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Overview

  • 74 references 68 Confirmed & Positive
  • Fluent in English; learning French, Vietnamese
  • 36, Male
  • Member since 2011
  • Food Technologist
  • Culinary Arts Diploma (EIT), B. Food Tech (Massey Univers...
  • No hometown listed
  • Profile 100% complete

About Me

After living in over the other side of the world and travelling for the last couple of years, I am back home and living in Wellington. Not quite set up to host anyone but might be able to meet up or give you some tips about the city.

My girlfriend is also on here as well.
Her profile is https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/ashleigh-cook.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Although not strictly couchsurfing, I have stayed with a lot of locals in Asia. My first experience was staying and travelling in Vietnam with an old girlfriends family and also spending Tet (Vietnamese new year) in Hanoi with them. Vietnam is full of tourists, and too many resorts and hotels occupy some the touristy places!! It is much better to stay in a more local area, although you see a lot more things that be less appealing (like caged animals and dog-meat), the food and people are still much better in these areas! I have since stayed in many other Asian countries with friends family, and have had some amazing experiences I hope to repay when they visit NZ one day.

My father has couched surfed most of the world, even before it officially "become a thing". He is the one who really pushed me to do this sort of travelling. We had couch-surfers stay with us when I was younger (10+years ago) so I have also met some interesting people through it.

Interests

Food and not the stuff sold in restaurants to cater to tourists (like western food), I mean the food found on the side of the street that really caters to locals, and is full of flavor, and a quarter of the price!
I also like film, art and music of just about any kind, especially something that is new to me. I also find documetaries and learning about the world around me facisnating. I love to discover the science behind something and how it works.

Music, Movies, and Books

I love most movies and have seen a large majority of the top IMDB 250 (which in my opinion is actually a very good list, albeit a few for me). Any music genera is good for me, since travelling in Europe I have been listening to a lot of kiwi music, which I would be more than willing to share.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Traveling down a river to a temple in a boat full of Vietnamese people, that is only centimeters above the water, is not suppose to be done by foreigners (and the boat owner gets punished if they get caught!), I was lucky (or unlucky depending on how you look at it) to experience this, although covering up for the 45 minute journey isn't the most pleasant.

Teach, Learn, Share

If your looking for good food, just take a local bus anywhere (but make sure you remember where to catch it back!!) and eat somewhere all the locals are, guess the price if its not written anywhere and keep an eye out for how much everyone else is paying. Even if you get ripped off, it'll still be cheaper than getting food in a touristy area and much better as well.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Culinary skills - I have a vast knowledge of food and love to cook (which includes going to the local market to get food to cook). I also enjoy growing my own vegetables, which I have had very good success in NZ and am more than willing to help anyone else who wants to plant a garden.
I can also share a bottle of wine or any other kind of beverage that tickles your fancy.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand, United Kingdom

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