Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe - November 2021
Feb 2, 2022, 2:35 am
#46
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: SE U.K.
Posts: 123
Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe - November 2021 - Part 22
Date: 27th November 2021
Turkish Airlines TK672 FIH - IST
Aircraft: A330-300 TC-LNF
Scheduled: 01:15 – 11:15
Actual: 02:07 – 11:06
Seat: 04D (Business)
Initially I had been assigned seat 02E and my wife was given 04E – as I said we were not given a choice at check in. After a quick exchange with the cabin steward, she asked the lady seated next to my wife if she would swap places with me which she agreed to do. By now it was 01:30 and I was utterly exhausted. We had both been awake for the last 20 hours and with all the stress of acquiring alternative seats home, I collapsed into my chair.
We were given a choice of amenity bags with different designs. My wife chose the one she wanted for her and for me. I haven’t seen them since! No idea what’s in them? We had been given menus and also asked if we wanted “breakfast” soon after take-off but I wasn’t in the mood. We had eaten quite well on the SAA flight and it was stupid o’clock in the morning.
After take-off I asked for a G&T but I fell asleep before it arrived. The sleeping experience was very disappointing for my first time in Business class in many years. The calf rest did not hold the weight of my legs and the seat didn’t fully lie flat. I sort of lay down and slept for 2 hours, woke for my now warm G&T and tried to sleep again.
Just before landing, we were offered another snack which consisted of a cheese roll and a piece of cake. Quite frankly the roll looked disgusting, I ate the cake out of sheer desperation. The coffee was passable but that was about all I can remember about the catering. So much for sumptuous food in Business class!
Snack in Business class - not worth the effort of eating
On arrival at IST I was met by the special assistance who had the coolest way of transporting their passengers. It looks like a wheelchair that has an electric motor and a kind of kickboard at the back. The wheelchair operator stands on the board and steers the wheelchair. It was great, especially as the new IST airport has very long distances between everywhere. So long in fact, that they have dedicated golf buggies and special lanes marked out for them to use. There are places that you can wait kind of like a bus stop and hail the next passing buggy.
We were taken to the Turkish Airlines lounge where we were able to have a quick snack and a drink. My wife had a small plate of what she said was the most wonderful moussaka she had tasted. Barely had we finished our snack and the Special Assistance guy appeared again to take me to the gate for our last flight. I would have loved to spend more time in the lounge as it seemed a great place.
Date: 27th November 2021
Turkish Airlines TK1985 IST - LHR
Aircraft: A321 NEO TC-LSN
Scheduled: 13:40 – 14:35
Actual: 13:52 – 14:31
Seat: 04E (Business)
We piled onto the almost new plane and headed off on the final leg of our journey. Again, because I was so exhausted and the fact that the flight was unremarkable, I can remember few details about the flight apart from the landing at LHR. This was carried out in the teeth of Storm Arwen and I take my hat off to the captain who greased it on in the most challenging wind conditions.
After a 2 hour wait to get through Border control we found our cases waiting for us. Another possible issue arose – when we left LHR we had parked using a Meet & Greet service at T5. Now we had returned to T2. A quick telephone call to the Meet & Greet parking people and they happily delivered our car to T2. We jumped in the car and were quickly on the way home.
And so ends this somewhat lengthy tale. I hope that you enjoyed it. We loved the middle part of the trip but the beginning and the end were both wretched for different reasons. Would we go back to Namibia? In a heartbeat. It is a most beautiful country with something for everyone who enjoys the outdoors. After our first couple of days in Namibia, I asked the owner of the Cornerstone Guesthouse if I was reading the place right – I felt like Namibia has the best that South Africa has to offer without the underlying racial tension that still exists in that country. He said that I was spot on – In Namibia they had put all of that behind them long ago and just got on with enjoying their life. I asked the same question when we were at Nunda River Lodge and got the same answer there too. I encourage you to go and visit this lovely country. We are already sketching out a rough plan for the next trip in a couple of years.
Please feel free to ask me any questions that you may have, I will be happy to answer them if I can.
Turkish Airlines TK672 FIH - IST
Aircraft: A330-300 TC-LNF
Scheduled: 01:15 – 11:15
Actual: 02:07 – 11:06
Seat: 04D (Business)
Initially I had been assigned seat 02E and my wife was given 04E – as I said we were not given a choice at check in. After a quick exchange with the cabin steward, she asked the lady seated next to my wife if she would swap places with me which she agreed to do. By now it was 01:30 and I was utterly exhausted. We had both been awake for the last 20 hours and with all the stress of acquiring alternative seats home, I collapsed into my chair.
