Updated 2025:

Unfortunately my circumstances no longer permit hosting in San Francisco (and I'm leaving soon anyway)

I spent my entire adult life in the San Francisco Bay Area, first as a student, then as a business consultant, and finally, for a decade as a local small business owner.

I came to the Bay with very hippie values around sustainability, community resilience, and... well... a bit of an activist/ revolutionary bent! I've lived and worked through a few waves of tech booms and Web 2.0/3.0 (including being a user of CS since its earliest days and various transformations).

Paradoxically to what one might think, my experiences have highlighted for me the limits of growth. For the next chapter of my life, the word that is my guide is to "deepen." A focus on quality, community, resilience. I want to intentionally go for the slow and small, rather than the fast and big.

I am also actively seeking house swaps in Latin America for all of 2026, so feel free to message me about that.

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From my old profile (still true!):

My personal lifestyle is deeply focused on sustainability. I'm that crazy vegetarian hippie that collects shower water to flush the toilet, eats all the leftovers to avoid waste, and tries to minimize single use or plastics whenever possible. I understand this isn't possible in many places in the world, and I'm lucky to live in San Francisco where I can live my values easily.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am big on community, giving from abundance (big participant in mutual aid networks and groups like Buy Nothing), and human stories. I love learning what makes each person come alive.

Interests

Yes, I like deep conversations and could talk for hours. But, it's not all that! We'll also get along very well if you enjoy these activities:

1) Outdoors sports because I'm an adrenaline junkie (rock climbing, parkour, skiing, backpacking, hiking, camping, kayaking etc.), and because I love nature.
2) Photography
3) Music (especially karaoke... I'm really into acoustic ballads because I'm a romantic sap)

• books
• photography
• causes
• dining
• cooking
• baking
• running
• music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• camping
• surfing
• skiing
• sports
• boxing
• rock climbing
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

Below are the books that I really resonate with (if you liked them we will get along phenomenally). As you can see I tend to like authors that write consistently about one type of life philosophy.

Anything by Daniel Quinn (Most famously: Ishmael, The Story of B)
Anything by Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth)
Anything by The Minimalists (Everything That Remains)
Most things by Michael Pollan (Omnivore's Dilemma)
Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I recently went on an expedition to Antarctica. Nothing else that could fit in this box would do it justice. But you can see some photos at my website: www.jamesdong.com.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I enjoy cooking something from my culture for hosts

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, United States

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