Couchsurfing Accomodation in Bursa Turkey

Couchsurfing in Bursa Turkey – The Benefits of Couchsurfing

Perhaps the greatest advantage of finding accommodation through the Couchsurfing system is that you end up in places that you would never otherwise go and meet people that you never would otherwise meet.

This is the hallmark of the system.

I awoke on my first morning in Bursa and went for a walk to stretch my legs, to see what I could find in this new city. I had previously arrived after nightfall the day before, and promptly tucked myself away inside of Osa’s apartment, so I did not get a good look at much. Osa had to go to Istanbul for the weekend, so I was left to my own devices in Bursa.

I went for a walk to gauge my coordinates.

With a start I realized that I had no clue where I was.
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Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
in Bursa, Turkey- March 15, 2009
Travelogue —Travel Photos –Travel Guide
Click on map to view route.

I looked around and only found a sea of apartment highrises and knots of highways. The destination placard on the front of the bus that dropped me off here said “Bursa,” but I had no idea where Bursa was.

I climbed a highway overpass to get a good view of what laid beyond and could not find anything other than more highways and more apartment complexes.

I smiled, for I was in a place where people lived. I was in one of those inbetween places where travelers often fail to stop.

Where is Bursa, Turkey? I am in Bursa, Turkey.

When using the Couchsurfing system, you do not go where other people go, you go where other people live. There is a big difference.

If I stayed in a hostel or hotel in the city center of Bursa, my experience of this place would be vastly different. I would have been offered a view of the face of the city, rather than gazing upon its innards.

It is my impression that it is possible for a traveler to girdle the globe without ever meeting a local person who does not stand to make money off of them. The tourism bubble is thick, and can serve as a separation barrier between travelers and the people who live where they travel.

Perhaps this is by design.

There is a notion in most cultures that traveling the world means meeting new people and having new experiences. But my impression is that if you fully utilize the tourism infrastructure that is available to you – or if you stick hard to following the guidebook – you may as well just stay at home watching the travel channel, for you will just have the same experiences – drinking in bars, shopping, trying to shag chicks – as you did before you went traveling. In point, you will see a lot, but experience little.

The tourism bubble is tight, and it is sometimes difficult to break out of.

Couchsurfing makes breaking this bubble all too easy.

It once took a decent amount of effort and trial and error to make friends in the places that I traveled prior to using Couchsurfing.com. If I could make friends and visit people’s homes three or four times a month, I considered myself to be doing good. With Couchsurfing it is fairly easy to meet people everywhere you go.

You just browse the database, find someone whose profile you like, and send them a message. Sometimes they invite you to stay with them, sometimes they offer to meet up for dinner or coffee, and sometimes they tell you to go shit in your hat.

Many cultures demand some sort of an “in,” a connection through which you can penetrate the surface. Couchsurfing makes finding this “in” incredibly easy.

The benefits of Couchsurfing go far beyond finding a free place to bed down in.

Couchsurfing in Bursa Turkey – The Benefits of Couchsurfing