Recently moved to Budapest, Hungary and am in the settling in and meeting new people phase. I'm from Scotland (don't be fooled by the pic, I'm not Lebanese!). I'm always looking for interesting people, local or fellow travellers, to hang out with, drink a beer or a coffee, or explore the city, so feel free to get in touch anytime. I run a travel blog in my spare time at http://www.quitandgotravel.com.

I truly believe in the phrase "the only thing you buy that makes you richer is travel" - I value experience over possessions and people over things. When I travel, for me it's the people I meet along the way that make or break the trip, not the things I see (although I'm always up for a bit of sightseeing as well!), and that naturally led me to Couchsurfing.

I'm pretty social and spend a lot of time hanging out with friends, but I also enjoy peace and quiet from time-to-time. My friends tell me I'm friendly, easy-going and quite strong-willed at times.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I often use Couchsurfing to meet people for coffee, drinks or other activities rather than actually staying on couches and when I do stay it's mainly for the interesting company rather than a free place to sleep. Couchsurfing is one of the best ways I've found to meet both locals and fellow travellers.

Interests

In my spare time before I left Belgium I was part of a group that plays the Chinese tile-based game Mahjong and attended a weekly Mandarin language meetup. I am really passionate about the Chinese language and especially the beautiful writing system and write (far less frequently than I would like), a Mandarin-language blog at http://fengpig.wordpress.com. Hoping to take them up again sometime in the future.

I enjoy a good night out with my friends, whether for dinner, a quiet drink and chat in a bar, or an all-night party.

When I'm relaxed and have plenty of time I love to cook different couisines, although often the results are quite experimental. I cook a lot of Chinese food because it's hard to find really good spicy Chinese in restaurants. I especially like black bean chicken (豉汁鸡肉) and spicy tofu (麻婆豆腐).

Music, Movies, and Books

I really like electronic dance music, both for going out dancing and listening to in the car. The right trance song can give me a feeling of energy or freedom that I just don't get with other styles of music.

I enjoy a good suspense horror movie, although unfortunately these are few and far between.

Book wise I like novels that are well-written and make me think. I also used to read quite a few Chinese novels (余华 is a firm favourite) when I lived in Melbourne, but they're very hard to find in Europe. I also read quite a bit of non-fiction, including historical and business books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I talked myself through 5 military roadblocks in Iraq to visit the town of Ba'ashiqua, which had been recently liberated from ISIS, with a story about being a travel blogger on exotic destinations. It was an amazing experience - I was even able to enter the tunnels that ISIS had dug to escape US air strikes (despite the soldiers' warnings of venomous snakes!).

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love to share stories of experiences with fellow travellers, whether over a beer, a meal or some shisha, and to listen to the stories of others. Some of the most memorable trips I've taken have been inspired by such conversations and I hope I've inspired others in the same way.

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, England, Ethiopia, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritania, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Northern Ireland, Norway, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Wales, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Belgium, China, England, Hong Kong, Hungary, Kenya, Lebanon, Scotland, Spain, Uganda