Landing and Getting Inside
Alright, so the plane finally touched down at Piarco. Felt like a pretty smooth landing, thankfully. We got off through one of those jet bridges, which is always better than stairs out on the tarmac. The first thing I noticed was the air conditioning – a relief after being cooped up on the flight. Had a bit of a walk down some long hallways. Signs were okay, mostly pointed towards immigration and baggage claim, so didn’t get lost.
The Immigration Shuffle
Then came the usual queue for immigration. It wasn’t crazy long when I got there, maybe a 20-minute wait? Moved reasonably okay. Some people looked stressed, others just tired. Standard airport stuff. When it was my turn, I went up to the counter. The officer was pretty serious, didn’t chat much. Just the usual questions: “Purpose of visit?”, “How long are you staying?” Looked at my passport, stamped it, and waved me through. Pretty straightforward, no dramas.
Baggage Claim and Customs Wait
Next stop was baggage claim. Found the right carousel number on the screen and went over. And then, the waiting game began. Seriously, sometimes it feels like they unload the bags one by one with tweezers. My bags actually came out relatively quickly this time, maybe another 20 minutes after I got there. Lucky me, I guess. Grabbed my stuff and headed towards customs.
- Got my suitcase.
- Got my carry-on back.
- Looked for the exit signs.
Customs was simple. I just had my personal stuff, nothing fancy to declare. They have the green channel for ‘nothing to declare’. I just walked through there. Sometimes they pull people aside for random checks, but they didn’t bother me today. Just walked right past the officers.
Out into the Arrivals Hall
And just like that, I was out! Pushed my trolley through the final doors into the main arrivals area. It’s always a bit chaotic there – people waiting, taxi drivers looking for fares, families reuniting. Found my ride pretty easily and got on my way. Overall, getting through Piarco wasn’t too bad this time. Done it slower before, definitely done it faster elsewhere, but it worked. Job done.
