Round The World and other travels

A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries

This is: Singapore & Malaysia 2014

Beginning of the end

LEFT: German-themed seasonal displays at Changi T3 ABOVE: dnata lounge in Terminal 3

Once again, I had been a little too early going to bed and now it meant waking up earlier than desired. I tried to continue resting for a while but got up at 6:30. I was ready to go an hour later and decided just to get on with it.

As previously, Changi Airport's Terminal 3 made for a delightful travel experience. As I have commented before, it is exactly what every major airport terminal should be like: spacious, airy, efficient and calm. It came as no surprise whatever that the check-in process was friendly, efficient and thoroughly civilised. The dnata lounge was perhaps on the plainer side of expectations, but I had seen much worse over the years. With the boarding announcement for my Sri Lankan Airways flight coming just after 9 o'clock, I found myself in the gate 'holding pen' somewhat earlier than really necessary. If this was going to be the theme of the day, I thought to myself, at least it was preferable to the stressful alternative of constantly running late.

(Link to flight log in side panel)

Sri Lankan Airways lounge at its home airport

On arrival at Colombo, Sri Lanka, I made my way without difficulty to the Serendib lounge, which looked thoroughly familiar from two visits in 2012. I even recognised the chairs! Although the lounge's food offerings looked considerably improved since the time of my previous visits, I simply wasn't ready for anything to eat at this point.

I made my way to Gate 11 in due course, adjacent to where I had so recently arrived from Singapore, and waited with everyone else while final preparations were completed on the Airbus A330 that would soon be London-bound.

(Link to flight log in side panel)

After a long day of travel, I was back on the island that I call home and feeling somewhat relieved that I had planned to save the final section of my journey for another day. I took an ordinary bus to Cranford and checked in at the DoubleTree hotel. A King room on the Hilton HHonors floor was allocated, but on arrival I found that it hadn't been cleaned. Among the general mess, I noticed used tissues lying on various surfaces. What's wrong with some people? Don't they know what that cylindrical object on the floor, under the desk, is for? Ugh!

Following a return visit to Reception, I was reallocated to 527; it was an ordinary room but I was too tired to care. I managed to keep going to a little past 9pm, at which point I surrendered to much needed sleep.