Taoyuan International Airport T1

Let's go home!

Here goes my trip from Taipei to Cebu to Tacloban. Well, for this 'chunk' of the blog series, let's cover some things I saw and experienced in going to, and roaming at their airport. Other stories will follow.

For an 11AM departure from Taoyuan International Airport, Novotel frontdesk staff must have thought I am weird or OA or praning, for me to leave their hotel at 0730H when the airport is just nearby hehe!

They told me 9AM or even 9:30AM would be fine but I said I wanted to go just after breakfast. No need to tell them why I wanted to leave at that time - it pays to be early at the airport for more sightseeing!

Look at the vehicle's clock, at 7:28AM I was already aboard the free hotel-to-airport shuttle going to T2 first, then onwards to T1. This was also a front staff's suggestion, I originally intended to ride the MRT.

Note that riding an MRT one station away to A13 (@T2) or two stations away to A12 (@T1) is faster than any shuttle bus, van or car! But I bit the invitation to ride this shuttle, for the experience. Masubukan!

See that? If I did not ride this free shuttle, I would not have been able to read that thought-provoking, conversation-worthy signage inside the bus (coaster yan pero ang tawag nila eh shuttle bus, so be it).

"Please fasten your seatbelt and keep our environment clean", yun ang sabi. Ano ba ang konek dyan? Paano lilinis ang ating kapaligiran, kung isusuot mo ang sinturong pangkaligtasan ng coaster na yan?!

I can't see a connection between the two "acts", so naisip ko nalang, baka naman dalawang messages yan (in Mandarin), na pinagkabit nila, and when translated to English ganyan ang kinalabasan! Kaya?!

Probably something like: "ikabit ang seatbelt at huwag magkakalat". Ganun!

Anyway, don't be surprised the shuttle goes away from the airport first, makes a u-turn, then back!

That is what makes it longer compared to riding the MRT. But, it is not as if it takes ages. This trip took us only about 15 minutes from the hotel to T1, even if it already passed by T2. In fact, the walking part in going to, and coming out of the trains, could also take time. And if you have a lot of bags, alams na!

Alright, I took pics along the shuttle van's way. Like this, as we passed by the elevated highway.

FYI, this is a highly industrialized area because it is an airport vicinity, but I was amused there are still a few patches of natural greens (meaning: not planted for aesthetics), though probably "fading soon"!

Soon we approached Terminal 2 to drop off guests whose flights depart from this building.

I was not getting off at T2 so my curious Pinoy mind just went a whirring! Look at the front area of this vehicle, there are so many things there, and I wondered what they could be all for. Too many gadgets!

There's a clipboard. That's common - the driver's trip log. Beyond that, there are two gadgets that are not part of the dashboard, but I don't know what they are - a small metal silver box on top of a black one. And behind the front seat at right is a kind of an amplifier or PC? Many things are attached to it.

There's a VGA plug and a numbber of RCA Jacks. Shuttle van nga lang ba yan o disco mobile?!

We reached T2 in 8 minutes - and the shuttle even circles around the building. Turning left here:

If you go straight (like those cars), that would be going to T1. But there's a designated stop for shuttle buses dropping off passengers at T2 - and that's at the back (halos tapat nung car sa left edge ng pic).

So we turned left, passing by the arrival area for those being picked up by private vehicles or taxi.

Those numbered posts run the entire front of the building (up to 30) so you can tell your 'sundo' as to exactly where you're waiting. Guess what!? Turn right at the end of the building and see posts 31 to 34!

Posts 31 to 34 are on the the side of the building. Guess what pa uli? If you turn right after post 34 the posts are numbered 1 to 8 with specific names of bus lines that may stop there. This is post number 7.

And this is actually the back of the terminal building! Then you go up by escalators or elevators to the departure hall. That is how efficient this airport is in managing public/private land transport vehicles.

Wait, we have 'toured' three sides of T2 building what about the 4th side? Well, it's the same thing but for the 'institutional' sorts of vehicles like tour group buses, shuttle to the cargo terminal, and others.

Look at the map above again (3rd photo from top). That is why our route (blue line) circled around T2, because the area for hotel buses is at the back. Then we continued-on to T1, for us flying from there!

