Conceptually, I love to travel. Practically, however, there is just something about traveling that wears me out. It’s really rather unfortunate, because in my usual home setting, I have lots of energy. I hardly ever sit still. But on my travels, I tire very easily and sleep several hours extra.

Sure, the journey to this part of Asia is a long one: almost 24 hours of travel just to get to Taipei: 3 hours at SFO, 12 hours en route to Tokyo, 3-hour layover, 3.5-hour flight to Taipei, 1 hr through customs, 45 minutes to the hotel… Still, I am only 32 years old. I should be able to handle the occasional 24 hours of travel.

Then again, we’ve been on a tight schedule. After a night in Taipei, we caught the high-speed train to Wulong (where my grandfather lives) the next morning. Gramps looks pretty much the same as he did in 2006: he’s in terrific health for an 85-year old. He does morning and evening exercises every day, he gardens, he does laundry for my aunt’s family next door, he goes up and down the stairs without too much difficulty, and he even scoots around town in his moped. His mind is still lucid.

Unlike my grandfather, Taiwan has changed noticeably in the last two years. The environment seems drearier and grayer. The air has always been bad, but I don’t remember it being this bad… Maybe California has spoiled me. Also, the island just seems quieter in general– the streets are less crowded; even the drivers have muted their once incessant honking. My cousins seem rather sedate too… they sit through meals in a daze: I ask lots of questions only to receive short, undramatic responses. Maybe the global economic downturn has put a damper on everything. Maybe it’s just age that kind of kills the zest for life. I’m not exactly sure.

John and I head off to Hong Kong next Monday. Surely, our remaining days in Taiwan will be filled with plenty of travels and way too much food. Damn, vacationing sure is tiring. I hope HK will be our little detox pitstop. I definitely need to take a break from the constant eating and shuttling around.