Summer adventures to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur – Early Morning Manoeuvres in the dark, featuring National Express, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Galleries South Lounge.
Contents
- Seriously – Take a holiday!
- Morning Manoeuvres in the dark, Terminal 5 and Galleries South
- BA776 London Heathrow to Stockholm Arlanda (Club Europe)
- Exploring Stockholm on the cheap (Travel Plus!)
- Back to Arlanda, Stockholm Arlanda Lounge
- QR168 Stockholm Arlanda to Doha (Hamad International Airport) – (Business Class)
- Six Hours in at Al Mourjan Doha’s Lounge
- QR944 Doha – Singapore Changi International (Business Class)
- Intercontinental Singapore
- Exploring Singapore by boat
- From the Top of the Marina Sands
- Back to Changi T2, SATS Lounge
- MH624 Singapore to Kuala Lumpur International Airport
- Into KL, Holiday Inn Express KLCC, Kuala Lumpur
- Adventures in KL
- KL Tower (or yes, Kevin is in yet another tall building)
- Back to KLIA
- MH611 Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Singapore Changi
- Exploring Singapore again with a tweep
- Back to Premium, dnata lounge, Singapore T3
- QR947 Singapore Changi to Doha (Business Class)
- A Dash through Doha…
- QR169 Doha – Stockholm Arlanda (Business Class)
- From Premium to Economy featuring the Aurora Lounge
- BA777 Stockholm Arlanda to London Heathrow
- To have flown, To Wait…
- I need another break…
Early Morning Manoeuvres
The day before, madness ensued in the office. Any time that was meant to be packing was instead spending a lot of time fighting with a server. Which wasn’t ideal.
After getting home late from the office, I crashed out for a few hours, and then did the final packing. And seemingly thinking I had everything – I hailed an Uber and headed for the bus station with time to spare.
Except when I go 3/4 of the way to the coach station, I found I was missing something key: my wallet.
Double back FAST!!!!!
A quick turnaround, a 2-minute run into the flat to get my trousers which had my wallet in them, and a mad dash back to the coach station – and I fell into the coach just as it was ready to leave.
My timing gets worse every trip.
National Express Coach 210 Birmingham to London Heathrow
Being pretty adrenaline pumped at this point, getting to sleep wasn’t seeming to happen. Additionally, there were parents who couldn’t settle children, random seat reclining and general noise.
Which at 1am in the morning isn’t a good thing.
At Birmingham Airport, I jumped seat – with my seat-mate moving with me (she was just as annoyed of the two passengers in-front of us – someone else suffered when they got on board and took those seats.).
From there, the coach meandered down to Coventry, Warwick Parkway, then fast to Heathrow Airport.
And the coach did what it did best – get from A to B.
The driver seemed to be considerate (and not flashing his lights to get lorry’s out of its way) and made his way to Heathrow Central Bus Station.
Not getting off here today.
Once at central and after a short break, came the slow part of the journey – the pottering around Heathrow airport – with the coach taking the south route around the airport, calling at Terminal 4 and Terminal 5.
I was deposited at Terminal 5 at 4am in the morning…. my brain still frazzled, and body in a similar state.
Out at last…
National Express Coach 210- supporting the Poppy Appeal.
But very eerie.
Making sure my trousers with my wallet were in the rucksack, I headed into Terminal 5
Ah. Discworld.
I headed to Costa for an early morning drink. Because I needed it at that moment in time. It gave me time to finish up an article, and steel myself for the journey ahead.
The trash all together for the first time this trip.
I see you Pikachu. Don’t do this hiding game again please.
With a diet coke in my body (yes, I do drink other things than coffee), and I headed up to departures.
Departures level.
Art.
Departures seemed to be rather busy, and the Club check-in desks open.
I presented my new passport – and it was scanned for my boarding pass. With the boarding pass issued, my luggage was tagged. I was directed over to the oversized luggage area where my bag was taken away from me.
That done, it was time to pass through security. Even though it was about 4:50 in the morning – there was a minor queue at FastTrack (yours truly isn’t high enough the BA pecking tree to use the First Wing).
Even then – I was done and dusted in under five minutes. With that done, I ducked and dived as needed up to the Galleries South lounge. Maybe more importantly – my boarding pass stated gate A20 – no annoying busing gate at Gate A10.
Although I couldn’t completely avoid it – some poor Chinese tourists were lost and needed direction over to A10. And of course – I helped them find their way.
After doing my good turn – I headed towards Galleries South and up to the lounge
Going up!
Fashion and art
Pay attention to the white roses – they’re made out of boarding passes. On slight fallacy – they’re on blue topped Boarding passes. BA’s have been plain white for a lonnnngggg time.
Lounge Stop: British Airways Galleries South
Oh, hello Horse Lamp. Don’t look in disappointment at me. I know, I know… I’ll keep moving.
I was welcomed to the lounge, and made a bee-line for the buffet. And as usual – it’s the usual buffet featuring pastries, bacon rolls and cheese omelettes.
Fruit and Yoghurt.
Juices
Umm… Something missing here…
Still missing some things here. Cost cutting Mr Cruz?
Wines and Crisps
Nothing changes here.
I made camp and completed a few more work things (because I never finish anything in time it seems – including setting my out of office assistant) whilst nibbling on breakfast.
My base – more diet coke to wake me up…
It also gave me time to set up my newest toy – a SkyRoam Solis. I knew it would be helpful on this trip… I didn’t know how helpful it would be yet.
As for the lounge – Galleries South hasn’t changed – and that’s not too bad a thing. Least of all – familiarity is a wonderful thing. Your brain goes into automatic and you can just find things – which help when you’re not entirely awake.
Including a lovely cutaway of a Concorde. That would look good at Economy Class and Beyond towers…
Splitter Airways filling in for Mixed Fleet.
Eventually, it was time to head downstairs and to the gate. I gathered my trash (and ensuring I had everything with me), and left the lounge.
Passing past the papers and adverts.
Exiting the lounge. Horse Lamp looks happier I’m leaving than me staying. What are you trying to tell me horselamp? Am I costing BA too much money? Do you need more power in your lamp? TELL ME!!!!
You look way too happy now horse lamp – now I’m on my way…
Passing the broken-down cloud
I headed all the way down, and turn for Gate A20.
And shops were making hay on British Airways “Buy on Board” programme
At Gate A20 – boarding had just commenced. Sometimes, it just comes together.
To the Gate!
I’m in Club Europe – I’m priority!
My boarding pass was scanned, and I headed down the jetway to the waiting plane.
Next: BA776 London Heathrow to Stockholm Arlanda.
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