We were given a choice of amenity bags with different designs. My wife chose the one she wanted for her and for me. I haven’t seen them since! No idea what’s in them? We had been given menus and also asked if we wanted “breakfast” soon after take-off but I wasn’t in the mood. We had eaten quite well on the SAA flight and it was stupid o’clock in the morning.
After take-off I asked for a G&T but I fell asleep before it arrived. The sleeping experience was very disappointing for my first time in Business class in many years. The calf rest did not hold the weight of my legs and the seat didn’t fully lie flat. I sort of lay down and slept for 2 hours, woke for my now warm G&T and tried to sleep again.
Just before landing, we were offered another snack which consisted of a cheese roll and a piece of cake. Quite frankly the roll looked disgusting, I ate the cake out of sheer desperation. The coffee was passable but that was about all I can remember about the catering. So much for sumptuous food in Business class!
Snack in Business class - not worth the effort of eating
On arrival at IST I was met by the special assistance who had the coolest way of transporting their passengers. It looks like a wheelchair that has an electric motor and a kind of kickboard at the back. The wheelchair operator stands on the board and steers the wheelchair. It was great, especially as the new IST airport has very long distances between everywhere. So long in fact, that they have dedicated golf buggies and special lanes marked out for them to use. There are places that you can wait kind of like a bus stop and hail the next passing buggy.
We were taken to the Turkish Airlines lounge where we were able to have a quick snack and a drink. My wife had a small plate of what she said was the most wonderful moussaka she had tasted. Barely had we finished our snack and the Special Assistance guy appeared again to take me to the gate for our last flight. I would have loved to spend more time in the lounge as it seemed a great place.
Date: 27th November 2021
Turkish Airlines TK1985 IST - LHR
Aircraft: A321 NEO TC-LSN
Scheduled: 13:40 – 14:35
Actual: 13:52 – 14:31
Seat: 04E (Business)
We piled onto the almost new plane and headed off on the final leg of our journey. Again, because I was so exhausted and the fact that the flight was unremarkable, I can remember few details about the flight apart from the landing at LHR. This was carried out in the teeth of Storm Arwen and I take my hat off to the captain who greased it on in the most challenging wind conditions.
After a 2 hour wait to get through Border control we found our cases waiting for us. Another possible issue arose – when we left LHR we had parked using a Meet & Greet service at T5. Now we had returned to T2. A quick telephone call to the Meet & Greet parking people and they happily delivered our car to T2. We jumped in the car and were quickly on the way home.
And so ends this somewhat lengthy tale. I hope that you enjoyed it. We loved the middle part of the trip but the beginning and the end were both wretched for different reasons. Would we go back to Namibia? In a heartbeat. It is a most beautiful country with something for everyone who enjoys the outdoors. After our first couple of days in Namibia, I asked the owner of the Cornerstone Guesthouse if I was reading the place right – I felt like Namibia has the best that South Africa has to offer without the underlying racial tension that still exists in that country. He said that I was spot on – In Namibia they had put all of that behind them long ago and just got on with enjoying their life. I asked the same question when we were at Nunda River Lodge and got the same answer there too. I encourage you to go and visit this lovely country. We are already sketching out a rough plan for the next trip in a couple of years.
Please feel free to ask me any questions that you may have, I will be happy to answer them if I can.
Last edited by bigbadjoe; Feb 2, 2022 at 4:02 am Reason: Picture added
Feb 3, 2022, 1:55 am
#47
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
Programs: BA Bronze, Emirates Silver, Virgin Silver, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,403
Glad to hear that you managed to get home in time with your detour and thanks for sharing your TR. I agree that sandwich looks disgusting - better to get rid of the contents and just eat the loaf!
Jul 25, 2022, 3:00 am
#48
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: SoCal
Posts: 175
Thank you for your wonderful trip report. It contains so much useful information for a trip I’ve been thinking about for a long time and now plan to take in June of next year. Sorry for your loss and the exorbitant prices and hassles you had to endure to get home.
Jul 25, 2022, 4:19 am
#49
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: SE U.K.
Posts: 123
PS still not had any luck reclaiming the TK flight costs from Travel Insurance, might have to write that off as a £6.5k "experience"