7 September 2011
Taipei Airport
I spent a relaxing few hours in the airport, glad with my decision to route my flight through here.
The first class lounge is shitty compared to the business class, its just very quiet, you have to exit back to business for food and bathrooms etc. There is also a noodle bar, where I can get Taiwanese beef noodle soup! My favourite thing in the world.
I wont crap on too much here, I will do that with the pictures.
My beef noodle soup. This is made inside the Cathay Pacific lounge. Its not the best I have ever had, but I was still very very happy.
The best I ever had in Taiwan is just the other side of customs in the other terminal, I seriously considered going out and back in customs just to get soup, but thought the border guards might find that a strange answer to the question of why did I enter Taiwan for 30 minutes.
Taipei airport seems to go for miles, it just keeps going and going, past various flow exhibits, art shows, design institute things, hello kitty world etc.
Here I am, proof I was there, still amazed that I havent found the end of the terminal.
And now the amazing thing. I assumed the 2 terminals werent joined, as theres a train that runs between them, but they are, its a giant square, I estimate its 5 miles around.
Im sure you know what I did, it took over an hour, and I had to walk fast or miss my flight (or get the train, which would be a failure)! It was great fun.
Near the end of my walk is an e-library, with all sorts of tablets set up for free use. Except none of them are working at all. Not a single one, not the apple, not the samsung, not the motorola. All have different errors on the screen in Taiwanese. And it wasnt just me not being able to read Taiwanese, because some locals couldnt make them do anything either. Tablet failure.
Last photo of Taiwan is of course of my plane. This time a Boeing 777. I had the best seat ever, first row of economy, so much legroom I couldnt reach the bulkhead with my feet. Also they go for 2,3,2 seating rather than 3,3,3 or the dreaded 3,4,3 so it was very spacious.
The flight had a decent meal, chicken with rice, and a nice black forest cake dessert and also a small pineapple cake (national cake of Taiwan) which was amazingly good. I wanted the plane to turn around so I could buy some more.
I also got annoyed some more by the Cabin Manager on this flight, again I couldnt get a can of drink, just half a glass full of ice. Give me the can like everyone else damnit!