Couchsurfing the World
Have you ever heard of couchsurfing? This is something that you should know if you are into backpacking. Goodbye hostels, hello little couch.
Couchsurfing is asking someone to use his/her couch for a night or two or more. This way, you don't only save money but also getting to know a new friend who knows the city where you are going to. That way, you save time reading Lonely Planet or Frommer's Guide. Your host will tell you all what to do and what not to do. It's like student homestay abroad, only that the traveler / visitor stay on a couch, where else? But if the host has a spare room, you're lucky: you got a nice bed after a long and tiring day.
I offer only a hard folding bed. But if someone's willing to share in my twin-sized bed, I'll be damned and can't go to sleep well. ;)
Last night, some couchsurfers met for getting to know each other. Though they've been doing this here for a long time, this was my first gathering. I was shy at first, really, but when we were talking about travelling in China, I know I have a lot of things to share. I've been to many Chinese cities (42 to be exact) more than the Chinese couchsurfers who were at the party. And I know what to see and try in these cities. I even helped a German couple (who just arrived on that day) to design their travel itinerary for a five-day stay in Beijing.
The crowd was cool. One French guy showed up with his musical instrument he got from aborigines in Australia. He played it to us and we're all intently listening to the sound it produced. It's a tube-like wind instrument made of bamboo (where you blow hard) and a thin glass (looks plastic) shaped like the end of the trumpet. I tried to blow it but this is not really my thing. I can blow another tube-like stuff, ya know. A shaft to be graphic. Hahahahahaha...
I heard five languages spoken around. And when it came to introductions, we all knew what language should be used.
Couchsurfing is asking someone to use his/her couch for a night or two or more. This way, you don't only save money but also getting to know a new friend who knows the city where you are going to. That way, you save time reading Lonely Planet or Frommer's Guide. Your host will tell you all what to do and what not to do. It's like student homestay abroad, only that the traveler / visitor stay on a couch, where else? But if the host has a spare room, you're lucky: you got a nice bed after a long and tiring day.
I offer only a hard folding bed. But if someone's willing to share in my twin-sized bed, I'll be damned and can't go to sleep well. ;)
Last night, some couchsurfers met for getting to know each other. Though they've been doing this here for a long time, this was my first gathering. I was shy at first, really, but when we were talking about travelling in China, I know I have a lot of things to share. I've been to many Chinese cities (42 to be exact) more than the Chinese couchsurfers who were at the party. And I know what to see and try in these cities. I even helped a German couple (who just arrived on that day) to design their travel itinerary for a five-day stay in Beijing.
The crowd was cool. One French guy showed up with his musical instrument he got from aborigines in Australia. He played it to us and we're all intently listening to the sound it produced. It's a tube-like wind instrument made of bamboo (where you blow hard) and a thin glass (looks plastic) shaped like the end of the trumpet. I tried to blow it but this is not really my thing. I can blow another tube-like stuff, ya know. A shaft to be graphic. Hahahahahaha...
I heard five languages spoken around. And when it came to introductions, we all knew what language should be used.