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Türkiye 2021
  • Two to Travel
  • Ahmet Erkun

Türkiye 2021

Our trip to Turkey this year is set for 4 months ... give or take a few days so that we can make up for family time lost in 2019-2020 due to COVID-19. Baca lagi
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  • Permulaan perjalanan
    5 September 2021
    Türkiye 2021

    Turkey ... Spring Instead of Fall

    1 Ogos 2019, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    We canceled a bunch of 2021 travel plans yesterday. But we also made some new ones ... risk-free plans that will give us something to look forward to.

    Whenever we go to Turkey, we try to add some travel plans in Europe to break up the long flight back to the US. Oceania [O] is currently running an Ultimate Sale promotion with some really good fares. Would be a shame not to take advantage of it, wouldn’t it? So, we booked an attractive itinerary with the fancy name of "Icons of the Isles."

    What this means is that we will be going to Turkey in the spring instead of in the fall as we usually do. But that's OK ... spring is a good time to be there.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021

    THY Tickets for March 2021 ✔︎

    2 Ogos 2020, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    This afternoon we booked saver award tickets on Turkish Airlines to travel to İzmir, Turkey from Houston, Texas in March. Why aren't we flying from Denver? Because that would require connecting flights. It's bad enough that we have to take a flight to get to my home city from İstanbul ... no need to add a second stop.

    Our miles are with United Airlines, so we made the booking through the UA website — 77,000 miles each for business class … one way. Plus $6.80pp in taxes and fees. That’s pretty much the same as what we paid in March this year and is a good deal. If due to COVID-19, the trip falls through, we’ll just redeposit the miles and still be good to go.

    Seats for the long haul flight — IAH to IST — open up 100 days prior to departure, so we'll have to wait until November to make our selections.

    We plan to drive the Cruiser to Houston and leave it at the storage facility we used when we were full-timing in the Phaeton. Of course, we could always change our minds about that … there is still plenty of time to make up our minds.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021

    Phoenix Cruiser Staying Home

    24 Ogos 2020, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Wasn't it just four days ago that I was still saying that we'd be driving the Cruiser down to Houston to catch our flight to Turkey? In fact, didn't I just buy tickets to return us to Houston so we could drive the Cruiser back home? "Yes," to both of those questions. But things have changed now.

    This morning, looking at the nearly 1,100-miles it would take to get us to Houston from Colorado Springs, we started re-thinking our plans. Four or five campground stays in each direction ... no time to dally along the way ... the possibility of snow and ice on the roads on the way down to Houston ... the wear and tear on the cruiser ... the expense of storing the Cruiser in Houston for several months. Hmmm! Suddenly the plans and logistics were no longer very appealing.

    When we found non-stop flights from COS to IAH, we started to seriously rethink our plans. That the cost of roundtrip tickets was about half the expense of the Cruiser trip down and back made flying more appealing. That we could book the tickets under United's current change fee waiver sealed the deal.

    We were unable to add the COS-IAH-COS flights to our existing plans, but the UA agent linked all three reservation codes, so for all intents and purposes it seems like we booked one set of tickets. Now to keep our 🤞🏻 that COVID-19 does not throw a wrench into our plans.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021

    PCR Testing for Entry into Turkey

    24 Disember 2020, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 46 °F

    Up until now, Turkey was not requiring any kind of COVID-19 testing to enter the country from anywhere in the world. That has now changed. The reason? The explosion of COVID-19 numbers in Turkey. Apparently the rules now require a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arrival.

    The possible good news? The rule is set to expire on 1 March 2021. That’s before we fly out from IAH on 9 March. Of course, there’s no guarantee things won’t change again. These are uncertain times.

    Anyway, it’s just one more thing to consider when we’re making a decision to go or not in March.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021

    Annual Trip to Turkey Postponed

    14 Januari 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F

    This is one of the dominoes that fell when we canceled our May 2021 Icon of the Isles cruise on Oceania.

    Though we usually visit Turkey in the fall, this year we moved the trip to the spring. The plan was to fly to Turkey in March, visit our families for a couple of months, and then fly to England to embark on Oceania's Sirena.

    Those plans have now been trashed.

