CURRENT MISSION

In a couple of weeks I plan to start a "mission" that is inspired by various sources, to name a few - 'On the Road' by Kerouac, Orwell's 'Down and out in Paris and London' and a general frustration and disillusionment with the rat race and Capitalism!

ABOUT ME

I am 26 year old Scottish male. I have for the last 7/8 years worked in soul destroying cafes and restaurants, and these years have been made manageable by the fact that I have been able to save and travel a few times with the money earned. I have decided to abandon ship, in favour of a brisk swim towards salvation. I love to travel (don't we all!) and am determined to figure out how someone could survive in this world without worrying about making money all day. I am not afraid of work, but want to work for the right things, namely happiness itself, rather than objects to synthesise happiness. I want to meet amazing people, to find myself in the midst of madness and beauty. I want to live a life that will give birth to strange stories and I want to be brave enough to believe it's all possible. I hope to meet people who are equally as crazy/brave/stupid, and to share really special moments with them.

I like to write, draw, read, and play music. I love photography and am up for anything else.
What can I say? I guess I'm a good guy, in search of a good laugh and great friends!

PHILOSOPHY

I guess I am on a cusp, between a pretty traditional lifestyle and one that (I hope) will be a lot more interesting. My philosophy is to try to go out into the world with an open mind.. be good to people and go with the flow.
If I have a difficult decision to make I will often ask myself which way will make for the best story.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I am new to this website and so have no experience with Couchsurfing.org, but in my time have given various people a place to stay for a short while in my home. Whenever possible I have always been keen to offer people hospitality, it's a great way to meet people, I love it! the longest anyone has ever spent was almost 9 months.. That was perhaps a little too much in the end!
The flipside is of course as a traveller I have many times been on the receiving end of such kindness, in lots of different countries, and so know how valuable friends and good people can be.

Interests

My interests are probably much like most peoples, traveling, socialiasing, music, various creative bits and bobs listed above.. I love animals and kids and at the moment am particularly interested in investigating a kind of nomadic lifestyle, inspired by the beat generation of the 60s.

• animals
• photography
• beauty
• traveling
• socializing
• drawing
• music
• guitar
• track and field
• swimming

Music, Movies, and Books

This could take all day... As for music, I suppose my taste is kind of dated, I love the Kinks, Dylan, Floyd etc.. I can also get into more modern electronic stuff, amon tobin etc. As for new bands - Radiohead are quite high on the list.
Movies.. I can go for all sorts. I loved Into The Wild, but also the Matrix! I like movies from the 80's and 90's at the moment, I feel like they have a depth and commitment that you rarely see in new hollywood films. Basically anything other than teenage highschool films and musicals!
Books - I am currently reading 'Neither here nor There' by Bill Bryson. Before that it was 'Mr Nice' and before that a book about the prison camps of north korea. That last one was really disturbing/inspiring.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once held a crocodile. It was in Cambodia on an enormous lake, the edge of which was so far away that it felt we were at sea. We approached a floating house and were taken on board for a meal. As we climbed on I noticed the croc, sitting on the deck. It was motionless and I assumed it was plastic, a cruel cambodian joke. I walked over to get a closer look and it didn't move, so eventually walked off thinking I had beaten the system. It was only when we walked past again after our meal that I noticed it was facing the other way. The owner then ran over and asked if I would like to hold it, to which I was understandably hesitant. I did though, it was about 1.2 meters long and luckily had it's mouth tied closed, which I didn't really approve of, although I have to admit that my objections weren't strong enough to remove the rubber band from its jaw. It was a really surreal experience, to be holding a creature that would probably tear my hand off in any other circumstances. The look in it's eye was one of patient malice. He was saying "one day, I will get you back". At that point I handed it back and felt guilty and a little afraid. Still, a very strange moment! I hope the poor crocodile is not still there.

Teach, Learn, Share

I would be happy to share my experiences with others, I suppose it would depend on what they were interested in. I speak fluent English and would be happy to help someone improve their language skills. I also Play guitar and could teach someone to play, or at least put them on the right track.
I would be up for learning anything new, particularly anything that might help me survive in the wild...living off the land etc.

Countries I’ve Visited

Greece, Laos

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia