In 2018 I came back from 2 years traveling in South America, now Im back in Europa and working again, trying to get used to "normal life".
(see my blog at haiko.famrijkers.nl (https://haikorijkers.wordpress.com/))

At home in the Netherlands, i try to get away when I have a few days off, preferably to a new place that is unspoiled by tourists, or, even better, somewhere high in the mountains with my tent. Seeing the sunrise when you get up in the morning from the top... Amazing!

In the Netherlands I spend my spare time mostly with playing sports, waterpolo, wakeboarding, surfing, climbing and of course doing stuff with friends.

For work I'm often onboard of a ship or working in another city. When I'm off I often try to travel, but when im at home I do like to have some people over and show them around.

PHILOSOPHY

First I was always disappointed I couldn't see everything in the world. Now I like that there will always be something new to discover.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Surfing & Hosting

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Mostly people have stayed at my place, but during my up coming travels i plan to reverse those statistics, I would like to stay with people as much as possible. I enjoy to experience the location as it is seen through the eyes of a local and not just as a tourist. Okay, when you are traveling you will never experience it in the same way, but you will definitely get to know more a bout the place when you stay with a local.

But I definitely like hosting as well, to show people around in my own town. It opens your eyes to things, that you don't notice anymore as a local. One of the best experience was when I showed a friend from England my old university. She kept on making pictures of the bicycle parking (1000 bicycles or so?), something I see every day and you are used to, but by seeing how interested she was you start to appreciate it again.

Interests

Sports (wakeboarding, climbing (bouldering), acro yoga (especially the acro part), slack lining, waterpolo, icehockey, surfing, snowboarding, ...),
travel, camping, survival and climbing mountains
painting,
and of course friends that want to join with any of the above

• traveling
• painting
• camping
• surfing
• wakeboarding
• sports
• rock climbing
• history
• languages
• mountains
• waterpolo

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Climbing a lot of different peaks, starting at night and than arriving at the peak with sunrise, preferably no path, and no other people anywhere. The feeling when you are alone on the peak and you see the sunrise, it feels like everything there, just exists because you are there to whiteness it. Its an amazing feeling.

Camping solo next to a glacier lake, in the morning the sunrise reflecting in the lake and the glacier. amazing...

Teach, Learn, Share

I want to improve my Spanish (my grammar is really bad, just learned by talking to people on the street, but never took a course) and I can of course help you with the languages I do know or maybe tell something about the history of the Netherlands.

And like pretty much everyone on CS, travel stories ;)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I really enjoy preparing dinner, especially Asian food.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Netherlands, Peru