    Instead, we'll be going to Turkey in September. The new plan calls for spending several months there, returning to the USA after we bid hello to the new year.

    These new plans all came about when Turkish Airlines (THY) sent an email yesterday with their latest promotion ... 40% off on fares through December 2021. What did that mean? Basically that we could fly BizClass for the price of Economy seats. Too good to pass up! But we had to move quickly since the promo was only good on purchases through 15 January.

    So, we canceled the March tickets purchased with United Airlines miles and bought new tickets directly from THY.

    UA has already redeposited the miles at no cost to us. And the taxes and fees are already showing as a pending refund on the credit card. No hit to the wallet. That's a good thing.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021

    COS-IAH Logistics

    5 Februari 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 37 °F

    Our revised plans for this year's annual trip to Turkey return us to Houston on 2 January 2022 ... the latest date I could book with the 40% Turkish Airlines promo.

    A few days ago, the United Airlines booking site showed domestic flights for that date available for booking. We have flight credits, but they have a "fly-by" date in August. Since we don't begin our trip until 6 September, I looked at award tickets instead.

    I found a schedule that fit our needs. In fact, our outgoing flight to Houston is the same one we had booked for March. I did run into a small glitch on the inbound flight. You see, our Turkish Airlines flight from İstanbul is not scheduled to arrive @ IAH until 7:00p. The connection is too tight to make the last UA flight to Colorado Springs that same evening.

    No matter. We'll just stay overnight, get a good night's rest, and fly home the next day.

    I booked a fully-cancelable room — no deposit required — at the Marriott @ IAH. Not only is there an underground shuttle between the terminal and the hotel, but we can also walk the passageway to stretch our legs after the long haul flight from İstanbul. We stayed at this hotel in 2018 and know how it all works.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021

    TK33 Equipment Change

    1 Mac 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F

    Our hopes of flying the Dreamliner on at least one leg of our trip to Turkey this year have been dashed.

    When we bought our THY tickets earlier this year, the IAH-IST flight was showing the equipment as a B777 ... with the return flight — TK33 — on the Dreamliner.

    Checking our reservation today, we found out that the Dreamliner has been switched out for the B777. Darn!

    Not that we mind flying the 777. We've flown it to Turkey before and know what to expect. It just would have been nice to try out BizClass on different equipment for a change.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021

    Logistics Changes: IAH-COS

    23 April 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    The connection time between the arrival of our flight from İstanbul to Houston on 2 January is just too tight to make the last flight out to Colorado Springs. Hence the need for an overnight hotel stay.

    Earlier this year, I booked us into the Marriott at IAH ... connected to the terminal via an underground shuttle and walkway. Pricey, but I figured I'd keep checking for a better rate. So far no go.

    While checking rates today, I saw a much better deal at the Marriott Courtyard. Yes, it would require a shuttle ride. Yes, we're still leery of riding with "others not in our COVID bubble." But we're also less leery since we are now fully vaccinated ... and the ride is under three miles.

    So, I switched us to the Courtyard. We can cancel the rez until midnight on 1 January. That means no fuss ... no muss if we change our minds. Or, if suddenly United adds a later flight to COS and we no longer need a hotel.

    FLIGHT SCHEDULE CHANGE

    Schedule changes aren’t always welcome. But this time I was pleased to see the change that popped up on the UA site when I went to look at our booking. I can’t say what prompted me to check the website, but I am glad I did.

    At the time I booked our flight home for 3 January, the only non-stop to COS was at 2:30p … a lot of time to kill at the hotel and airport. Well, that’s no more.

    The new schedule has us departing IAH at noon. This means that we’ll likely be home by the time the original flight was to have taken off from IAH. That’s a good thing. Mui can do some provisioning so that we don’t go hungry … and the shopping will keep him from succumbing to jet lag.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    Looks like we just might fly the Dreamliner to Turkey after all.

    Outbound Flight Changes

    28 Julai 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    On my to-do list today was a note to check our flights to Turkey for schedule and equipment changes.

    We’d received notification of the IAH-IST flight changes back in May, but I was too busy with our Alaska roadtrip to write about it. Nothing major. The aircraft is scheduled to depart 5 minutes earlier at 8:50p and arrive 10 minutes earlier at 4:40p. Still with plenty of time to make the IST-ADB flight.

