When you read about couch surfing, the first impression you get is that this is a place for budget travelers only.But my experience is in disagreement to this kind of attitude.
About 90 of the White travelers to Africa will find it usual to get about 50 percent extra charge on all items bought as well as services paid for in Africa. the situation is worse in the country side where all residents and business men have a thinking that all white men and women are wealthy and therefore should be charged higher whenever they are buying an item!
Some locals will genuinely ask for the same prices to buyers regardless of the skin color and race but you do not need to get surprised if a nice young man or woman asks you an amount three or four times more than the price of an item in a shop!take heart, he /she is just trying to show you that you are superior; and therefore to ask you a going price would be like underrating your economic strength!
Africans call this the "Mzungu pricing system" mzungu is a polite-racist like word used to mean White man especially in the great lakes region.
This is a situation couch surfers have been relieved of. it is much better for a traveler staying with a couch surfer to go shopping in company of a host or a local friend than to just walk in a shop.the locals then will shy away from overcharging you. yes, i have seen some western travelers bargaining in the shop but i think it is not a very popular practice and at least it isn't a polite one. so if i were a white man traveling in Africa and Uganda in particular, i would mostly rely on the advice of my local Host to understand the rates and prices.i have personaly helped a number of fiends to avoid being overcharged in many instances. from the taxi guys to the restaurants and the taxis.it is all fun but depends on how you want to spend your money in Africa. if you are blessed with enough,then why not give out some of the cash and support us?
see you soon in Uganda.
Emmanuel Tugume.
lakelyantonde@yahoo.com
+256 -772-562513
Posted July 26th, 2008 - 9:15 am by Emmanuel Tugume from Fort Portal, Uganda
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Couch Crash Fest 2008! Aug 11- 17 in NYC
www.couchsurfing.com/meetings.html?mid=14202
"Some of you may have heard about it, it's been ushered at the gatherings around the world, and it is long time to reveal what the Couchsurfing community in NYC has been putting together during the last 4 months !
People are coming from all around the world to attend a week of festivities orchestrated by Couchsurfers to show you what NYC and Couchsurfing have best to offer, from Monday August 11th to Sunday August 17th! Picnics, Free Hugs, museums, galleries, walks around the city, acoustic shows during the day, dinners, large gatherings, concerts from gems from our Couchsurfing Traveling Bands, after-parties at night. One week in the city that never sleep! If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere !
THE PINK PARTY
-----------------
5$ with RSVP click here or 10$ at the door
Come out Sunday August 10th for The Pink Party that will kick off a week long of beauty, grace and goodness of this city and the amazing people it draws to her endless dawns and sleepless nights. We'll be giving away P.I.N.K vodka and having prizes for the "Prettiest in Pink", both female and male, while dancing to the sounds of DJ Ashtanga Yossi. Proceeds will go to improve the life of hundreds in the Philipines through "the Potty Project - TAO Pilipinas".
THE COUCH CRASH FESTIVAL
----------------------------
Pay what you can: join the meeting link before July 31st, midnight, to get on the list
All week long (Aug 11th-16th) from 10am to 7pm, our Living-Room will host BBQs, acoustic live music, meetings, talks with outstanding Ambassadors, surfers and hosts, workshops on better use of the website and alternative ways of traveling, and interviews with the media. We will provide you with information about CS events daily, creative CS walks around the city as well as recommend places to eat and drink for every budget, and give away Not For Tourist guides from our partner NFT.
Tuesday August 12th at 9pm we will give you a taste of the big city with our CS meeting at the Revival, where 150 couchsurfers go every week to talk, bound, enjoy free food and special Happy Hour for CSers from 11pm to 1am.
From thursday to saturday, August 14th to 16th, 12 bands from the best of our Couchsurfing Traveling Bands, from NYC and elsewhere, will spice up your night in 3 awesome venues with open bars in the heart of the city, from 9pm till 1am.
After-parties will kick off at 3:30am till 7am to keep the night owls and stranded couchsurfers awake all night, till the morning nap in the park
Sunday Aug 17th will end the festival in a huge picnic where we'll slowly go back on the ground and relax under the trees' shades before departing and get ready for new journeys !
TELL ME HOW !
