It's off to Ireland this time. Time to try my luck CouchSurfing Belgium, France and Ireland.
The first leg to get to Ireland will be solo and joining up forces with Mylene when I reach Dublin.
Availing of a cheap bus to Aachen, I avoid cycling the breath of Germany. An uneventful and entirely unsocial bus ride, demonstrates that, although convenient and cheap, there is little adventure to be had taking buses. Rather than the 'journey being the destination', one whittles away the hours on a bus in a frenzy of distraction. Wow, wifi, free movies, music.... a blur of insulated entertainment later and "you have reached your destination".
Cong (my CouchSurfing host in Aachen) epitomizes the spirit of generosity of CS. Despite an unexpected guest arriving on his travels from Liverpool and his limited space in the student dorms, we all get a comfortable place to lay our heads for the night. Cong is Chinese, studied in Singapore and is now in Aachen for one semester. He is newly converted to the cult of CS and asks for tips on bike trekking.
The themes of conversation that unite our group centre around the surreal and mundane stories of travel, especially the our reliance on the kindness of strangers, be this hitch-hiking, accommodation or simply not being ripped off.
There is a certain ingenuity and spontaneity to travelling cheaply. It means that you do not have to spend time working saving for that dream holiday, but, more importantly, forces you to rely on others. It is both the giver and receiver of such small actions that benefit from these interactions - the central tenant of CS and one that is widely overlooked in today's insistence on paying for goods and services.
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