TRAVELLING AT THE MOMENT #vanstrife (probably doing so till earliest September 2020). If you send a couch request — you're requesting to come and stay in my van, which is totally doable. I have no itinerary really, but today 6/2-2020 we're in Graus and will be heading towards Barcelona either today, tomorrow or... Yeah, at some point.

It's me and my dog, without plan we set off in December 2019 and headed to our first and only planned thing, the Chaos Communication Congress in Leipzig. So yeah, I'm a Computer Scientist, interested in privacy and the development of upholding personal integrity on the Internet. I've been educated at three of the worlds top engineering universities: KTH, IITD, KAIST. Education disgusts me, yet I plan to go back for a second MSc this fall and following that probably doctor in some form of linguistic analysis. I've done the whole startup thing, built a couple of products... Aka, forgotten to eat, sleep and rest my eyes. My 20's have been consumed by this BS, and you'll probably see me slipping away if someone starts up a discussion on tech.

Being a techy and wondering wtf this life is about, well, I believe they go hand in hand. Or maybe I'm just hopeless.

Except working myself to the bone I've travelled big time, sometimes on barely a dime and sometimes staying at every other Taj (thanks Bitcoin boom of 2018). I'm all about motorbikes, and India is my second home, so I've ridden a Bullet through many, many states.

Motorbikes heal my soul, at the moment I'm hunting for more things to heal me. I heard Iceman, Wim Hof, for the first time last year as all my accounts were frozen (high-frequency algorithmic crypto-trading generates such a large paper trail the tax-office took 6 months to conclude I had not committed tax fraud). It was such a stressful time and I was desperate and livid most days. Something in Hof's voice gave me pause and the week after I found myself holding my breath in ice-cold water; I was on a high for a week after that.

Somehow this trip in my van turned into me driving around the Pyrenees in search for near-freezing turquoise waters. I jump in three times, the third time being the easiest and the time I try and hold my breath. I'm clearer now, still somewhat subdued, but the resilience which was so apparent in my childhood is finally creeping back. I find myself thinking in broader terms, not just wondering how to heal myself, but wondering if I can spend my life working on how to heal plurality.

I'm a good listener because I'm interested. I believe it's better to be interested than interesting. People fascinate me, how we can live worlds apart but still share all the same problems; a nomad meandering through the Himalayas with his sheep will speak of the same heartache as the suited-up fellow in the lobby of a high-end hotel. So please, feel free to be open and you will find my eyes glitter with curiosity.

--- HOSTING ME ---
Yes, I am a bit of an anarchist, but a very respectful one at that. I'm as laid back as can be, I'll have no expectations of you, and unless you tell me otherwise you can expect me to not only keep myself tidy, but your kitchen and common area. I'll never touch anything private, like a desk, but you might find your dishes done and your sofa blanket folded when you come home.

--- HOSTING BIBBI ---
My dog is as tidy as myself, she is a 6kg Jack Russell terrier with the eyes of Bridget Bardot, amusing, I find, as her name (Bibbi) is pronounced B.B. in English.

BB makes many of her own friends, something I've just had to make peace with, she often gets invited to things without me.

--- RANDOM MUSINGS ---
I hadn't updated my profile for nearly 10 years, which means that I've been Couchsurfing and hosting for over 10 years!

My mum was probably one of the first users on here, and we used to get a hoard of people up at the house (lived on a beautiful hill in the south of Spain), in my tweens I'd often come home to a bunch of strangers... And honestly, we never had a single problem. Maybe one American girl who drank too much of mum's tea — a sin if you're English, but a rather subliminal act of violence if I may say so myself.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've couch-surfed in Southampton, London, South Africa and Australia. My experiences vary quite a bit, once I slept on a sofa in lounge in a students house, which I shared with a huge lizard and his live food which insisted on making noises all through the night. The other where I stayed at a beautiful villa close to the seaside with a lovely couple for hosts whom showed me and my mother around and where just lovely. I really don't mind where I end up:)

Interests

Geek (computers, phones, most things with an "on" button), Martial arts, Guitar, Music, Animals, Photography, Sailing tall ship's, motorbikes

• animals
• arts
• photography
• dining
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• sailing
• martial arts
• engineering
• ukulele

Music, Movies, and Books

The Godfather, Full Monty are two of my favorite films of all time. Music wise I'm a slight throw back, enjoy 50' - 60' rock n roll and classic 70' rock. On the book front I love a good thriller or a comedy (Hail Terry Pratchett).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Travelled around Europe on a beautiful bark called T/s Gunilla! We sailed Belgium, France, Northern Ireland, Shetland Islands, Scotland, Norway and then back to Sweden. Got to see the most famous fjord of Norway, which was amazing from the top point of the highest mast:)
I've sailed with the same ship from the Dominican Republic, up to Charleston, from there to Bermuda (what a storm we were hit by!), Bermuda to the Azores, Azores to Plymouth and last stop Oostende in Belgium.

Bought a motorbike in North Vietnam and got myself over the very northern border (somehow, not supposed to be possible) into Laos. He was an old war veteran that hardly gave me any trouble, but I did break down on top of a mountain in monsoon rain and spent 4 hours repairing him... good times. I also got arrested and thrown out of Lao, different story thou.

Since then I've had another 9 years of whacky travelling.

I feel blessed, my mum always believed that travel and people resulted in knowledge- thus I've travelled since an early age and met loads of fantastic people! Thank you mum:)

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a kick arse limbo-er. Not sure if it's something that could be thaught, but we could always try.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, France, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, Northern Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, North Korea, Spain, Sweden