Ayla Dhyani

Ayla was the one who emailed me the invitation on behalf of the family due to the fact that they are a really open, intelligent and cultured group of people. Ayla has some experience with Couchsurfing so she was particularly open to having a stranger come to stay. On the first evening when I arrived (brandishing a box of fruit and veg…as I couldn’t arrive empty handed), Ayla, Nikhil and I spent hours talking and playing music to each other. There wasn’t a dull moment! This photo was taken before we headed out for a day’s trekking and I just wanted to illustrate how important it is to wear sunscreen in Australia..the sun here is harsh as the ozone layer is brutally depleted above it. This was in impromptu shot but I thought it had quite a significance. Ayla will travel Europe from next August and I’ve already armed her with a host of tips and introduced her to a number of people including my family where she will be welcome to a bed in Donegal, Ireland, Manchester and London. Not long finished her HSE, at 18yrs old Ayla is mature beyond her years. Largely due to great parenting and attending a Steiner School, I can only imagine how much more enlightened she will be after her travels in India and Europe later this year!