from your country if you can), a good meal, a nice glass of wine. I love travelling and travelling stories, had a camping-car for many years. Learning is a pleasure.

• horses
• birds
• arts
• writing
• books
• poetry
• architecture
• cooking
• recipes
• wine
• baking
• walking
• crafts
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• music
• classical music
• world music
• camping
• adventure races
• sailing
• swimming
• animation
• languages
• nature
• naturism
• plants
• national parks
• natural medicine
• all animals

Music, Movies, and Books

Hum... European films, like the Kusturica series, Coline Serrault, Buñuel, Charlie Chaplin. Foreign actors like Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, Jodie Foster, generally speaking guys and girls who have more in the head and in the heart then in the muscles. Music: Bach, Mozart, Schubert, mediaeval music, world music when it is authentic, all the 70ies' idols of course, rsrsrs. Books: Everything related to personal growing, psychology, healing, permaculture, nature, (I had to leave them all in Europe, sniff). I love the causticity of Roald Dahl, science fiction, fantasy, biographies, history.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was a private secretary to a wealthy excentric who built a sugar-cane fabric at 300 km of nowhere in a flat, waterless area of South Sahara, 40 different nationalities tried to understand each other. I made a technical dictionary in 4 languages for the use of the builders, mechanics and native workers there, because a technical meeting needed not only the actual workers, but as many interpreters, which could go up to 6 or 7 persons. I had a great time under a 50°C heat-wave without shade. But if my life was a good one (excepting the only 1/2 hr of tepid brownish water we had per day for every need), that of the local Africans was terrible because of their basic lack of water which caused the cattle to die of thirst, the mothers who had no milk could not get any cow-milk, people would pack their belongings and go 300 km to town in overloaded trucks, subject to racketing and worse, still hoping for a better life in town... It was a growing time for me and I became aware of the north-south/rich-poor problems.

Teach, Learn, Share

As, a long time ago, I was a genealogist/heraldist/calligrapher, I can draw and teach any of these crafts; rebuild houses, cook, teach you to swim or any language I know well enough, I don't go to candomblé reunions (animistic whole-night ceremonies in the presence of spirits (white-clad, of course) but can organise something if this is your kind of trip. I would love to learn to ride horses better and care for them, to sail to the islands strewn in the bay, to make my first parachute jump here on the isle (I loved parapente), baking farm bread, learning to play an instrument... everything I don't know yet.

What I Can Share with Hosts

A separate house for a couple and one other person/child, a very small house for 1 person (yet in construction - 2017), a bedroom for 2 in my own house and possibilities for more, a secure space for tents, trailers and camping-cars, swimming-pool, home-grown fruits and eggs from "happy chickens", the sea nearby and much quietness, This is NOT a place for excited people or those looking for animation. Go to the Salvador couches for that...
PS, IMPORTANT: April to July is the rainy season in the Nordeste and Chapada Diamantina, if you are not a heroic adventurer, think twice about coming this way at that time, the public open-air manifestations are few, the town is not prepared for big rains (!!!) and everything 30cm high is ready for a (dirty) swim... The mid-year festivities called Festas Juninhas (around June 24th) are important, the Carnaval here consist of following huge Trios Elétricos making a lot of noisy music in a crazy atmosphere in Salvador amidst solid crowds of overexcited and happy people. There are a couple of summer music festivals, a very well known September book-and-culture festival in Cachoeira, a few hundred km from Salvador, the Chapada Diamantina and its alternative culture, the beautiful isle of Morro de São Paolo, the surfing beaches of Itacaré and so many other lovely and interesting places that I can't sum them up. Generally speaking, the Bahianese are a jolly / happy / smiling / singing / dancing people and I am just in love with all of them.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, England, Indonesia, Morocco, Netherlands, Senegal, Switzerland, United States