Couchsurfing is a app/website for travelers to find a host that is willing to let them sleep in their residence at no charge. This could mean an extra bed, couch, floor, or even a shared bed. Before reaching out you should be able to see what kind of sleeping situation there would be for you. While there is no cost associated with this and no benefit to the person hosting you it is proper couch surfing etiquette to take your host out for dinner on the last night of your stay. Couch surfing stories will range from very rich people in large homes accommodating travelers to a some less appealing stories. The normal experience is somewhere in between.
With that being said my first experience with couch surfing was quite interesting. I had just finished 8 weeks in Thailand spending about $5 on accommodations per night. Singapore prices are much different costing at least $20 per night which was just not in the cards for me. I tried my hand at couch surfing. A young lady reached out to me letting me know I could stay with her and she would also be hosting 3 other couch surfers. I confirmed that I would have my own sleeping surface and she assured me I had a bed all to myself. She offered to allow me to stay for all three nights.
She asked me to meet her and the other couch surfers for dinner at a hotel which I already thought was odd. I arrived at this gorgeous hotel with a pool inside of the restaurant towering over the city. This was a very expensive restaurant that defeated the whole purpose of couch surfing, I ordered the cheapest meal on the menu which was a lobster linguini costing $79. Upon arrival I met the other couch surfers two gorgeous girls from Sweden and later another guy arrived from Russia who spoke little English. Dinah (my host) told me she had a friend arriving for dinner. Once her friend arrived she had a cake in her hand, handed it to Dinah and said Happy Birthday!
Yes, this dinner was a birthday celebration that only the two of the six people knew about prior. During dinner I spoke a bit with the other couch surfers. I asked Pasha (the Russian man) how he arrived to Singapore meaning air, train, etc. He replied with one word in his thick Russian accent.
"Walked"
We made it through a eloquent dinner and went back to Dinah's place, our accommodation. She lived in a very nice apartment complex consisting of three towers. Once we arrived to her apartment on the 18th floor I noticed she had her front door barred and padlocked on both sides and the windows barred as well. Alarmed, I asked is it dangerous around here? She looked very puzzled and replied no, not at all. I asked if there was a fire or another emergency how would I be able to get out if it is padlocked? She said well then I would be leaving too.
This of course creeped me out and I would have left right then if the two Swedish girls were not so damn beautiful, so I stayed.
She took the girls back to their own room and then told Pasha and I that we would be sharing a small sectional couch together ( not my own bed as I was told). I said Ok and quickly tossed my bag on the longer portion of the couch. Sorry Pasha.
We were there during the Chinese new year so she asked that we all meet for dinner the next night and we would go to China town and eat much cheaper. Which was fun experience the Chinese New Year in chinatown of a country with such a big Chinese influence.
After dinner, she insisted several times that we help her shop for the Chinese new year decorations.We wanted no part of this. We politely argued back and forth coming up with different excuses and finally the four us left and went exploring separately. We did agree to meet her back at her place in a few hours.
We arrived before her and the girls went to their room and Pasha and I were in the living room. Dinah comes in very upset targeting me. She said how come you did not open the door? That is so rude. She continued on how I should have opened the door relentlessly.
I was so confused I asked her if she knocked as I didn't know she was outside. She retorted why would I knock on my own door!? She said I knew she was going to be here around this time and should have expected that she came in. Me trying to be nice in her home, with all exits barred, said to her Dinah I apologize for the confusion I did not know you were out there and if I did I would have certainly gotten the door. I think maybe there is a cultural difference here as if someone back home wanted help they would have notified someone inside. She remained quite but huffed around putting her things away.
She quickly came back out and asked if there was something wrong? If I did something to offend her? If I was mad at her? Still confused I said Dinah I am not mad at all I am very grateful that you offered up your home to us, I feel like there is something I am missing, did I do something wrong? She then notified me that normally when she comes home and has couch surfers that they would ask her how her day went... Pasha was sitting next to me the whole time but was not apart of the conversation due to the alleged language barrier. In that moment, I would have loved a language barrier.
After that I wanted to leave as her erratic behavior outgrew my curiosity of Swedish women. Now the challenge was in order to leave I would have to ask her to unpadlock the front door and I was afraid of what would come of me asking that simple question. I stayed the night and in the morning took all my stuff and stayed at a hostel. On the way out she clarified that I would be staying one more night, I said of course! Which absolutely did not happen.
The hostel costed me $27 in a shared room of 54 people. It was money well spent. This was my first couch surfing experience and while it was not my last it was quite terrifying even though I'm sure Dinah had the best of intentions and was kind enough to offer not only her home but insights to the city.
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