I want to I try not to take life too seriously, but rather enjoy each day and all the little things that come with it. All of the people that I’ve met through my trips have inspired me to live life with an open mind and an open heart. I quit my job in 2017 and have been traveling ever since. I enjoy the fun and the freedom, but most importantly, I've made new friends and experienced new cultures that I never would have been able to do. I started my trip with the goal of sharing the world to my friends by using my skills as a photographer, but now I realize that there are so many things that a photo cannot show. For me, what started as a journey to show photos of the world has now become a journey to showcase the cultures of the world.

If you want to see some of where I've been, my website is www.jamesxtheworld.com

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

As a host, I love hearing about other peoples travel experiences and seeing the photos on their cameras. This always inspires me to go out there and see more of the world. I also love being able to show guests the lesser known parts of San Francisco and the rich history of the city that I consider home.

My first time as a guest was in Morocco, and I really enjoyed talking and drinking with our hosts and discussing everything from politics to music to arm wrestling. My favorite part was getting to know the culture more than any museum could show. I love going to the touristic sights of a city, but I also love getting to know a certain area, or a niche, or a personal experience. Every interaction that I've had with a fellow Couchsurfer has greatly enriched my life!

Interests

Dancing salsa (caleña/on1) and bachata, photography, hiking, camping, climbing, motorcycles, reading, running marathons, soccer/football/futbol, social drinking

• culture
• photography
• bachata
• wine
• beer
• running
• motorcycles
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• wrestling
• rock climbing
• soccer
• history
• languages
• salsa
• finance

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: When Breath Becomes Air, Lost Horizon, On the Road, The Martian, Omnivore's Dilemma, Kitchen Confidential, Calvin and Hobbes, Evicted

That said, I LOVE reading. My goal has been +20 books every year, and most years I'm able to reach it. I have a library at home but I always travel with maybe 3-5 physical books and another +1300 on my Kindle. Let me know what your favorite book is!

My Goodreads, if you wanted to follow along: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/67488452-james-jiang

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I hiked the John Muir Trail (225 miles/360km) in August 2017! It took 21 days of knee pain, but I finished and my god it was beautiful.

Honorable mentions: hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, drinking in Barro Alto, hiking Mt. Hua in China, getting sunburnt on Mt. Shasta, wrecking my motorcycle (x2), W-trek in Torres de Paine, salsa in Colombia

Teach, Learn, Share

I want to learn languages! Currently working on Spanish (I'm a conversational B1/B2 level), so help me out! Also would love to learn to cook (I really can't cook).

I can teach maybe up to intermediate level bachata and salsa, so if you have any interest in dancing, I can teach you the basics and more!

What I Can Share with Hosts

A few beers, some good stories, free latin dance classes, cool photos, postcards.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, Portugal, Russian Federation, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Chile, China, Colombia, United States