The typical New Year’s Eve celebration involves eating, drinking, sparkly dresses, and counting down from 10 with champagne in hand to ring in the start of another year. My typical New Year’s Eve involves napping on the couch, hoping my eyes will pop open in time for midnight.
This New Year’s Eve, however, I set off on my next adventure: 3 weeks in Vietnam and 2 weeks in Thailand.
All epic adventures seem to begin with an outrageous travel day(s). I waved goodbye to my parents at the airport for a 35 hour journey on Turkish Airlines from Dulles to Hanoi.
Flight 1: DC to Istanbul, 9:40pm departure time, 10 hour Turkish Airlines flight
Drama hit as I approached row 49. I paid $39 extra for a window seat, and a man was sitting in said seat. I explained to him that it was my seat, and he adamantly tried to convince me it wasn’t. At first I thought he was gaslighting me in attempts to get the coveted window locale. But as he got up to study the “HJK” above I realized he genuinely didn’t get the system. I showed my ticket and claimed what was mine. Victory!
The second drama hit as the woman next to me plopped down. It was quickly clear that she had zero spatial awareness. Her neck pillow was in my lap. Elbows in my ribs. Voice in my ears trying to figure out how to turn the light on, plug her headphones in, so on and so forth.
On the plus side, each seat came with a pillow, blanket, and little bag with a toothbrush, eye mask, earplugs, and socks. (Although the woman took mine, and I had to ask for it back…) We also got a menu of the flight’s offerings– a good first impression for Turkish Airlines food!
Meal 1: Dinner
I opted for the grilled cod. The fish itself was a bit rubbery, but I was pleased with getting a big hunk of protein that wasn’t totally drowned in sauce. The accompanying veggies were perfectly tasty, and I didn’t have any qualms with the celeriac potato puree. (If anyone from Turkish Airlines is reading this, I’d recommend putting the veggies between the cod and potato to make it look more appealing.)
I didn’t eat the side salad, as plane lettuce seems like a petri dish for salmonella. The hummus was thick and creamy, which paired nicely with the warm roll. And who doesn’t love a chocolate cake?
As I was wrapping my meal up, the woman next to me reached over an grabbed a little oil packet off my tray. I looked at her, mouth agape. “I wanted to see what is was….” I said nothing, positioned my head against the pillow, and attempted to sleep.
Meal 2: Breakfast
I opted for the eggs, which weren’t too shabby! They were quite moist (edging on too wet but I’ll take it over too dry any day). The potatoes tasted like potatoes, and I liked the addition of tomatoes to brighten everything up.
Most of the fruits were ripe and the bread was warm. The cheeses were quite pungent, and I couldn’t quite handle the smell and taste.
Overall, I was quite pleased with my Turkish Airline food experience!
Istanbul Airpot: The Layover from Hell….
I was scheduled for a 10 hour and 40 minute layover in the Istanbul airport. Not ideal. But manageable. If I know I have a long layover, I plan accordingly. I crafted a nice little to-do list of busy work tasks I had been putting off. No problemo!
Curveball One: internet wasn’t free. I had to find a kiosk, scan my passport, and cough over 10 euros for an internet code. Once the anxiety of unconnectiveness was squelched, I had to tackle the impending caffeine headache.
“Americano with an extra shot and a water please!”
Travel Tip (which I have failed to follow again and again): Always know the exchange rate before buying something. That order cost me nearly $12 usd!
Curveball Two: As I opened up my computer to tackle my to-do list, I realized I made a grave error. I didn’t bring a European power converter for my charger. Rookie mistake….
I sipped my overpriced beverage, did a bit of work, then set off to explore the Istanbul airport. And let me say… it’s pretty darn nice! There was a place to get your hair cut, spas for massages, loads of dining options (although pretty much the same few chains of coffee shops and fast food options throughout), little “nap zones”, high end shopping opportunities, and loads of Duty Free goods. Everything is ultra clean and modern, and I appreciate the lack of “please don’t leave your bags unattended” announcements every 5 minutes.
Throughout my 10k steps around the Istanbul Airport there were no frugal finds to be had. In fact, everything was offensively expensive. I couldn’t even find water bottle refill stations
I settled on a subway sandwich because it seemed like the best bang for my bug. A 6″ turkey sandwich cost me a whopping $11usd! But hey, a girl’s gotta eat.
Then the real curveball came… a 5 hour delay… meaning a 7:30am departure time… meaning I’d had to sleep in the airpot.
The last time I slept in an airport was in Morocco in 2017. My friend and I had a 4am flight, and figured we could save on accommodation for the night. 30 year old Katie prefers to shell out some money for a bed. But alas…
I walked down to a Turkish Airlines help desk hoping to be thrown a bone in the form of lounge access. Instead I got a meal voucher for the food court, which I redeemed for yet another 1/2 of a Subway sandwich because Popeyes and Arby’s weren’t calling my name.
At 11pm I snagged a slightly reclined seat in a “Nap Zone.” Luckily, the airport is open all night, and I wasn’t the only person trying to catch a snooze. People around me got quite inventive in their sleeping postures. One woman behind me sat on the ground and splayed her torso over the seat. Others managed to curl up in a fetal position. I looked down a level and saw people splayed out all over the floor in a seating area.
I spent 6 hours of cycling between reading and trying to sleep, and decided I earned another outrageously overpriced coffee as 5 am hit.
Flight 2: Istanbul to Hanoi, 9 hour flight
Gate B16 was packed full of dazed and delirious travelers. As we boarded, everyone got a crappy cheese sandwich– their attempts to ameliorate the situation I suppose.
Each seat came with a Turkish Airlines pillow, blanket, and another little bag with socks, slippers, and a toothbrush. There was less leg room than the first flight, but the little TVs were bigger and newer. You get some you lose some.
Meal 1: Breakfast
Breakfast was served around an hour into the flight. The main dish consisted of eggs and a Turkish spinach pastry. The eggs were your standard airplane eggs, and the pastry was dry and nearly inedible. I didn’t have the stomach for the pungent cheeses. But the greek yogurt was thick and not too sweet, and incredibly delicious!
Meal 2: Dinner
I managed to doze off and on for most of the flight, and dinner came rolling down 90 minutes before landing. The main dish of meatballs, rice, and stewed tomatoes was flat out bad. The meat was super fatty and overly salted, and the stewed tomatoes had no flavor. A side of zucchini was equally as tasteless. The thick yogurt with cucumbers and carrots was surprisingly good. And the vanilla panna cotta was the highlight.
The Journey Didn’t End There…
I got through immigration, my suitcase made the journey, and my driver pick up was a breeze. But then I got to my hotel and things went downhill.
“Your room isn’t ready.”
In a sleep deprived dazed I stared at him, mouth agape. It was 10pm. What did they mean my room wasn’t ready?!?!
“Come with me, you’ll stay in another hotel tonight.”
The man jetted off and I lugged my suitcase along trying to keep up. We arrived at a hostel, and he informed me that I’d be staying here tonight. I checked in, and dragged myself into the room in a daze. It was a private, clean room with a shower and bed. Chatter and laughter spilling down from the rooftop bar weren’t ideal. Neither was the lumpy hard mattress. But it was better than an airport chair I suppose…..