    Then, 10 days ago we got notification of a change for the Colorado Springs-IAH flight. Again, minor. We leave 8 minutes later than scheduled arrive in Houston 5 minutes later at 3:25p.

    The schedule change today was for the IST-ADB flight. Once again, nothing major. No change to the 7:00p departure, but we will arrive 15 minutes earlier at 8:05p. No complaints about that.

    There is an equipment change as well ... for the long haul to IST. Looks like we just might be flying a Dreamliner after all.

    The BizClass cabin has a 1-2-1 layout. We prefer not to fly in the middle section, so I was happy to see that we were automatically switched to 2K and 3K … both window seats. That means we will be seated separately. That doesn’t bother us, however, since Mui will likely put on his sleep mask and doze off as soon as the meal service is completed anyway.

    With several weeks to go before our September departure, I'll be curious to see how many more changes we have to our flights.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    Required for domestic travel within Turkey during the pandemic.

    HES Codes ✔️

    15 Ogos 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    What is that you ask? It’s something anyone who wants to travel domestically in Turkey needs to present before being allowed on any form of public transportation, including planes, trains, buses … even drivers of private automobiles traveling between cities and provinces must show this code.

    The system was implemented as a pre-cautionary measure after COVID-19 started exploding in early 2020. It’s basically a tracking/contact tracing system to monitor and aid in preventing the spread of the dastardly Coronavirus. Since its initial implementation, the program has been expanded to include places like restaurants, movie theaters, etc, etc … at least that’s my understanding.

    The code is easy enough to get … either online or through a special app. And it is good for 18 months. It took Mui just a couple of minutes to get our codes today.

    So, now we can make some logistics plans for a short trip we’ll be taking in September.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    The trip will be more like 3 hours by bus.

    Kâmil Koç to Güvercinlik

    15 Ogos 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    Işıl — Mui’s sister — has a beach house in Güvercinlik, a village near Bodrum … in Turkey’s Muğla Province. Mui and I will be taking a bus from İzmir to spend a few days with her there in September. The three of us will drive back to İzmir in her car. The plan is for her to spend a few days in İzmir and then Mui will drive her home to Eskişehir. He’ll probably stay with her for a bit, but for how long and all that is TBD.

    Hence the reason we needed to get HES codes today.

    Armed with the code, we got online to buy our bus tickets. Our preferred bus company — Pamukkale Turizm — had only one bus daily. Turns out they are in Chapter 11 and have cut back on their services. Instead, we booked with Kâmil Koç … which is now a partner of FlixBus, a German brand that offers bus service not only in Europe, but in the US as well.

    Long story short, we selected our departure date and time; filled in the necessary passenger information, including our ID and HES code numbers; and even pre-selected our seats … the first ones to do so on our departure … not surprising as Turks don’t plan their travels as far out as we do. It took us no more than 5 minutes to complete the purchase.

    So, we now have the first of what may be several short trips in Turkey planned.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021

    Entry & Re-Entry PCR Testing

    19 Ogos 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    The good news? If you are fully-vaccinated, Turkey no longer requires PCR testing 72-hours ahead of entry into the country. That’s a huge relief.

    As for re-entry into the US in January … good news on that front as well. No, the requirement for a PCR test has not been abolished, but the guidelines call for the test to be taken within 3 days of one’s flight. And the CDC example on their website does not count the day of travel. That means that for our 2 January flight, we can get tested on 30 December … which is a Thursday. With so many labs providing testing in Turkey, not to mention testing centers at the airport, we won’t have to worry about purchasing an at-home test kit to take with us.Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    We'll be flying the Dreamliner both ways.

    Inbound Fligts: Sch & Equipment Change

    28 Ogos 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Mui got a text from Turkish Airlines last night. It was advising us of a schedule change to the domestic portion of our 2 January flights from İzmir to Houston. Same flight number, but an earlier departure from ADB ... and a slightly later arrival @ IST. No matter, still plenty of time to connect to our afternoon flight to IAH.