---------------
This event is solely supported by Couchsurfers and they are all volunteers. All proceeds will be used to finance the events and fund couchsurfing.com.
Pay what you can: join the meeting link before July 31st, midnight, to get on the list"
Posted July 23rd, 2008 - 5:22 am by Roy Abraham from Toronto, Canada
"Some of you may have heard about it, it's been ushered at the gatherings around the world, and it is long time to reveal what the Couchsurfing community in NYC has been putting together during the last 4 months !
People are coming from all around the world to attend a week of festivities orchestrated by Couchsurfers to show you what NYC and Couchsurfing have best to offer, from Monday August 11th to Sunday August 17th! Picnics, Free Hugs, museums, galleries, walks around the city, acoustic shows during the day, dinners, large gatherings, concerts from gems from our Couchsurfing Traveling Bands, after-parties at night. One week in the city that never sleep! If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere !
THE PINK PARTY
-----------------
5$ with RSVP click here or 10$ at the door
Come out Sunday August 10th for The Pink Party that will kick off a week long of beauty, grace and goodness of this city and the amazing people it draws to her endless dawns and sleepless nights. We'll be giving away P.I.N.K vodka and having prizes for the "Prettiest in Pink", both female and male, while dancing to the sounds of DJ Ashtanga Yossi. Proceeds will go to improve the life of hundreds in the Philipines through "the Potty Project - TAO Pilipinas".
THE COUCH CRASH FESTIVAL
----------------------------
Pay what you can: join the meeting link before July 31st, midnight, to get on the list
All week long (Aug 11th-16th) from 10am to 7pm, our Living-Room will host BBQs, acoustic live music, meetings, talks with outstanding Ambassadors, surfers and hosts, workshops on better use of the website and alternative ways of traveling, and interviews with the media. We will provide you with information about CS events daily, creative CS walks around the city as well as recommend places to eat and drink for every budget, and give away Not For Tourist guides from our partner NFT.
Tuesday August 12th at 9pm we will give you a taste of the big city with our CS meeting at the Revival, where 150 couchsurfers go every week to talk, bound, enjoy free food and special Happy Hour for CSers from 11pm to 1am.
From thursday to saturday, August 14th to 16th, 12 bands from the best of our Couchsurfing Traveling Bands, from NYC and elsewhere, will spice up your night in 3 awesome venues with open bars in the heart of the city, from 9pm till 1am.
After-parties will kick off at 3:30am till 7am to keep the night owls and stranded couchsurfers awake all night, till the morning nap in the park
Sunday Aug 17th will end the festival in a huge picnic where we'll slowly go back on the ground and relax under the trees' shades before departing and get ready for new journeys !
TELL ME HOW !
---------------
This event is solely supported by Couchsurfers and they are all volunteers. All proceeds will be used to finance the events and fund couchsurfing.com.
Pay what you can: join the meeting link before July 31st, midnight, to get on the list"
Posted July 23rd, 2008 - 5:22 am by Roy Abraham from Toronto, Canada
Monday, July 21, 2008
Summer Camp in Greece 2008
I think it would be useful to announce/"advertise" the 1st summercamp in greece in the from of a news article (i've noticed also other events being mentioned in this area). The link of the event is the following:
www.couchsurfing.com/meetings.html?mid=7933
Posted July 21st, 2008 - 11:09 am by EIRINI from Athens, Greece
www.couchsurfing.com/meetings.html?mid=7933
Posted July 21st, 2008 - 11:09 am by EIRINI from Athens, Greece
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
CS on the local news in San Francisco
The local news in San Francisco contacted me around 530p Fri to do a news story on CS to shoot 90 minutes later. I was able to get some people together at a local park. Here is what they put together. I totally pulled this outta my a*s as everyone was out of the city for another event and/or on public transport with no cell reception.
cbs5.com/video/?id=36485@kpix.dayport.com
cbs5.com/services/popoff.aspx?categoryId=130&videoId=36485@k...
Posted July 15th, 2008 - 2:49 am by Enzo Lombard from San Francisco, United States
cbs5.com/video/?id=36485@kpix.dayport.com
cbs5.com/services/popoff.aspx?categoryId=130&videoId=36485@k...
Posted July 15th, 2008 - 2:49 am by Enzo Lombard from San Francisco, United States
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