CURRENT MISSION

(STUDENTS INVADING LONDON IN SUMMER 2016 USING BUDGET AIRLINES OR OTHERWISE, PLEASE DONT BOTHER SENDING A REQUEST. ITS ALMOST AN AUTOMATIC NO AS I BELIEVE ONE SHOULD TRAVEL WHEN ONE CAN AFFORD TO DO SO! CS SHOULD JUST BE A PLEASANT OPTION NOT A NECESSITY. MY BIGGEST FEAR IS THAT THIS WEBSITE WHICH IS BEING SWARMED BY STUDENTS, WILL KEEP LOSING ITS GENEROUS HOSTS AND WILL END UP AS SURFINGSSTUDENTS.COM OR SOMETHING.)

Mostly a host on CS for over 10+ years. In these ignorant & corrupt times, trying to find good souls. I always ask every CSer to think about where the verification money i.e. $30 each (from 1 million+ members) went?

ABOUT ME

I am a very selective host and you have been warned that copy paste or stupid requests, which show ignorance of CS principles, will get a default no or a blunt reply.

I am 185 cm tall and brown. admirer of wits and kindness. cynic of leeching and faking. Thrive on humour. Faint on hypocrisy. Shrewd linguist. Once bitten forever shy, Still breathing hope u die

PHILOSOPHY

1 - Left was, is and will never be Right
2 - Money cant buy happiness but does get you close it
3 - Bushy Blairly politics killed more people than 9/11
4 - Do remember hope is a good thing, maybe the best thing.... and good things never die

Note: Sensitive or ignorant souls please stay away!!!

FINEPRINT

True to my globe trotting profile, I have just returned to London after spending the last 3 years in Paris, Boston and Mumbai. I have a house which I would like to share as and when needed - but only with people who are using CS not purely to save money. I kept the description below as I have suffered globally from penny savers who push all travels costs onto hosts.

If you are not a troublemaker, not overly sensitive and have some wits about u, feel free to drop me a line. Dont ask me why but I dont look favourably upon people who use CS mainly to save on travel money - students/backpackers/hitchhikers with a recently made profile with no means to even afford a decent meal, please dont even bother asking me.

JUST TO BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT SOMETHING - DONT EXPECT ME TO SUBSIDIZE YOUR ILL PLANNED TRAVEL i.e. have money (get a job if you dont have it) and then travel, dont push the cost of your travels on hosts who sometimes are too kind to say no.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER -
Dont ask for me for a couch if you like cancelling last minute as I have a rather busy life and it takes considerable effort on my part to host others - like I have been doing for almost 9 years now. So please respect my time and dont send me a request- People who have hosted earlier have a higher chance of getting a yes for me as I like people who generally help others before asking,expecting (and in some cases demanding) help from others- In the section of why you would like to surf with me, tell me something OTHER than - I am here, I like your city and host me while eating and talking to me. When it comes to words I prefer quality over quantity so feel free to keep it concise but effective. The bottom line - the more intrigued I get, the better your chances of a yes.

UPDATE As a rough guide, from my past experience I dont find much in common with peoople who exhibit the following traits -

1 - Those who cant foot $15 a day for basic meals. I personally now only prefer to host people who use CS as an option and not out of compulsion sucking the goodwill out of the CS ecosystem. I used to host blindly when i first joined this site but I just met far too many people who think that a one off verification donation is good enough to get a lifetime supply of free accommodation anywhere they go. This is acceptable to some but I am not aspiring to be the Father Teresa of CS and I strongly get put off by people who are "milking CS" but never trying to host/help others on CS

2 - Those who dont have a clue about some basic issues in this world like religion, politics etc. For instance if you are a devout christian but dont have a clue about its origins or that of the Bible for that matter, then I really dont see how we could talk beyond "hi wassup!". I apologise in advance if it comes across as condescending but I prefer informed good souls to ignorant good ones.

Duration - I have hosted people for more than a month sometimes - so duration is not an issue. Integrity - I try not to cancel on my surfers last minute but on the few occasions I had to, I made sure I paid for hotel arrangements for them as a backup, just to make sure they are not left without a roof on their heads.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Having a strong belief in repaying karmic debt, I dont surf much but I do host a lot and have been doing so for about 9 years now. I have tonnes of experience which has helped shaped my CS participation over the years.
Hence, I am extremely selective about my guests due to the recent flood of budget travelers who will surf with any kind of host in any kind of accommodation. I now almost only host the rare few CSers who are not surfing to save money.

I was an organiser for the London Calling Couchsurfing Gathering a long long time ago!
Proud to design the image too :)

Interests

Travelling travelling and travelling with a bit of chill out or vice versa. Cant really tell

• design
• politics
• traveling
• surfing
• languages
• religion
• tourism
• budget travel

Music, Movies, and Books

Shawshank Redemption, Chariots of Fire etc

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Now thats a thought

Teach, Learn, Share

To do good onto sinners..........There are not enough good ones around

What I Can Share with Hosts

Witty banter. Are you up for it ?

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, India, Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom, United States

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