Approaching the 17th Hour

20 hours of air travel is enough to make anyone go a little bonkers. But is it really so much to ask that those who manage not only to look decent, but actually look good after traveling, keep it to themselves? Until now, I never imagined that I would be the type of person to long for compact mirrors or travel-sized facial toner, but after 30 minutes spent in the Taiwanese Duty-Free dabbing creams and serums over my evil-looking exhaustion, I would have sold my soul for a toothbrush.

The flight from LAX was long, but relatively painless. Other than a mysterious stain on my seat and a man in front who managed to put his seat back ONLY during the moments I was attempting to sleep on the tray table, I enjoyed myself--so much so that I hardly noticed how disgusting the meal was. Apparently, chicken swimming in gravy tastes the same no matter what country you're in.

The airport in Taipei is beautiful, and fits into the niche of what I always imagined Chinese hustle-and-bustle to look like--lots of sounds, smells, important looking people in suits, and (naturally), life-sized posters of Natalie Portman selling perfume. That, and Hello Kitty. EVERYWHERE. I've learned something important during my few hours here in Taiwan--if it can be sold, it can be sold in a Hello Kitty theme. Other than that, my favorite room in this airport is the prayer room--a large, white hall with a butterfly statue in the middle, made even better by the fact that something called "kung fu massage" is offered next door.

The crowds are beginning to congregate, which means it's time to board for Bali! It's already a completely different group than the Taiwan flight--not only aesthetically, but energetically. If I thought I was the only American traveling to Bali right now, I was sorely mistaken--I wasn't even the only one to take a dorky photo of the "Bali: Gate A6" display. At the moment, I can count at least a dozen people frantically attempting to get their iphones to play Netflix movies. Other than us Westerners, though, there are people who look and seem like they are going home--and they are different than anyone I have ever encountered before. I'm drinking it all in as much as my tired eyes will allow me to, excited to GET THERE and to see more.

Despite my lack of sleep, my body is energized in the distinct way that only travel brings--I am already in a completely new landscape, on my way to yet another new landscape. And to think, I will even get to leave the airport this time.