Doing the Airport Shuffle

Molly and I flew out of Boise on Superbowl Sunday.  We begged and pleaded for Alaskan Airlines to gate check our backpacks.  We switched airlines in Seattle and would have had to check out through security, go to baggage claim and then check back in at the new airline otherwise.  The nice lady at Alaskan understood our dilemma and was kind enough to let us go through.  We hit Seattle as planned and switched over to Eva Airlines without an issue. 

Our flight from Seattle to Taipei, with time changes, took roughly 30 hours.  We took off at 1am Monday morning and landed at 6:30am Wednesday.  We were flying on the top level of a double decker 747-400 that seats 372.  The flight the previous evening was canceled so our flight was full to capacity. 

FYI - Eva Airlines also sports three Hello Kitty themed planes with full exterior wraps with different themes, including Happy Music Time and Speed Puff Jet.  There are even upscale Hello Kitty concessions, such as the Hello Kitty Foie Gras.  All in all, they have over 100 branded Hello Kitty items associated with the Airline.

Total flight length was 10088km to Taipei.  We both managed to get some sleep.  The plane had these awesome cubbies by the window where we could stash an inordinate amount of shit.  It also made sleeping in the window seat a little awkward.  I tried putting down my tray and got some Z's that way, but managed to put both of my arms to sleep up to the shoulder.  We hit Taipei and got some great grub at one of the food stands.  I loved that instead of there being a sneeze guard on the food, all the cooks had to wear sneeze guard necklets. 

Molly found a display on Paper Umbrellas and documented the entire manufacturing process on them. 

I adored the Taipei airport, it really got my shutterbug finger shootin'.  Not only was it thrilling to be out of a very nice but as always too cramped airplane, it was amazing to be on a new continent.  The airport was extremely pristine with polished floors and smelled of greenery.  It hosted various sensory rooms including a relaxation lounge, garden walks, orchid enriched seating areas, a replica of a pavilion and living green walls.  I signed our names onto a visitors paper lantern (Greg & Molly were here!) and I wrote down the instructions on making a Meinong paper umbrella.  The process takes about a month, but it is a wish of mine to learn this skill.  A big kick was all the Hello Kitty paraphernalia, here a Kitty, there a Kitty, everywhere a Kitty Kitty.  She was seen on airplanes, in cuisine, Eva air merch, Hello Kitty world clocks, phone booths and in the lounge rooms with her face on the seats.

 

 



We may not look refreshed but we sure are happy!

Found a humansized Gundam and had to get my geek on.

 

 

 

 

All in all, we both dug the Taipei airport.  We had a few hours to kill, and did so quite successfully.  From there we flew to Manila, in the Philippines.  But that is another story...