Hello!
My name is Wouter - currently living in Utrecht (Netherlands). I work on the energy transition at the Dutch government.

I travel when I can, as much as possible. I've been lucky enough to have been able to travel through a big part of Asia and a part of Africa the last few years.
However, currently on my wish-list are: Pakistan, Russia, Canada, West-Africa

In my spare time I like to be outdoors - a few kilometers east of Utrecht lies a beautiful stretch of forest.
On a beautiful day I like to go out for a walk (preferably with my parents' dog) or I like to go out on my racing bike.

Once a week I volunteer at the homeless shelter in Utrecht, which is never boring!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To chill with cool people

Interests

Big big fan of travelling (cliche, I know). The last few years I was lucky enough to have been on some pretty kick-ass trips. Current focus lies on Africa and the Middle East.
I try to be outdoor as much as possible. I'm a big fan of camping, hitchhiking or long hikes.

• reading
• homebrewing
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• geology
• squash
• travel
• vegetarianism
• outdoors
• vinyl
• hitchhike

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
Ali Farka Touré, The War on Drugs, JJ Cale, Kikagaku Moyo, Bob Dylan, Kevin Morby
Tinariwen, Hailu Mergia, Khruangbin, Ben Webster, Dire Straits, Neil Young.
I like my world music, jazz records, disco and techno tunes and anything funky.

Books:
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Haruki Murakami, Hermann Hesse, Charles Bukowski, Naguib Mahfouz, Bill Bryson, Fyodor Dostojevski, Kurt Vonnegut, Albert Camus

Movies:
Anything made by Tarentino, Wes Anderson, Coen Brothers!
And so much more, too much that put on my CS profile..

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Witnessing a sky burial in Western Sichuan in China. Went scuba diving through WWII wrecks in the Philippines. Saw the Dalai Lama in Northern India. Travelled through Sudan during Ramadan. Witnessed turtles hatching on a remote beach in Australia. Hiked the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. Attended an Javanese wedding ceremony which involved someone eating glass. Saw Tehran celebrating after the election results. Hitched a ride from an ambulance once. Hitchhiked through the Algerian Sahara whilst the whole country was protesting against president Bouteflika.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I rent a room in a comfortable apartment in the city center of Utrecht.
Me and my housemates all love having people over. We have a very comfortable couch and extra matresses.

We usually cook - preferably vegetarian.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, Taiwan