A Love Letter to CouchSurfing in NGT

1395332406000-Afternoon-tea-051Despite having been an active CouchSurfer for almost seven years, I’ve only ever written about the hospitality site for niche publications. So I’m delighted that I have finally had a feature-length love letter to CouchSurfing published in the great National Geographic Traveller.

‘Sleeping with Strangers’ features in the May issue of the magazine, which is now available in UK newsagents – and on the NGT website.

Here’s the opening paragraph of the article to whet your appetite…

“I am folded in half. My knees are tucked up to my chin; my chin tucked into my chest. I can’t even feel my feet. In fact, my only sensation is a sharp jabbing below my shoulder blade, where the spout of the tap has found its home. I pull a rough, damp towel across my midriff, and resign myself to the sleepless night ahead.

Thankfully, this doesn’t represent a standard ‘surfing’ experience…”

Face-to-Face with God

“Do not bow at the head. Do you understand?”

I nod. My guide licks her lips anxiously. “Not-the-head,” she reiterates, pointing a perfectly-manicured finger at her temple. “Very disrespectful.” I nod the same nod, and she replies with an uncertain smile. “Then let’s go meet him.”

It’s my third day in North Korea and we’re outside Kumsusan Memorial Palace: the once-residence and now mausoleum of ‘eternal president’ Kim Il-sung. A colossal white-brick cathedral to the revolutionary leader, its reputation as the country’s most important pilgrimage site is cemented by the long queue of personally-invited, immaculately-turned-out Koreans eagerly awaiting a glimpse of their Great Leader. Continue reading