Arriving In TPE

When I was offered to do CPC inspection at TPE, I grab the assignment without thinking twice! It is an easy task nobody would refuse except Rosnah, who currently experiences post natal birth.  With little info available, I sign up for the trip which is approved 3 days later.

What to expect from TPE? Little research leave me clueless as the flight took off from KUL on sunny morning. Passengers  which made up 90% Chinese didn’t  offer much clues except their ice cold faces which translasted into BORING . I searched for anything that smelt Taiwan from inflight reading materials but sadly none were  avaialable. The I recall a name – ASUS, my laptop. Yes ASUS is Taiwan very own brand. All the sudden a flow of new info cramped into my brain: ACER, Apacer, BenQ, Dlink & the list goes on & on.  I felt like I know more than what I bargain for! Yea, this trip would be a worthwhile, I’m going to check out the ultimate IT centre in the whole world!

After 3 hours of occasionally bumpy ride, a brunch combo of mushroom chicken rice & delightful pumkin pie, the flight finally made its way to TPE intenational airport.  MH333 lands as scheduled amidst cloudy sky. Which reminded me of summer in London. The temperature is 27 degree & I’m going to have fun today! I’m back! I was in TPE airport some 15 years ago on transit flight to LA. but this time I’m back for other reason-to fullfill my working responsibility.  Chartered on familiar element, the steep curved pitched roof dicates the signature of unmistakenly Asian.  Name changes, style change, people change, but TPE airport remain the same.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by Lawrence, the station manager, who is kind enough to usher me through imigrations posts like a royalty. My royalty was put to test on final check point when the lady in nurse  uniform started nagging while staring at me. Well, Paris got that all the time, why not me? That didn’t help me at all in trying to rationalize why TPE feels so old. Every single construction elements screamed the glorious period of 80s. The tiles, wall paints, structural members, even the people felt 80s. “the airport is undergoing renovation work, the new renovated airport will be as big as KLIA”, Lawrence try to impressed me. In the wake Asian economy power, a new & bigger airport is required to boost the ego. But it seemed that Taipei was slightly behind Jakarta in that sense. I shoved my way in between construction works, to find a cab waiting for me at the end of corridor while admiring some ancient piece along the way.