T1 has a slightly different layout than T2. Departures of T1 is on one side of the building, while arrivals is on the other side (unique di ba?). We were going straight here, since left is going to the arrival side.

Here here... this is as we passed by the entrance to the arrival curbside where yellow taxis are waiting.

Do you notice there's a lower level? That is still Arrival Area but Platform 2 for big vehicles like buses.

For us going to departure, we had to go past the building and circle around the parking area leftwise!

And after that roundabout, here we were approaching the departure area of the same building!

Ito yung likod na part! And of course, because we were a "bus", we were heading to Platform 2 - the "a little bit lower ground level", solely for huge vehicles, like public buses, tour buses, hotel shuttles, etc!

Kakaibang nakaka-aliw na setup ito. And I think more efficient (it lessens crowding). Look at the street sign, bawal ang kotse (cars/sedans kasama ang taxi). Doon sila sa Platform 1, sa taas "ng konti" hehe!

Imagine that for an airport, where you can go directly to it by car, van, bus or MRT (train). And whether you're a passenger or not. Most airports in the world are like that except at our p**********g Pilipinas.

Ah, all curbsides of the two terminals have designated smoking areas with ash trays - hindi lang basta sulok, tabi, gilid or likod ng building, na nakatapat pa sa exhaust fan - as what they do in our country!

Bakit walang tao sa area na ito? Well, they all went to the check-in area, while ako nagbisyo pa muna!

Alright, after a "smoking break", or upon disembarking from your bus, you just walk into the building.

I was gladly surprised there are even shops at this "mini" level, since that's not yet the departure hall. You still go up a cute "mini escalator" (about 5 or 6 steps only hehe), to reach the real departure level!

I am glad I took the hotel's free shuttle service. Because, I wouldn't have seen and experienced any of the above if I rode the Airport MRT line. In fact, even if you take a car-service or taxi, your approach to the departure area of T1 or T2 will also be different! My way was probably same as riding a public bus.

Anyway, so I reached the 'real' departure hall of T1, and voila, the madenning long lines at check-in!

If you notice the angle of my pics tells that I was not lining up. Yes I was not hehe. I went a faster way!

So I enjoyed strolling around the check-in counter areas, because I had more than enough time.

Hey, I think I said this before: I like airports with these kinds of information boards - about eye level.

People need not look too high up, and infos (way smaller than Solari Boards) are humanly readable!

Pasyal-pasyal pag may time! This was one of the reasons why I came early to this airport... mamasyal!

Just to look around and appreciate (or criticize) things - but 'only in my mind'. The buildng structure is still very much the same as in the 1990s. This was the original airport - T2 came only in the year 2000.

Things have changed on the insides though. The check-in counters are more 'claustrophobic' now.

Modern with the 'tech of the times', but the check-in area feels more cramped even when there are no flights checking-in. Maybe the ceiling came lower? Or their check-in counter Solari Boards became big TV screens? Or maybe the check-in islands also now have artsy roofs? Maybe its even all of the above!

Oh well, I was young and restless then. I would land and leave this airport sometimes 3 or 4 times per week. This airport was already really packed with people daily, but it felt bright and wide. Maaliwalas.

Ayan, nag-nostalgia na naman hehehe! Ah, if only phone-cameras were already available then!

Wait... nostalgia ba 'kamo? Ah, I caught my self standing still... looking at this for some bit of time.

Yeah, if your eyes are still clear you should see the logos at the check-in counters. That is a PAL flight being checked-in. Bound for Manila, surely. Gone are those days when only PAL or China Airlines were your way to the Philippines from this airport! Then came Eva Air, then followed all the cheaper others.

And then... the atrevida mind came to work again hahaha! If a check-in queue curves and goes beyond a straight line to a check-in counter, there's something wrong with the airport or the airline procedure.

Look at the passengers queuing to the left edge of the photo. Yep, beyond those two people standing. That's where the check-in line starts or extends-to. Same as at the AirAsia counters. That, is not good.

But let us not discuss that in detail here. Maybe on another blog article? Yeah, soon. So, abangan yan!

Hey I saw this sign on the wall. That's a good reminder, but do you know why that is so? I do now!

