CURRENT MISSION

Find a new hat

ABOUT ME

The Dalai Lama says his religion is kindness. I don't have a religion so I just try to be kind to the people I meet on my travels. Since all of life is a journey, I try to be kind to everyone. This doesn't always work, but I keep on trying anyway. Remember, when you get to a fork in the road, take it! When you get to the end, stop! And always have fun.

PHILOSOPHY

We are all ambassadors for our own cultures and our own selves. Intentional travelers consciously wander the world with the goal of meeting other people and trying to leave the world a better place than they found it. In the end, the real journey is to find our highest self.

Traveling with mindful awareness, the intentional traveler often sees in others something of him or herself. Who to meet? How to open a dialogue? Who and why to help? How to do it? Where? When? Why?

If your intent of your journey through life is to help the people you meet, then the choice of what to do and
where to go becomes a little clearer. By all means bring money, school or medical supplies with you on
your next trip. Find out where the hospital, school, orphanage or town dump is located, and – after you
have visited the obligatory beaches, temples, markets and dusty old museums on your tourist itinerary – head off to make the world a better place. Which is where the journey starts to get interesting.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I write stories and books and produce video clips and DVDs of the journeys and adventures I've had around the world and share them with others on my website. I call my style ìntentional travel, journeys with purpose and meaning. It`s a mix of adventure travel, humanitarian work and humour.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Just getting started on CS.

Interests

Photography, writing, reading, cycling, kayaking, trekking, good conversations and great food.

• culture
• writing
• books
• photography
• education
• dining
• reading
• traveling
• cycling
• kayaking
• teaching
• religion
• adventure travel
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite book - The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen
Favourite musician - Leonard Cohen
Favorite movie - Too many to mention

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I trekked 500 miles across the Himalayas with a Tibetan lama to the Land of Upper Dolpo to find and rescue abandoned children and bring them to India for a formal education in an attempt to save the last vestiges of pure Tibetan culture left on earth. We were tracked and captured by Maoist guerillas and bought our way out. We were caught in rockfalls and blizzards and nearly died from altitude sickness, but we succeeded in getting back alive. The story is told in Journey to Dolpo, a book on my website, and In the Footsteps of the Master; Following Peter Matthiessen on the Snow Leopard Trail.

Teach, Learn, Share

My upcoming book Grinning It Out will contain 30-40 of my short stories detailing trips I have made around the world. Each one will contain an end essay explaining why I went where I went, and how i chose to get involved with people and projects I met there.

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Dominican Republic, India, Mexico, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada