Okay here we are, the first of three days to get myself to my next scheduled destination. Running on empty I head to the airport at 3am. Here is my travel day Riyadh to Istanbul via Jeddah on Saudia. Once there I will have a nine-hour layover to relax a little before my final flight, a red eye.
Riyadh
Leaving the hotel, I take an Uber through the dark city to the airport at a cost of $33 CAD. The airport is bright and easy to navigate. I go to the check-in desk to drop off my bag and head through security. I am always eager to get to the departure lounges, where I can relax a little.
I need a coffee badly and begin to peruse all of the cafés and bakeries. Prices are extremely high as expected, think $17 CAD for a piece of cake and $12 for the smallest coffee. 🤯😭 As I wander, I spot of all things, a Tim Hortons! I can’t stomach paying $7 for the croissant but I will get a coffee. A little more walking to stretch the legs and its time to head for the gate.
Riyadh to Jeddah
We are bussed out to the plane, a beautiful Airbus A320. I will note here that all flights out of Riyadh and into and out of Jeddah were all parked away from the terminals. Only bussing used to transport passengers. I’m not sure what type of safety measure was enforced but found this interesting that planes were being kept away from the terminals themselves.
The Saudia Airlines plane is lovely and clean and of course staff are very friendly. Unfortunately, we depart 50 minutes late, so my turn around time that was 1.5 hours in Jeddah is now reduced to a critical 40 minutes.
A prayer is said overhead in Arabic with English translation at the beginning of each Saudia flight. I find this soothing and am grateful for it. The flight attendants serve an Iftar box as the meal which I happily accept and put into my carry-on. I still have no appetite.
Jeddah
After a relatively short flight across Saudi, most of the landscape looking rather lunar-esque, we arrive into Jeddah late.
Once I’m off the plane its onto a waiting bus as the plane has been parked quite far from the terminal. The bus pulls up to the arrival doors and I begin to run. But its to a train that I have to take to get to my next gate. 😩Luckily the train comes within a matter of minutes and I reach the farthest wing of the terminal, not connected because its currently under construction. As soon as I’m off the bus, I take off running again like my pants are on fire. Not a pretty sight I’ll tell you.
I reach my gate and run directly onto the bus that will take me to the departing plane. Everyone is boarding as I arrive, I’ve made it by the skin of my teeth. Wahoo!!
Jeddah to Istanbul
I’m sweating like you can’t believe but am utterly relieved to have made this connection. I can now relax into the comfortable seat of the Airbus A330 and try to settle down for this five-hour flight. Lady luck on my side, I also have the seat beside me vacant! Again, the prayer in Arabic and we are on our way. Clear skies and a calm flight, I have no recollection of what I did to pass that time.
We are served a breakfast meal of eggs that I was in fact able to eat. Look at this scenery as we approach Istanbul. The two-sided city is enormous beyond belief and the air so clear I can actually see everything on this descent.
Istanbul IST
Arriving into Istanbul’s IST airport is a smooth approach and landing. The terminal is huge, full of luxury shopping, high prices and people dressed up in heritage costume serving tea. I have decided I will spend part of my nine-hour layover in an airport lounge.
It takes me forever to locate the IGA lounge and Google Maps and the information folks are of little help. Finally, I locate the entrance across from McDonalds. I pay the $32US to enter using my Dragonpass and they give me almost four hours instead of the maximum 3 hour stay.
Finding a seat that feels both comfortable and not close to anyone else, I settle in. First stop is to the bar for a glass of rose. Then its food. Taking my time, I eat slowly, forcing myself to calm down and relax.
I tell my brain over and over, that I am safe now. Everything is okay and I only have another 36 hours of travel to go before I can finally, finally begin to decompress.