    THY requires confirmation from the passenger whenever there is a change. We tried to do this online and through the app. Both gave error messages. So we made a phone call and spoke to an agent. In no time at all, our online flight record showed the revised flight info.

    I'm not sure what prompted me to ask that the agent confirm our selected seats as well. When it came to our IST-IAH flight, she said our seats were 4A/5A. Aha! An equipment change! And one that I was hoping would happen. TK33 was now going to be on a B787-9 … a Dreamliner, in other words.

    I’ve since gone online to switch our seats to the starboard aisle … 4K/5K … better aerial views from that side IMHO.

    We now have ten days to go before we begin this year's overseas jaunt.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021

    Moving Up Our Departure

    30 Ogos 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Apparently, Mui and I have both been thinking about a “what if.” And not saying anything to each other. The “what if” was … what if our flight from COS to IAH on 6 September is delayed or canceled? Would we be able to make our flight departing IAH for IST?

    We’re not superstitious people. And if we weren’t in the midst of a pandemic, we probably would have laughed off our concerns once we voiced them during our morning walk today. But we are in the midst of a pandemic and air travel can have more bumps than usual.

    Rather than stress over the “what if,” we decided to just move our departure from COS up by a day. Thanks to an earlier schedule change, our United flight was eligible for a one-time change/cancelation at no charge to us. Why not take advantage of it?

    Step One … check flight availability for 5 September. The answer was yes.

    Step Two … verify full refund for the 6 September flight on the UA website. The answer was yes.

    Step Three … cancel the original booking. Miles refunded immediately; refund of taxes & fees pending the usual credit card cycle.

    Step Four … book the same round trip COS-IAH-COS flights with a 5 September departure; return date unchanged. The bonus … fewer miles to purchase the tickets. The second bonus … same exit row seats available on both flights.

    Step Five … book a hotel room for the overnight before our 6 September IAH-IST departure on Turkish Airlines. The bonus … a room at the Marriott at IAH … no shuttle transport required to/from the airport.

    So, our 2021 overseas jaunt will now commence a day early … and neither of us will be stressing over the “what if.”    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    The dreaded packing is done!

    Almost Ready

    4 September 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    I’ve got a pre-trip checklist that I use each time we go off on an adventure. It has everything on it — from what to pack, to stopping the mail, to verifying flight information, to turning off the water, to … well you get the idea. Big and small … everything is on the list.

    Added to the list this year is researching and verifying COVID-19 related entry requirements … which can be a moving target … what with the ever-changing profile of the pandemic. Luckily for us, being vaccinated has made meeting the entry requirements for Turkey easier. In fact, we just finished taking care of the last of those requirements … completing an online entry form that we printed out to hand over to THY when we check-in for our flight to IST on Monday.

    All but a few things on the checklist are now checked off. Even our bags are zippered and zip-tied. The items that remain unchecked are the last minute things that have to wait until just before we set the alarm and lock up the house.

    I guess we’re just about ready to get this show on the road … just one more sleep to go.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    Lobby of Colorado Springs Airport, CO.
    On cold winter days there's always a welcoming fire here — Colorado Springs Airport, CO.Pikes Peak features prominently in the tile mural — Colorado Springs, CO.And here's the real Pikes Peak from our gate area ... on a smoky Sunday morning — COS Airport, CO.

    And We Begin …

    5 September 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    We turned off the water, checked the doors and windows, set the alarm, and locked up. Time to get this show on the road.

    A quick Lyft drive brought us to COS. Our local airport might be small, but it offers the convenience of a non-stop flight to IAH so that we can connect to the flight that will take us across the pond … tomorrow.

    At the moment, we’re at Gate 5 … awaiting our air-chariot. More later …    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    CR-J ... the plane that will be taking us to IAH — Colorado Springs Airport, CO.

    Our Chariot to IAH Arrives

    5 September 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    The CR-J 200 that will be taking us to IAH has landed and is approaching Gate 5. We should be boarding in the next little while … later than the original 11:18a boarding. No matter … it’s not like we don’t have plenty of time on our hands.Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    Blue skies and fluffy white clouds ... and spots on the porthole — Aboard UA4660.
    That's quite the thunderhead ... but we have a smooth flight — Aboard UA4660.

