“What are you?” – a question most Asian-Americans have been asked our whole lives. Saying that “We’re American” or “We’re Texan” is usually not a sufficient reply for the questioner (“No, where are you really from?”), so we follow up that our parents are from Taiwan. That usually introduces another layer of confusion. Danny’s favorite exchange was when he replied,...

July 26, Jiufen

July 25, Taipei

Susan gave an overview of our trip in her packing list post, so I’ll just launch into what I brought and expand every now and then. Getting Dressed: travel clothes are expensive! I bought what I could (or had to), and then filled in with old or cheap clothes that I don’t mind using up on this trip. 1 pair of REI travel pants 2 pairs of shorts (travel and an old trusty pair) 1 pair board shorts for swimming 3 cotton t-shirts (not...

We always found it helpful to view others’ packing lists before trips, so this post shows what I took on our 4.5 month trip. It was a challenge to bring enough to cover most weather conditions while staying mobile with just one backpack. We’ve visiting Taiwan at the hottest and most humid time of the year (and during typhoon season no less). On the other end of the spectrum, we’ll be in Japan and Korea during the fall and plan...

July 24 – Taipei

July 23 – Taipei

July 22 – Taipei

July 21 – Taipei

It was a long trip from Houston to Taipei. We flew to Atlanta, then New York, overnight, then New York to Tokyo, and finally Tokyo to Taipei. But during the three hour layover at Tokyo-Narita, we had the chance to drop into the Origami Museum at the airport. It’s located in Terminal 1 across from Gate 26, and should be convenient if you have an international transfer. Danny loved origami as a little kid, and in the past few years recently...