I enjoy hosting travelers from abroad so that I could expose them to how the average class Papua New Guineans live in major centers' whilst exposing my children to peoples of different ethnicities and cultures. It's been fun. My children enjoy it too. While I am eager to host travelers, I very much appreciate generous travelers from different countries who grace me with gifts that are otherwise very expensive to source locally or unavailable since PNG is a very small economy. Travelers' had been surprising me with souvenirs from their countries. I believe that by encompassing the CS concept, particularly in hosting travelers, tourism in PNG would be greatly boosted. I have tried to expose the 'concept' to the natives who have been thinking that ALL tourists prefer living in expensive hotels and traveling on rental vehicles with strong security when they visit our country is a norm in the industry. The tourism concept is still not popular here. Over 95% of Papua New Guineans are very hospitable and would be willing to host travelers who would adapt their living conditions whether it be in a rural village or urban center, however the thought of 'luxury' forbids them. If the government agency for tourism promotes CS and other related platforms on a wider scale, PNG's fledgling tourism industry would see very significant changes because of one fact, culturally people respect other people's guests. COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE Learnt a lot on topics of interest from people from all walks of life in different parts of the world. I have hosted over fifty travelers who have either requested to be hosted or were introduced to me by other CS members. Therefore, I don't have references from all of them. I thank each and every guests for the gifts and souvenirs from your countries and look forward to receiving more as I continue to host travelers. Sharing cooking ideas, preparing easy to make dishes, buying meals, and many good things happen here. People interested in our local dish, mumu, which are usually made for feasts should notify me in advance.

I love reading biographies and novels and have recently developed a taste for talent shows and reels on social media.

I've treked 18 hours round trip over rugged terrains, muddy tracks, climbed hills and slopes, crossed creeks and rivers with no bridge and climbed two mountains to reach a very remote village called Aiyonk towards the north of Simbai, in the Usino-Bundi District of Papua New Guinea. My ankles and muscles were very sore I was not able to walk when we returned to Simbai Station to catch our flight to Mt. Hagen. The stations (and it's scattered villages) only access to other parts of PNG is by small planes or 4-5 days walk through thick jungles. The pain became so intense when I woke up the next day in Mt. Hagen but I had to take a flight to Pt. Moresby for a very important meeting. For four days, I've struggled with the pain during the course of the meeting. This experience gave me an indication of the magnitude of the challenges and hardships the government workers faced during the 1950s'-90s' where many places weren't yet developed and had no road access.

I love learning about people's traditions and cultures and a little bit of history associated with them through casual conversations and expect people to share theirs or their cultural traditions and the cultures of countries they've visited with me. I am willing to assist travelers trek and climb the two highest mountains in PNG and visit my village to observe how people spend their time daily. My clansmen would be happy to make a traditional dish called mumu which is usually done on special occasions or during feasts time. My village is one of the very few (due to human activities) that has a spot where you could do birdwatching. A few Birds of paradise have made their natural habitat there. Mostly in villages, you would be able to see people making gardens, harvesting food from their gardens, collecting clean water for drinking and meals from creeks, collecting firewood, preparing their meals etc..(Just a glimpse of my town and village as observed by my Indian guest could be seen in this YouTube video https://youtu.be/BW1W3H8k0yw?si=9TfSPqc3pkj6t06Y) I can also organise return day trips to other major centers in the region for guests to see the natural beauty of the highlands tropical rainforests and a glimpse of how people spend their days along the way. For sight seeing along the highway, I have suggested a days drive to Wabag or Mendi and back and it turned out to be fascinating. Note it if you would like to do this. In Wabag there's a cultural museum you can enter for free. A bird watching sanctuary could be visited along the way. If you're interested in any of the above, do let me know in advance.

I would like to see Papua New Guinea become a great touristic destination in the near future so that a huge number of Papua New Guineans could be exposed to foreign cultures and traditions and vice versa. I view CS as a great tool in advancing it. I like travelling to remote villages in Papua New Guinea to observe the untouched nature and people's lifestyles.