    Uneventful Flight

    5 September 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    That about describes our flight … once our winged-chariot was swapped out and we got off the ground. The problem? Too much weight for the CRJ … passengers and bags.

    At first they were looking for volunteers to jump to the next flight … with quite a generous offer that we might have taken. But then they rescinded that and found another solution. In the end, what I think happened was that they had another aircraft going to IAH, so they left the bags on the original aircraft and put us on the second one.

    Despite our delayed departure — by about 30 minutes — we were on the ground at IAH shortly after our original scheduled arrival of 3:25p.

    All’s well that ends well.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    Our air chariot ... and our hotel in the background — IAH ... Houston, TX.
    Our home away from home for the night — Houston Airport Marriott, TX.

    Checked into Marriott @ IAH

    5 September 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 95 °F

    The Houston Airport Marriott is not connected to a terminal at IAH … per se. But there is a tunnel one can use to get to it … either by taking the below-ground train that runs between the terminals and makes a stop at the Marriott … on on foot via the pedestrian walkway between the tracks that loop around. Wanting to stretch our legs, we opted to do the latter.

    By 4:30p, we were settled into our room … the airport luggage cart we used to haul the bags parked in one corner … well out of the way. Nice … clean … all the amenities we could want for an overnight stay (though we did have to ask for some hand lotion) … a partial view of the airport.

    The only hitch in our plans? Our late check out can’t be extended past 1:00p tomorrow because the hotel is booked solid. We won’t be able to check in for our THY flight until 4:00p or sometime thereafter. So we’ll have to kill time somewhere.

    No worries, though. We have a plan. We’ll check out at 1:00p, leave the bags with the concierge, and have a leisurely lunch at Flight’s Grill, the on-property restaurant, before we make our way to the appropriate terminal.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    A very satisfying dinner — Houston Airport Marriott, TX.

    Dinner Time: Flights Lounge & Grill

    5 September 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F

    Once we were settled into our room, it was time to get our tummies sated. If there are any eateries in the vicinity, they require wheels to get to them. The restaurants at IAH are all after the security checkpoints. So, we went down to Flights Lounge & Grill, the restaurant at the hotel. Good food … very satisfying.

    We were both up at 5:00a this morning and we’ve since traveled some 800+ miles (as the crow flies). Time to relax a bit … and then early to bed methinks.

    ——————————————-

    For those interested in such things …

    I ordered the Rotini Pasta [creamy wild mushroom and garlic sauce, asparagus, parmesan] and topped it with grilled salmon for protein. Mui ordered the “H-Town” Cobb Salad [chopped romaine, local bacon, hard-boiled egg, grilled corn, pickled red onion, blue cheese, avocado, tomatoes, house made chipotle ranch] and added grilled salmon for extra protein. We wrapped up with a Key Lime Pie … good, but we’ve had better.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    An artistic rendition of the hotel we'll be staying at in Ayvalık ... in the province of Balıkesir.

    Ayvalık Added to Our Sept Schedule

    6 September 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    On 26 September, my brother-in-law, Murat, has a swim meet in Ayvalık, a seaside town in the province of Balikesir … north of İzmir. As a teenager, I spent a lot of time there with family and friends. At times there were so many of us that we’d book out an entire boutique hotel. Lots of fun memories from those days.

    When Aylin and Murat suggested that we make a weekend outing out of his need to be in Ayvalık, we jumped at the chance to do so. So, now … we have two short getaways planned for September.

    Our first choice, a boutique hotel, was not available, but Aylin and Murat made reservations for us all at Çınar Hotel … overlooking Sarımsaklı Beach. We received the confirmation this morning before we headed down to breakfast at the Marriott IAH.

    Looking forward to a walk down memory lane while making new family memories.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    The walkway is between the train tracks on either side — IAH underground access ... Houston, TX.
    Welcome to Houston ... mural and nighttime satellite image @ Terminal D — IAH ... Houston, TX.2Undulating mosaic wall leading to the Terminal B parking structure — IAH ... Houston, TX.1Detail from the mosaic wall leading to the Terminal B parking structure — IAH ... Houston, TX.Detail from the mosaic wall leading to the Terminal B parking structure — IAH ... Houston, TX.

