Sometimes, stereotypes are true. In fact, they are true a good deal of the time. So far, I’ve found every single stereotype about India to be spot-on: the traffic, livestock in the streets, abject poverty paired with incredible sights. When…
Delhi
Author: Zachary A. Marx
Zachary Marx is currently living and working in Munich, Germany. He graduated with a degree in Political Science in 2006 from the University of Tennessee, and continues to bleed orange. So far, his vagabond lifestyle has brought him to five continents, and twenty-eight countries, with extended stays in China, Japan, and Korea. He started 80couches.com in February of 2011, with the ultimate goal of using it as the premise for couchsurfing around the globe. Your feedback and suggestions are welcome. He can be reached by carrier pigeon, smoke signals, telegram, and via the Interwebs, at zachary.marx@gmail.com.
The Five Stages of Purchasing a Lonely Planet Guide
I didn’t want to break-down and purchase the India Lonely Planet. Really, I didn’t. Yet, the sizable tome–one that I’m sure could be used as a lethal object in case of emergency–sits on my desk. Post-it notes have been carefully affixed for…
Preview: India and Other Things on the Horizon
As the days in March dwindle, and winter slowly loses its grip on the Korean Peninsula, my impending trip to the Indian subcontinent looms larger and larger ahead. If I largely eschewed technology with my previous trip to the Philippines, I…
The Mexican in the Snowstorm
This is the latest installment of my on-going narrative of my experience with Couchsurfing. The full story can be found here. When I’m asked about my home, my natural inclination is to talk about Tennessee. Friends and family alike openly…
It Keeps Getting Better
I’m not a big fan of the “humble brag” so I’m just going to come out and publicly pat my own back: I got a promotion at work! I am now the Cooking Content Area Leader at English Village. It’s…
Election Night, 2008
This is the latest installment of my on-going narrative of my experience with Couchsurfing. The full story can be found here. Within a few scant months I felt at home around the Milwaukee group of couchsurfers, even if I was…
Leaving Knoxvegas
This is the latest installment of my on-going narrative of my experience with Couchsurfing. The full story can be found here. Despite all of the complaints I could levy against the South and Tennessee–and there are many–I still consider it…
Going for It
I made a decision last week that I hope will have long-term positive consequences; I have decided to begin trying to find an agent for my book idea, Around the World on 80 Couches. This decision has led to a…
Courtney the Supersurfer
On paper, Courtney, the Milwaukee Couchsurfing Ambassador, and I could not be more different. She is a woman of strong faith, whereas I am firmly and openly in the other camp. She is energetic, positive, and has a career. I,…
Bring on the Scandinavians!
This is the latest installment of my on-going narrative of my experience with Couchsurfing. The full story can be found here. Were I to list my favorite couchsurfers to host, those hailing from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway would be the…
Repaying the Debt: Hosting Surfers of My Own
This is the latest installment of my on-going narrative of my experience with Couchsurfing. The full story can be found here. My First Surfers: Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.A. Upon returning from backpacking in Europe, and my wonderful experience with Andrew fresh…
Kindred Road Conversation
My friend and former coworker, Mike, started his own website, Kindred Road. The tagline is, “Great Education through Simple Conversation.” Well, as it happens, one of those conversations was with yours truly, so go on over to his site and…