Living and working in Chongqing, China. Would like to meet other expats, tourists and locals to occasionally explore the surrounding area.

I`ve spent much of my life living abroad in Europe and Asia, so I don`t really feel rooted anywhere anymore. However, one thing I`ve learned during this time is that travel is just one angle on understanding the world and people. Plenty of background reading can often help a person penetrate far more deeply into the social, historical, cultural and political realities of a foreign context, with just brief visits to the location, including contact with locals and some healthy self-reflection, probably sufficient to then make sense of the place. Travel is a privilege and can easily become an extravagance. We should not forget that a century ago only aristocrats had the ability to travel with the freedom that the average backpacker has today. As we move from country to country, from beach to home-stay, we should all ask ourselves to what degree is our trip escapism, enjoyment and self-indulgence rooted in our wealth and freedom, versus the 'cultural and philosophical odyssey' we might dress it up as publicly....

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Happy have guests in my apartment when I can spend time with them)))

I`m often busy with my job these days so not always available. Will be relying on a guide book to send me in the right directions whenever I do go out - I`m no guru on the best places to visit here. Let`s get lost together)))

Interests

The world.
The universe.
Human nature and where it is taking us.

..... endless questions to ask...... endless answers to pursue....

Music, Movies, and Books

Books I can`t forget:

'1984', By George Orwell
'Brave New World', By Aldous Huxley
'The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters', by Brian Reynolds Myers
'Mao's Great Famine: The History of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-1962', by Frank Dikötter
'The Selfish Gene' and 'The Greatest Show on Earth' by Richard Dawkins
'The Origins of the British: The New Prehistory of Britain: A Genetic Detective Story', by Stephen Oppenheimer
'A briefer History of Time', by Stephen Hawking
'August 1914', by Barbara Tuchman
'The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945', by John Toland
'Byzantium: Volumes I-III', by John Julius Norwich
'The Silmarillion', by JRR Tolkien
'Cloud Atlas', by David Mitchell
'American Psycho', by Brett Easton Ellis
'Watchmen', by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, John Higgins

Fave` movies:

Anything imaginative or thought provoking. I`m addicted to sci-fi among other things, from Metropolis to Prometheus.

Preferred music:

Quite a lot from Electro House to Mozart to Black Metal

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I worked for three and a half years in North Korea and remained unswayed by the 'Great Juche Ideal'.

What I Can Share with Hosts

A comfortable place to stay. We can hang out in the evenings, and if I have more time we can explore the region together during the day.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Turkey, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, China, Israel, Myanmar, North Korea, Poland, Ukraine