    Airport Recon

    6 September 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Actually, not so much a recon … more for exercise since it was just too hot and muggy to go for a walk outside.

    After breakfast at the Flight Lounge & Grill at the Marriott, we set off for the airport. We took the underground train from the hotel to the IAH Terminals D/E stop to locate the Turkish Airlines counters for tonight’s flight check-in and find out what time they open. Turns out … not until 4:40p. Good thing we have a plan to kill time at the hotel after we check out.

    That accomplished, we headed back down to the underground tunnel and walked all the way to Terminal A … with a detour to the Terminal B parking structure where I had spotted a lovely, nature-inspired mosaic mural. Then, we headed back to the hotel via the walkway.

    All in all … a little more than 1.5 miles. We’ll be walking back to Terminal D when we leave the hotel this afternoon, adding another mile to our total steps. Not bad.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    Delicious food for lunch — Flights Grill & Lounge at Houston Airport Marriott, TX.

    Lunch Time!

    6 September 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    What with breakfast, a walk to/from the airport, our morning ablutions, and packing our overnight accoutrements in one of the checked bags, the morning flew by. Before we knew it, our extended check-out at 1:00p was upon us.

    As per the plan we came up with yesterday when we were unable to extend our check out to 4:00p, we headed down to the lobby, checked out of the room, and walked over to Flights Lounge and Grill for lunch. Good food … good service from a waiter with a fun sense of humor, and best of all, empty tables in the section where we opted to sit.

    We easily killed another hour before we have to go to the airport.

    ———————————-

    For those interested in such things …

    I ordered the Market Fish … switching out the mahi-mahi for salmon [with fingerling potatoes, grilled broccolini, chorizo hash]. Mui ordered the Watermelon Greek Salad [lettuce, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onions, feta cheese, cucumber, chunks of watermelon … Greek vinaigrette] and added grilled salmon for protein. We wrapped up with a delicious cheesecake.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    When you have writing to do, the wait-time flies — Houston Airport Marriott Lobby, TX.
    Mui in a Bottle — Houston Airport Marriott, TX.

    Almost Ready to Walk to IAH

    6 September 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    After lunch at the Flights Grill, we found some comfy seats in the lobby of the Houston Airport Marriott … no one around but the desk clerks and us. In the last ½-hour new arrivals have shown up to check in, but they all continued on to their rooms, so we continued to have the place pretty much to ourselves.

    The two additional hours we needed to kill before walking to Terminal D to check in for our flight has gone by in the blink of an eye. I even found time — before it was too late — to call mom before we commence the “over-the-pond” flight that will end in Turkey tomorrow afternoon … what with the 8-hour time difference between here and there.

    Now, time to put away our electronics and get ready to walk to the airport.    Baca lagi

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  • Türkiye 2021
    Waiting to check in for TK34 — Terminal D @ IAH ... Houston, TX.
    A bunch of United planes are poised for their flights — United Lounge @ Terminal E ... IAH, TX.

    Checked In!

    6 September 2021, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    Leaving the hotel around 4:30p, we strolled over to Terminal D/E via the underground tunnel, crossed over to Terminal D via the sky bridge, and queued up to check in at the THY BizClass counter … thank goodness for that as the line for the economy cabin was snaking around with no social distancing whatsoever.

    The check-in itself was easy-peasy. In addition to our passports, we had to show the agent our COVID-19 shot cards and the forms we completed online to enter Turkey. Travel during pandemic times dontcha know!

    The only glitch? Somehow our Trusted Traveler Number must have dropped from our online profiles on the Turkish Airlines website. So, our boarding passes did not show TSA Pre✔️. No matter. The line for the BizClass security checkpoint was not long. And, since IAH has new screening machines with modern technology, we did not have to remove electronics or 3-1-1 bags from our carry-on luggage. Shoes were another matter, however. But that’s why I always wear socks when traveling!

    Once through the checkpoint, we walked over to the United Lounge in Terminal E. As a Star Alliance partner, Turkish Airlines BizClass passengers are welcome to use the lounge to while away their time. Which is what we are doing at the moment!

    In another hour or so, we’ll be heading to our gate.    Baca lagi

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