A Whole New World

5.15.15 — Taipei, Taiwan

We just landed in Taipei — our first stop on the way to Bali, Indonesia — and, boy, is it another world over here. And we haven’t even left the airport! The delicious dim sum in lieu of greasy fast food, the slow, yet, steady pace of passerby’s, and the colorful excitement bursting almost literally from the television and billboard ads. Maybe it’s the lack of sleep, the jet lag, or the fact that I couldn’t even tell you what day it is, but I can’t help but feel as if I’ve stepped into another dimension — an entirely new reality that I get to observe from my little fly-on-the-wall perspective, seemingly invisible, but somehow simultaneously blending in (blonde hair and all) with my surroundings. That has to be my favorite part about traveling: perspective. You see things in an almost dream-like way. Things are new and foreign, almost off-limits, but leave you hungry to break free and explore the unchartered world before you. How different our world would be if this was an everyday reality. Hello courage, and goodbye comfort zone.

As we wait for the start of our final leg into Ubud (and for our feet to un-swell from their current balloon-like state after endless hours in the sky), I grow more and more restless for the excitement yet to come. Perhaps I’m still in shock from somehow managing to fit a month’s worth of stuff into a 30-pound backpack (a feat this lifelong over-packer never dreamed of). Wild 2, starring Kristy Gustafson… Either way, from the core of my being, I can feel something amazing peeking its head up from the horizon ahead. Here’s to the countless adventures it holds, and a whole new world waiting to be explored.