It says: "each passenger may carry only 1 non-blue flame lighter, or safety match in carry on baggage". It's an item that may seem trivial, but could be fatal. So lets also discuss that in a separate blog entry.

Like other airports, there are 'public access' restaurants at the departure area. For final goodbyes!

I read somewhere among their signage that they're the first Hakka restaurant in this airport. There are Hakka people in Taoyuan and the crew at this restaurant told me their food is very popular in Taiwan.

Whatever. Basta namangha ako sa listahan nila ng "accepted here"! Payment methods yan, katulad ng (and I quote) "Foreign Currencies, Credit Card, UnionPay Card, Apple Pay, Andriod Pay, Google Pay, Line Pay, Samsung Pay, Alipay, WeChat, EasyCard, iPASS, JKOPAY, Pi, GAMA PAY, iCash". Hesumalusep kadami!

But I always look for this 現金 - I don't even know how it is pronounced, but a friend told me long ago that it means cash. I don't have factual/verifiable basis, but I feel 'safer' paying in cash, when outside the Philippines! Why? Di ko alam heheh! Maybe I'm trying to avoid complexities when there are issues.

Tama na yan, tara let's go up and inside, to the immigration counters and beyond. Saan? Sa likod nito!

Again, as I've said earlier, I really like flight information boards that are at eye-level, or at least nearer the passengers' heads, instead of them being very high up above where you have to sprain your neck!

There is the usual zigzagging line to enter. Fine, what else can we do, di ba? Pero konti tao ngayon!

Istrikta ang maliit na security na yan, me pinagalitang mga babae for playing with that barricade tape. Eh ginagawa kasi kunwari belt habang nagpi-pictorial sila! Well, to the rest of us she was friendly nice.

By the way, that reminder on the post of the barricade says "Please show us your boarding pass" with Japanese, Korean, Thai and even Bahasa translations along with an illustration of a boarding pass. Da!

Dapat matuwa tayo walang Pilipino translation. Ibig sabihin, alam nilang we understand English well!

Ang di ako bilib is why did we have to keep walking back and forth in that snaking barricaded path eh hindi naman marami ang nakapila. Pwede namang palikuin yan to make our walkathon shorter, di ba?

Pero okay lang. Parang enjoy naman mga tao walking back and forth. Parang ramp models. Mabilis eh!

Anyway, on this pic I was done with immigration. It took only 25 minutes inclusive of all the lining up.

Whatever it says, howsoever they artfully did that, I like those writings on the glass wall. Avant-garde, high-tech, modern, sosyal, whatever. Aba kulang na lang hipuin ko. Walang ganyan sa airports natin e!

Walking to the pre-departure (duty free) areas, I thought I must be somehow charming to some souls.

Kasi, iyang batang yan, di ko naman kilala, surely di nya rin naman ako kilala dahil 'di kami magkalahi (sure ako dyan hehehe), aba paglingon ko eh naka-ngiti pala at kaway ng kaway sa akin. I waved back!

Of course that was a puzzle! Sino kaya ako sa paningin nya? Bakit hindi sya takot o mailap sa akin, eh doon pa ako nakatingin sa glass wall kumakaway na sya! Did he think I was 'winnie-the-pooh'? OMyG!

Whatever! It was only 8:33AM, and my ETD to CEB was still 11AM. So, time to roam the airport. Yehey!

When an airport has enough 'walkalators' like this, na umaandar ng maayos, it's nice to go around the building or buildings, how big and wide ever the airport is. That is how I see and learn things - pasyal!

Let's go see things here and there, in and about this Taipei Taoyuan International Airport. Una ito!

Hep hep hep.., don't negatively react just yet. There is something nice I can tell you about this area of the airport, even if it is the smoking room. Like: ang sahig is real wood recycled from the old building!

And the too many big ashtrays are always clean. There are cleaners who frequently visit this place.

I must say though, I really like those older women as cleaners of this room. They're very strict and can bravely reprimand anyone who's not doing the right thing. Such as? Those who let their ashes drop to the floor - achaka yung mga taga-"mainland" na dumudura sa ashtray! I saw one of them napagalitan!

There's a good view of the parking area too! Yes, the parking area is in the middle of the compound.

