Something I've realized is I miss many requests because I'm often offline and requests are for the same day or next day, so if you want to stay with me please just give me a heads up about a week before. If not, you can try but there's a fair chance I won't see your request until it's too late. Hope that helps more people make the connection. Also I'll be away 12 July-1 August so won't be online at that time.

Intrepid wanderer gone settled (for now) in the sunny lazy hip suburbs of Durban, KZN, South Africa. I'm a student (of everything, but mostly Homoeopathy), a kitchen herbalist, a backyard permaculturist, a capoeira lover and a fire dancer. If you stay with me I will probably force you to have some homegrown herb tea and long discussions about the origins of the universe, politricks, activism, ethnobotany, Steve Biko, Rumi, feminism, sustainability, the environment, healing, travel, relationships, science and magic.

I love storytelling, dance, art and music as ways to build bridges on the common experiences of being human, while highlighting difficulties and celebrating differences. I love finding and working with unity in diversity, I connect with people from so many different backgrounds and each has had something amazing to teach me.

I'm a walking dictionary about what's cool to do in Durban and even if I can't host you I can offer some sound advice about where/how to go... I know the taxi routes, the downtown markets, the trustworthy sangomas, the best coffee shops, the cool bars and the backstreets. If you're into herbs/plants/people and I have time we can do my famous 'won't find it in the travel agency' muthi market tour.

I'm open to anything and able to connect with almost anyone but I do have some hard boundaries around Respect, Tolerance and Acceptance. We're a completely LGBTIQ/differently-abled/female/poly/all-shades-of-brown//religious/spiritual/atheist//vegan/omnivore friendly space. As such if you have any issues (sexism, racism, homophobia, ageism, transphobia, monoegomania, Islamophobia), I can accept you, offer travel advice, but I will probably suggest somewhere else for you to stay. If you're willing to be open/learn/teach/share, you're welcome. Our home is all about acceptance and being a safe space for everyone.

Currently I'm working as a permaculture consultant doing community food gardens, so I'm very keen to connect with anyone who has an interest in urban gardening, indigenous farming and foods, sustainable living, eco-architecture, off-grid, solar power, Transition, reforestation, agro-ecology, and the like. I love plants and I love sharing seeds, ideas and knowledge about the plants around us. It's also all connected in the way that a better lifestyle should serve the people, the planet and socio-economic justice so I'm very interested in fairtrade-type crafts, rural empowerment initiatives, co-operatives, indigenous knowledge conservation and celebration, integrating culture and sustainable practice, art and education and so on. I love to see how these things are being done in other countries and share my experiences working in this field in South Africa.

I also run a small business with the objectives of growing indigenous medicine plants in a sustainable, eco-friendly manner; which will help conserve the wild stocks from being overharvested and empower the rural women who risk their lives harvesting illegally to start small businesses. My formal training is in homoeopathy, but I love connecting around any alternative/complementary/traditional health care practices. Yoga, Ayurveda, herbalism, Qi Gong, Acupuncture, shamanism, ethnobotanicals, traditional foods, ritual; all of these things are our birthright to be able to take care of ourselves without harming animals or the planet. But don't worry, even if you are a medical doctor we will have a lot to talk about as we are all concerned with the welfare of people.

It's all about balance and moderation.

We are only a small part of the whole, but we are all part of the whole. Only by working together can we achieve our full potential.

In Peace and Bliss, I look forward to meeting you all.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love travelers and travelling. When I was travelling alone in South America and Africa, some amazing people saved me by unofficially hosting me, and I'm always looking to return the favour. We were couchsurfing long before it was called couchsurfing and I've met some of my best friends hosting and being hosted all over the world. So please forgive my lack of references, but so many of my experiences have happened 'offline' and through circumstance on the street.
I love where I live, but unfortunately there's some deep prejudices about South Africa: race, class, poverty and safety; and I'm looking to challenge that by taking travelers into spaces they would never access otherwise. Meeting new people and having a heart connection breaks down barriers; and in a world full of hate and division, that's the only way we can overcome.

Interests

I love learning, and people are my favorite books (Rumi said 'every person you meet is a complete Q'uran'), so I love to hear about what people are passionate about and what makes them tick.

• culture
• dancing
• capoeira
• environment
• womens rights
• chocolate
• coffee
• yoga
• meditation
• walking
• gardening
• traveling
• magic
• surfing
• science
• sustainability
• permaculture
• plants
• healing
• mindfulness
• ayurveda
• herbalism
• indigenous knowledge
• traditional healing

Music, Movies, and Books

Everything!
We have an amazing film festival here every June which I love to share with people, so I've seen the most amazing art films, African and Indian film, incredible documentaries.
Music: anything played with soul
Books: I love local writers who tap into magical realism, traditional storytelling and new approaches to narrative. Reading books from a different perspective helps build empathy and understanding, and I think literature is an incredible medium for peace-building. I love poetry and write a lot so sharing with storytellers is always a favorite.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-Snuck into Machu Pichu under the full moon
-Danced in the festivals of Ollantaytambo with my adopted family and rode a motorbike through the street parades of the Sacred Valley with my good friend.
-Free dived the most incredible reefs in Sodwana and swam with dolphins
-Camped in the Magaliesburg mountains as a child with my brother and friends
-Watched my siblings (we are 6!) grow into beautiful people I'm so proud of
- Helped set up and train community gardens in rural KZN, every single time it is so amazing.

Teach, Learn, Share

Dancing- I love all dance and make an effort to collect new local styles wherever I go :) I also play poi and fire dance
Herbalism and home healing
Language- I love languages!
Gardening
Seeds, plants, remedies
Music, art and film from South Africa
Food- I love cooking, sharing, growing and tasting new foods

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love helping out in the garden, kitchen and home.
I'd love to cook traditional foods together, share music and dance and learn about you and wherever you're from.
I'm very considerate and clean as a guest- I've hosted my fair share and always try to leave the space better than I found it.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Namibia, Peru, Swaziland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Peru, South Africa