couch surfing

I am currently sitting in one of my favorite buy a cheap cup of coffee and sit for hours of internet usage joints, Panera. Grace's Cafe (those of you from the Cape G. area know of it) is my preferred internet option, but I'm afraid to wear out my welcome in one particular place, so I spread the joy of my presence around a bit. This juggling of coffee/internet locals is made necessary due to the ancient dial-up connection at my parent's house that I should probably get used to as I don't plan on living in any place that is known for it's technological advancement. Nonetheless, here I sit. My agenda of the day is to set the itinerary for my long-awaited journey to Beirut, then Khartoum. At the moment, I am researching potential lodging options and activities during what could be a long layover in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The deal is that I have an amazing friend who works for Etihad Airways and has managed to get me tickets for 10% of the original costs (I fly from New York to Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi to Beirut, Beirut back to Abu Dhabi, and Abu Dhabi to Khartoum all for $200). These tickets, however, are standby, and nearly every flight from Abu Dhabi into Beirut is booked full, so it could be a long wait in what is one of the richest cities in the world. Unfortunately, lodging in this city that consists of 80% expats (mostly business folk), is quite expensive, so I'm checking into alternative solutions. The most promising option is to crash on a strangers couch. This may appear to be an odd solution, but this website, www.couchsurfing.com, has a community of people around the world who are willing to give up their couch for a random traveler, such as myself.

Maybe I'm crazy for considering it, but I consider meeting a new person who can show me around city and let me crash for free a considerably better option than paying $200 for a hotel room. If you have any better ideas, feel free to let me know.