The buildings (T1, T2 and soon T3) are each shaped like the letter H, joining the other/s at their ends.

The sides (of the letter H) are concourses and gates (and runways, mind you), while their public areas such as departures/arrivals and parking areas are in the middle (of the letter H). Na-imagine mo? Eto:

T1 is at rigt, T2 is at left. The green dot in the middle is the control tower, the black dot on top was my approximate location (smoking room), the black rectangle further up is the area of Gate A7. Ah, eto pa:

You can see Gate A7 in this lower graphic. That's where I was. Ang galing ko mag-dugtongdugtong ng images, di ba? I should have been an engineer hehehe! By the way, many passengers even enter that smoking room to just to see the views to the parking lot and take pictures or videos. Especially that...

The airport's Skytrain passes nearby while transferring passengers from T1 to T2 or vice-versa!

Yes, they also have skytrains between terminals, just like at Changi or many other airports, even if the buildings are physically connected that you can merely walk or ride walkalators from one to the next.

Ang dapat magkaroon ng Skytrain na yan, kung tutuusin, ay wala nang iba kung hindi ang ating Manila International Airport from T1 to T2 to T4 then T3 (and vice versa of course). Jakarta just did it. Eh tayo?!

Smoking rooms of this airport are the best 'outdoor' vantage to watch the skytrain zoom by. Outdoor? Yes, it is an 'open air' room. So bring your sweater or jacket in November. 21⁰C is chilly when its windy!

Alright, let's now roam around!

Oh, if I describe everywhere I went to, this story will become too long! Let me instead just show & tell about some of the things new to me! Like where T1 and T2 meets. It is near A7, as A9 is the last A gate.

This is that corner or "junction" - since they are not literally contiguous. Concourse D is to the right.

I looked back and saw this... what you should see if you were coming from T2's concourse D...

At least they still made the two buildings connect by making this "lobby", kasi dispalinghado eh hehe!

I am sure sasabihin ng mga Waraywaray friends ko: "Taiwanese kasi" hahaha! Do you know that? What we/you in Metro Manila call "Made In China kasi" is what the Taclobanons refer to as "kay Taiwanese".

Why, what is wrong here? Ah eh... wala naman. Para bagang gumawa ka lang ng isang kalsada with two sets of workers starting at both ends, progressing towards the middle. Ang ending, 'di tugma ng exact!

Kaya meron ng lobby-lobbyhan na 'yan. Well, there's a big TV for ads etc., plus that table na... ito yun:

It is like a layout of the terminals, showing where I was standing - sa pagitan ng Gate A9 of Terminal 1, and Gate D1 of Terminal 2. Oh, that table has a lot of tourism information (brochures) - magamit lang!

Anyway, of course I went walking towards D1 and immediately noticed that T2 is bigger and better.

That is the first store I saw as I emerged from T1. Shirts, shorts, shoes, bags and everything Adidas are available. As you can see, there are heavy sports equipment too, if you want them handcarried hahah!

All "stalls", if we can call them that, are big and wide with high ceilings, fronting a wide concourse.

This doesn't at all look like an airport concourse leading to the boarding gates. It is more like a mall!

If you notice, the floor on this part of the building inclines. That spells the difference between T2 and T1. That is why I said T2 is bigger and better. Its floor levels are higher than T1 and hallways are wider.

Now, yung pinagtatawnan natin kanina na "Taiwanese kasi", may probably not be a 'construction flaw' after all. I suspect, they did that "lobby-lobbyhan" to link the 2 structures (of unequal sizes) together!

Yun naman pala! Now I am compelled to ask "Hello MCIA, why can't you link your T1 and T2"?

Oh hey, T2 isn't only big and modern - there are ample 'walkalators', with cute golf carts standing by!

That, is true and real service for passengers' safety, comfort and convenience. What came to mind was "Hello KLIA 2, come to Taiwan and learn how to make your huge ugly terminal become more humane"! But of course I also thought "Hello MIAA, ang 'walkalator' nila dito made in Taiwan pero gumagana oi"!

Not all spaces are brand stores or duty free shops. There are park-like gardens and cultural displays.

