Taiwan Trip day 0 - Los Angeles to Taipei (Sunday April 14, 2019)

April 27, 2019

Taiwan Trip day 0 - Los Angeles to Taipei (Sunday April 14, 2019)

Taiwan Trip Day 0 - Los Angeles to Taipei (Sunday, April 14th, 2019)

We had made a brief stop in Taipei after our Nepal trip back in January to see my family, but the girls did not feel like they had enough time to spend with their cousins and take in all of the city, so we decided to return to Taipei during Spring Break.

Our flight from LAX to Taipei was on EVA BR11 departing at 12:05AM on Monday, April 15th. We had planned on leaving right after school got out, but realized the girls had a dance competition that weekend. After driving back and forth from Brea to Downey multiple times, we feasted on MoMo Paradise at Rowland Heights before we packed up and left for the airport at about 8:00PM.

Feasting on MoMo Paradise before leaving town

GG putting it down

I packed my "light" camera gear and my MacBook into my Camelbak Rim Runner 22 with hesitation because I was not sure if I would be able to use it all. It turned out that I did not have the time to shoot the footage that I had wanted to shoot so I carried all this gear for nothing.

My "light" camera gear

The driver picked us up at 8:00PM. The traffic was moderate going to LAX. We got there right before 9:00PM. We checked-in two carry-on size suitcases and one large suitcase in anticipation that we will bring a lot of stuff back from Taiwan (which we did). Since EVA participates in the Global Entry program, we were able to get boarding passes printed with "TSA Pre." Having TSA Pre helped us get through the security line very quickly. We were in the same security line with the crew members. There was no wait; no taking off shoes and jackets. We went through security in record time.

Once we got to the to the Tom Bradley International Terminal or "TBIT," we were finally able to relax a little, although we were all quite tired after a full weekend of dance.

Our flight was leaving from Gate 148, right behind the Time Tower and the shop "Book Soup." When we got there, our plane had not yet arrived. Our seats were Premium Economy seats so we were not able to have access to a lounge, and unfortunately, LAX does not have any paid lounges either.

Map of "TBIT"

Tom Bradley International Terminal or "TBIT" in front of our gate (Gate 148)

After we set our bags down at the gate, we did some walking around as an attempt to burn off some calories from MoMo Paradise earlier in the day. We walked both the South and the North Concourse. It was fun to see many airlines from around the world coming in and leaving LAX. We saw China Southern's A380 that we flew to Guangzhao on last year. We saw Singapore Airline's direct flight to Singapore, China Airlines, and another EVA flight (Hello Kitty) to Taipei with a departure time very close to ours. We also saw a British Airways A380 leaving for Heathrow and a flight leaving for Guadalajara, just to name a few. At around 11:00PM on a Sunday night, TBIT was probably one of the most happening places in all of Los Angeles metro. We enjoyed the international vibe at TBIT as the first place to jump start our trip to Asia.

MM facing the South Concourse

We boarded our flight shortly around 11:30PM. Taiwan newspapers were being passed out as we entered the plane, and we were greeted by the EVA flight attendants wearing the signature EVA emerald green uniform. We took our Premium Economy Class seats on the right side of the plane. EVA operates the 777-300ER (extended range) from LAX to Taipei (TPE). There was a pillow and a blanket set on our seats. There was also an overnight kit, a pair of slippers, and a headset in front of the seat pocket for us. The 777-300ER has been in service for quite some time with EVA. We felt that the seats and the tray tables are a bit dated. We are hoping for some more innovation from EVA in the future. Everything from EVA seems like it has been the same way for the last twenty or years or so.

Boarding the EVA 777-300ER at Gate 148

Took our seats on the Boeing B777-300ER

MM looking happy to fly

Taking our aisle seats

We pulled away from the gate shortly after midnight. It was a cloudy day and soon after take-off we had no visibility of the ground. We were served dinner once we reached cruising altitude. The entertainment choices were limited on EVA. I watched one movie - Creed II while the dinner meal was being served. The menu consisted of Western and Eastern (Taiwanese) choices. We all ordered the classic Taiwanese dish "Three Cup Chicken" for dinner except for MM (she was asleep). For breakfast, we ordered the seafood congee and MM ordered the egg frittata. All of us slept after dinner. After we woke up we were somewhere over the Pacific Ocean several hours into the trans-Pacific flight crossing the International Date Line (IDL).

Pulling away from the gate shortly after midnight