Hi! My Name is Riya and I love to travel! Although I haven't been on CouchSurfing long, I feel like I've embodied its spirit for some time now. I started out traveling about two years ago and initially, being unaware of what I call the many styles of traveling, opted for what seemed easier and more fun. That was staying at hostels, traveling the beaten path and conversing with predominantly other travellers. Of Course there's many ways to travel (ie. hitching and camping, my favourite) but the one I prefer the most, at the moment lol, is experiencing the place I'm in and all that it has to offer, through the eyes of its inhabitants. Furthermore, I feel that couch surfing will aid me in achieving this more consistently.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

As I mentioned before, I feel that with couch surfing, I am better able to appreciate the language, customs, clothing, food and over all culture of the place I am visiting. Making conversation with hosts about the experience they've had affords me an opportunity to see the town through their eyes which I would otherwise be without.

Interests

I have many interests. Most of them involve adventure. Multi day hikes. Mountain climbing, rock climbing, scuba diving, surfing just to name a few. I prefer a trek through the jungle over a lazy day at the beach. I also enjoy playing board games and such. And ofcourse I enjoy learning about and experiencing new customs and cultures.

I must add that I am also usually completely engrossed in social justice struggles and would consider myself a political and eco-activist although they are more than just interests for me.

Music, Movies, and Books

I live for music! Especially from around the world. Tell me your favourite and I'll share. I have too many to list. Movies are great but I tend to watch only what scores well on Rotten Tomatoes. You could call me a film snob in this regard.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

So earlier this year I was lucky to spend 7 amazing months on the Hawaiian islands. The last island I was on was the big island. One day I decided I wanted to explore an abandoned road that the govt had failed to keep up after a hurricane came through a couple years back. The road was dirt and completely grown over. After some time, I realised that I was lost. As I searched for my way back, unable to continue through the high cane grass without adding more cuts to my already cut arms and legs, I began to crawl through the wild boar trails. Crawl I say because the trails were about a foot and a half high, two and a half at best. After some time of this crawling I came upon what seemed like and oasis. Compared to the jungle of monkey pods and cane grass I had been in, it was paradise. What actually was was a cinder cone that had about 30 full grown coconut trees on it. In addition to hundreds of coconut sprouts and all other kinds of life. After a brief respite in the shade, I reluctantly started again, still confused as to which was home. Amazingly, I was able to find way out of that jungle soon after. All in all I was lost for almost 4 hours. It was quite an ordeal. But on my way back from what I ended up calling Coco Mountain, I was keen on tracking different landmarks. The next, as cut and tired as I was, I headed back out to the road with my machete, and cut a trail out to Coco Mountain. In the coming days I built a camp out there. With my tent set up and a firepit built, I was able to tie up some tarps for water catchment which I filtered for drinking. I also created two garden and a composting toilet. I spent a total of 2 months, the last of my time in Hawaii out there. I never in my life felt more connected to nature. It was one of the most rewarding experience of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am always open to learning anything that interests me, which is quite a lot. Language, cooking are two that stand out, but I love to learn and understand different traditions and practices local to the area I'm in.

I was raised in the US as well as in India. I am fluent in American culture and the English language so teaching both come easy to me. My Gujarati, while fluent, is limited to speech, so sadly I would only be able to teach it on a limited level.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bangladesh, Belize, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, India, Mexico, Thailand, United States