Older. Never Wiser.
Growing Old in Style
Time for some closing thoughts, conclusions and whatever else I have left to say.
In this mammoth trip report
- Yes. I’m that old. Next.
- Off to Heathrow, Terminal 3 and Cathay Pacific Lounge
- BA768 London Heathrow to Oslo Airport (Club Europe)
- The Best Laid Oslo Plans, and the OSL Lounge
- TK1754 Oslo Airport to Istanbul Airport (Business Class)
- Welcome to Istanbul Airport… Wait, where’s my passport?
- TK054 Istanbul Airport to Singapore Changi (Business Class)
- Welcome back to Changi and the Ibis Budget Ruby, Geylang
- Back to Changi Terminal 4 and AirAsia AK710 Singapore to Kuala Lumpur International
- Into Malaysia and the Holiday Inn Express KLCC
- Exploring the Batu Caves
- Exploring more of Kuala Lumpur in the Dry, Wet and Nighttime
- Heading back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge
- MH627 Kuala Lumpur to Singapore Changi (Economy Class)
- Intercontinental Singapore, Bugis (Frasers House)
- For the love of Nasi Lemak, Laksa and Hawker Markets
- Exploring Singapore in bite-sized bits… whilst not getting soaked
- Glasses in a Hurry (Or, New Spectacles Time)
- Pokémon Centre Singapore and a bit of The Jewel and Changi at Night
- A Quick return to Changi Terminal 1, and the Marhaba Lounge
- TK209 Singapore Changi to Istanbul Airport (Business Class)
- Into Turkey and the Sheraton Levant, Istanbul
- Back to Istanbul Airport and the Turkish Airlines Lounge
- TK1753 Istanbul Airport to Oslo Airport (Business Class)
- A four-hour Oslo Transit, switching airlines in the process
- SK815 Oslo Airport to London Heathrow (Economy Class)
- Of Luggage, Coffee, Coaches and a Walk
- Older, Never Wiser
We as a society like numbers. It can help bring order to chaos, add structure and routine, or create its own chaos. For some reason, long ago we agreed that the Georgian calendar dictated that we have 365 days (or 366 days in a leap year), because no one could calculate how to do 365.25 days. And so we live from hour to hour, day to day, month to month, and of course, year to year, when we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, commemorations, and so on.
For me, this break was one that was needed after a tough year in the trenches. Sadly. 2026 is shaping up to be another tough year already – but I’ll have to be more mindful, taking breaks as needed… and hopefully spread out through the year, as I navigate some pretty choppy waters in the real world.
Time to wrap things up for this trip with some one-line descriptions.
Flights
British Airways Club Europe
An A to B Service – it did the job, and considering it was a reward flight, a good value use of Avios.
Turkish Airlines Short Haul
Whilst the seats were similar, there was an attempt at onboard service. Some was good on the outbound. On the inbound… that beef was way too tough. And those classic A321s need an interior refresh soon.
Turkish Airlines Long Haul
A mixed bag again. The 2-3-2 seats need to go on those 777s, whilst I liked the seats aboard the A350s. Onboard experience was… inconsistent. At least the catering was varied, if dramatic sometimes.
AirAsia
More than passable, especially with the catering. Thinner seats are needed, though, as my knees were pressed against the seat back.
Malaysia Airlines
Even in Economy Class, impressive. A shame their luggage handler managed to rip the wheels off my suitcase.
Lounges
Cathay Pacific Lounge at London Heathrow T3
I’ve got one more shot at using this lounge. Then, it’s out of my reach. I’m going to miss it.
OSL Lounge
Basic, but passable before a mid-haul flight.
Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge (Satellite Building)
As impressive as ever, with good facilities and a view.
The Mhabera Lounge, Terminal 1
Basic, by Far East standards
Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge
Expansive, but very busy, with a little Turkish Airlines flair too
Hotels
Ibis Budget Ruby
Basic, but did the job for a bedroom in Singapore on the cheap.
Holiday Inn Express Kuala Lumpur City Centre
A budget hotel that punches above its weight, especially with the breakfast buffet. Just don’t rely on it for stable internet connectivity.
Intercontinental Singapore (Frasers House, Marriott)
A classic property. I’m going to miss it, that’s for sure.
The Sheraton Levant, Istanbul
Different to my normal taste, but a good hotel. Although the bathroom with the blinds still scars my mind.
And with that, that’s your lot for Growing Old in Style. I hope you’ve enjoyed this long-form adventure. What was and eight day trip for me has been… a lot of writing and documenting, sorting images, and a lot of fights with the spell checkers.
Coming Up
Your writer has a lot coming up – providing things stabilise in the United Kingdom. Firstly, I’ve got a trip to Chicago, and of course, Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg during April.
There might be outside factors that change this as the year progresses, and they’ll be keeping an eye on them. Least of all, I seem to be spending far too much of my spare time in a certain staff subreddit at the moment, as things implode around me.
After all, change happens. It’s the only constant in life.
Until next we meet in the trip reports, toodle pip!
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