Update: Not hosting at the moment but would love to meet travelers and locals in Istanbul!

Travel plans:
- Dec 2025: Edirne, Çanakkale (Turkey)
- Jan 206: Iran
- March 2026: Tunisia? Albania? Lycian Way (Turkey)?
- May 2026: Aegean Sea area
- Summer 2026: Black Sea, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan

I have always thought it'd be more courteous to at least tell people why I reject their requests, but honestly, I'm tired of doing it, especially when my inbox is flooded with impersonal requests asking a free couch to crash. THAT IS NOT THE GOAL OF COUCHSURFING, PEOPLE. Even if you want to save money, at least let me know what we have in common?
Well I just want to complain but I guess I can't change the world...
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Hi CSers! My name is Fei (pronounced like Santa Fe in Spanish, Feyza in Turkish, Faye in English). Grew up in China and lived in California for 6+ years, I moved to Istanbul for work in 2025. In Istanbul, I enjoy urban hiking (going up and down the steep streets + stairs as a way to explore neighborhoods and fire up my quads)

I love doing neighborhood traveling, city traveling, camping (in car and in tent), international traveling, thrifty traveling...only have not done time traveling!

FUN FACT: I have lost both the beanie and the scarf you see in my profile picture. But I still have the green sweater; in fact, you might see me wear it when we meet

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To help travelers save money. If I have a free couch and we can get along, why would you want to pay for a hostel/hotel??? But don't use me as just a free hotel. We are on this platform to connect

As to why I'm on CS as a surfer: To understand a place from the local's eyes through the most ordinary things. Take me to your errand runs, to see your friends, to visit your mom/uncle/cousin!

Interests

• anyone actually looks at this section?

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: lofi and lounge, played at barely audible volume; but I will blast "focus" music to drown out noise

Books: I've been struggling to finish a book........ The Culture Map, Strangers in Their Own Land, The Other Significant Others, Useful Delusions, The Hidden Brain, Dopamine Nation, Salt Acid Fat Heat, Educated, Cathedral, The Flea Palace

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Got a free ride from the police because I couldn't get a taxi on the highway in the rain

- Spent an 18hr overnight layover in Kiev, Ukraine, climbing onto rooftops, staying up all night waiting for the sunrise with my amazing host @Marianna Ianovska

- Hiked Mt. Whitney (highest peak in continental USA), Rim-to-Rim in the Grand Canyon, climbed Half Dome in Yosemite (honestly it was just okay lol), did a sunrise hike by myself at 2am to Clouds Rest (it's better than Half Dome), walked from one end of Los Angeles to the other, did Camino de Santiago - Inglés, and hiked from one end of the Catalina Island to the other in 2.5 days

- Can stay in in frigid lakes and 33F/0.5C water without complaining

- Am a junior ranger of many national parks in the US!

Teach, Learn, Share

Can teach you how to tie your shoes 40% faster than the typical way. I am also very proud of my way of burrito-folding clothes and they never fall apart in my luggage

What I Can Share with Hosts

Adventurous cooking.
My signature dishes include tahini+soy sauce, cucumber in Nutella, soy sauce latte, lentil cinnamon hummus

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Germany, Turkey, United States