Remarkably, the stores aren't just your usual airport duty free perfumes cosmetics fashion chocolates wines cigarettes. They are varied - including industrial products, a charity shop, even reading corners!

Things have changed here for the better! Ah, with the variety of establishments and the way these are presented or curated, I say, even Singapore's Changi will pale in comparison. This is more than a mall!

And then I reached gate D2. If not for the number, many wouldn't even know that is an airport gate!

I just realized, each boarding gate celebrates or showcases an aspect of Taiwan life, like in a museum.

Like this one is featuring the culture and cuisine of somewhere in Taiwan (sorry I can't read Chinese).

Well, from the pictures and the English writings that I could understand, if this entire thing is not all about it, one corner features the Taiwanese "Ban Doh" - a traditional 'banquet' style of serving food, usually at gatherings or parties. Very interestingly educational. Quite absorbing just looking around.

In case you're looking for the passenger boarding gate, look up and read the signs. Can you see those people walking towards a door? That, is not yet the boarding gate hahaha! You go down via stairs, lift or escalator to find the actual gate holding area with the usual airline ground staff manning Gate D2!

Next to D2 is the popular store of Victoria's Secret and the expansive iTravel store before reaching D3.

My goodness that iTravel store. It's so expansive, it probably occupies the equivalent of 3 regular shop spaces in this airport. Yet I snubbed it to resist temptation! "Resist PT, ganda ng fone na yun o, resist"!

Hahaha! Many times I am 'dreadfully' tempted to break my "For Your Eyes Only" self-imposed rule. It's oftentimes excruciatingly difficult to resist! My technique is: 'be far if you can't be away'. Do not enter!

Haay hehehe! Honestly, if there's any disadvantage with roaming around for the sake of 'you' my dear readers, it's resisting the temptation to buy so many wonderful beautiful hi-tech one-of-a-kind things I see or encounter in many places. Nice things that always end up just uselessly cluttering the house!

So I go fo the maxim that says "take nothing but pictures" (and videos na ngayon oi)!

And I could already see that next to the big iTravel store was some kind of a 'cultural tableaux' at Gate D3. My steps hastened. I was excited to find what's there. I saw signage that say it's about Pingxi. Wow!

Alas dimalas! My phone's alarm sounded - that meant my flight would be boarding soon. So, I strolled back to my departure gate A7 - but passed by Gate D1 again, to take photos of "Taiwan Coastal Living"!

Notice the floor space, it protrudes to the concourse area - as if to say "hey come and see this first"!

Teka... Gate D1 only has 10 rock stools for you to await boarding of your flight at D1? Nice sana, but no naman. See that floor-to-ceiling glass window at left kung saan nagmu-munimuni si Manong J Pop? To his right are the stairs, escalator and elevator, going down to the real boarding gate and waiting area!

Alright. At Gate A7 being Terminal 1 (old), there's no tableau but a plethora of shops and restaurants.

The old style at T1 is that the "culture" and other "showcase" things are down at the gate waiting area itself. Yet, even that alone, is already unique. Other airports' gates are bare with nothing but windows.

Look at that collage of 3 photos again. The left panel, indicating A7, was a shot from upstairs, amid the many stores. The middle is an informative standee - and it says A7 is: "Taiwan Alpine Waiting Lounge".

That is what you first see when you go down to Gate A7's passenger waiting area. Cool di ba? This gate promotes the "Taiwan Alpine" as its theme - that is the video clip topic, and informations at the back.

That is the third panel in my collage above (yung puro paragraphs) and it's the most outstanding part. It describes "The Hundred Peaks of Taiwan", and how this gate's theme was done by Prof. Li Zong-Ren.

That is such a big, wide and one of a kind artwork. And it's not just paint, it uses other materials such as colored glass. Isn't that a meaningful way to spruce up an otherwise boring gate's waiting lounge?

So I learned, all gates of Taoyuan International Airport are themed with various aspects of Taiwan, its people and its culture. That's a nice way to showcase their country and boost tourism. Dapat gayahin!

Now that, makes me want to come back to TPE "again and again", just to see all the other gates of this airport. Nge, andami nyan! But I am coming back in a few weeks, let's see if I can peep at other gates.

Meanwhile, it's boarding time for my flight straight to Cebu. Uli ta!