CURRENT MISSION

Write down my RTW journey and seek the next one.

ABOUT ME

Hello! I am Yao from Taiwan. I was a medical student but I graduated last summer. It will be my pleasure to offer some help if you need(but not formal medical advice lol). In fact, medicine is not my life, but travel is! If I am not traveling, I am on my way to next travel. Friends often get shocked by my travel plans and stories. To them, I am an easy-going, open-minded person, with some humor and consideration. I love to get along with new friends from other countries, especially sharing the cultural difference and doing language exchange from each other! If we met on the road, don't forget to tell me your most fantastic story. I will be a good listener certainly.

I am planning a global trip in 2014-2015. It is a lot of work but I really enjoy it.

PHILOSOPHY

"Always take the path you have never been before."

Initially it was inspired by "The Road Not Taken" of Robert Frost, and then I changed a little by myself.

"...
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference"

I use this philosophy to help me make decision. It means whenever I face a dilemma, I should choose the one I have less experience or I have never done before. At first it needs courage to challenge the strange area, but it turns out to help a lot.

Of course, traveling and meeting people are definitely following this rule!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

After learning CS stories from the internet and travel books, I decided to be one of the CS travelers. (Wow this is just what I long for!)

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

The first time being an accidental surfer was when I transferred my plane in Guangzhou, China. A Chinese backpacker who I met in India invited me to his home and hosted a great dinner for me. That was truly a wonderful experience.

Two years after that, I finished my study and decided to pursue my biggest dream-- making a RTW journey. I am interested in meeting the local people, knowing their lives and cultures, so I took CS as my way of traveling. Thanks to them I collected numerous awesome stories and memories.

I used to live in my dormitory room so I didn't have the space to host a surfer. Now since I have moved out, I welcome all the couchsurfers to my apartment!

I stayed with

Trevor in Singapore, 08/2014 (my first host, special thanks!)
Joanne and Wilson in Singapore, 08/2014
Professor K and his cat in Istanbul, Turkey, 08/2014
Sebastien in Paris, France, 09/2014
Eric in Paris, France, 09/2014
Eddy in Paris, France, 09/2014
Tiago in Lisbon, Portugal, 09/2014
Paulo in Lisbon, Portugal, 09/2014
Mohamood in Tangier, Morocco, 10/2014
Ian in London, UK, 10/2014
Darryl in London, UK, 10/2014
Bryen in New York, US, 10/2014
Karl in New York, US, 11/2014
Pintero in Cancun, Mexico, 11/2014
Andres in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 04/2015
James in San Francisco, US, 05/2015

I hosted

Miki from Japan, 07/2014

Interests

Reading novels and essays, writing, learning foreign languages, swimming, cycling, table tennis, traveling

I play contract bridge, and have been in the U21 team of Taiwan for Asia cup and world bridge series. (Bridge is very interesting game!)

• culture
• writing
• books
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• cycling
• backpacking
• tennis
• swimming
• table tennis
• teaching
• languages
• medicine
• language exchange
• contract bridge

Music, Movies, and Books

Books:
Michael Crichton, David Mitchell, Haruki Murakami, Lo Yi-chin
(I read broadly, and most of them are novels)

Music:
Mr.Children, Ikimono-gakari, SEKAI NO OWARI, Takahashi Yu
David Tao, Victor Wong

Movies:
Movies directed by Nolan brothers, David Fincher
Person of Interest

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Completed my Round-The-World journey in 2014/08-2015/05!
I visited 26 countries within 278 days at the age of 26.

During my first time as a backpacker, I carried an open wound of cellulitis on my foot to India, and finished my one-month trip in North India alone.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you Chinese or basic Japanese. My mother is a Chinese teacher, so I would like to introduce what I have learned during my past life to you, as well as our orient culture and history.
Also, I can teach contract bridge if you are interested in this game.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My travel stories and a little souvenir from my culture

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, Taiwan

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