Laksa at the Lounge

Today we are flying to Taipei, Taiwan, for the second part of our trip.  We took a Grab from the MBS to Terminal 3 of Changi Airport.  It costs S$30.40, about US$22.34.  The ride took about 30 minutes.

What is Grab?  Grab is like Uber everywhere else.  Grab is partially owned by Uber.  Instead of competing against itself, Uber pull out of the market and let Grab run it.  I've mentioned how efficient and clean Singapore's public transportation system is, especially its MRT.  However, there are times it makes more sense to take Grab because you are not close to a MRT station or it's too hot outside to walk to a MRT station.  With 4 adult passengers and 4 suitcases, the Grab ride to the airport came to a little over US$5 a person.  Taking public transportation would've costs almost that much, not to mention dragging our suitcases up and down the stairs or escalators.  Prior to our trip I've asked almost all in the group to download the Grab app.  The setup, and usage, is almost like Uber.

Singapore's Changi Airport has been voted one of the best airport in the world.  It was designed for travelers, whether Singapore is your final destination or you are transiting through.  After dropping off our luggages at the Singapore Airlines counter, we went through Immigration.  Here machines scan your passport and boarding pass, then take a picture of you.  But you don't go through security here.  This is where it is different from almost all airports in the world.  You are inside the airport within a few minutes and then right in front of you are all the airport shops. There are nice restaurants and cafes scattered all over the airport.  The decor here is very nice.  There are quiet areas all over where you can hide, or even sleep.  The airport understands that some travelers don't want to spend money at a hotel but instead sleep on the carpet in the corner.  You go through security only at your departure gate.  No long lines at the airport entrance.

We were to meet the rest of the group at the SATS Premier Lounge.  There are three Priority Pass lounges that we could go but I picked SATS because I've been there and because they serve laksa.  Our Priority Pass membership is through our American Express card membership.  It is only a short walk after we passed through Immigration, and then up the escalator.  

A bowl of laksa

What is laksa?  It's a popular delicacy that is is basically a bowl of noodles steep in a curry and coconut milk-based broth.  The flavor is not a strong curry flavor but does have spiciness to it.  Other ingredients include:  dried shrimp, shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, turmeric, lemon grass, candle nuts, coconut milk, etc.  It's a complex flavor.  A good laksa broth has good quality ingredients in the right amount to make the soup delectable.  The noodles are usually rice noodles the size of spaghetti noodles.  Bean sprouts are also added to the noodles.  To complete the dish you add hard-boiled eggs, fish cake, sometimes cockerels (similar to clams), and deep-fried tofu.  Chopped laksa leaves are added as condiments.  Sambal (a shrimp paste-based chili sauce) is added to make it spicy.

It is not an easy dish to make.  It is time-consuming and labor intensive.  Not many families make it at home, unless they have a big group to enjoy it.  However, you can find it at most hawker centers, selling for S$3-$5 a bowl.  At that price, the hawkers can't afford to use good ingredients.  When you taste a delicious bowl of laksa, you will know it.  The complex flavors come through "loud and clear."  You slurp the noodles and broth.  One bowl is sometimes not enough.  One of the best I had is at the Rise restaurant at MBS.

Singapore Airlines' SQ 878 arrives in Taipei at 1640.  As we walked towards Immigration we saw a booth selling Taiwan SIM cards.  A 7-day card costs NT$1,000, about US$3.30.  We installed them and started to wait in line to go through Immigration.  The passports were checked manually by an Immigration Officer.  For an advanced country like Taiwan I am surprised this is not done by a scanner.  We'd have been through in less than 15 minutes.  Instead it took almost an hour.  In Singapore they scan your passport, then take a photograph of you.  The system compares the two pictures, then let you through.  This is not the only advanced country that I have encountered this problem.  It's the same in Paris.  That took us at least 2 hours to get through Immigration.

After claiming our luggage we went to buy tickets for the train to the city.  First, we need to take the Airport Metro to New Taipei Industrial Park, then we change to the Yellow Line of the Taipei Metro.  We get off at Banqiao station to walk to the Hilton Hotel Sinban.  When we got off at Banqiao we took the first exit we saw.  It was drizzling.  We tried to hail a taxi but none stopped.  Then we decided to walk and found our way to the hotel in about 10 minutes.  Had we taken the correct exit we'd have been only 5 minutes away from the hotel.

Getting ready to hop on the Airport Train

Group Photo in front of our Taipei Hotel

 

Sign showing exits at Banqiao

When I first saw the Hilton Hotel Sinban on the Hilton Hotel website I was not sure if it was right for us.  It is in New Taipei City, not Taipei itself.  The places we wanted to go are not anywhere nearby.  However, staying at a Hilton has an advantage.  Most of us have Hilton Gold Membership through our American Express cards.  This means that we'll have free breakfast at the hotel.  This is significant because not only will it save us money but it will save us a lot of time, not having to look for a place to eat breakfast in the morning.

We were surprised as to how nice the hotel and rooms are.  The service was excellent.  After we checked in we quickly went to look for a place to eat.  By then it was after 8pm and the hotel staff told us most of the restaurants are already closing.  We found one at a shopping center next door.  They were closing in 15 minutes.  We had a quick dinner and went back to our rooms to rest.