The Longest Day

We arise at 6.30am on Sunday to begin our journey home, in the knowledge that it will be around 11.00pm Monday night Vietnamese time before we reach Dublin. Given our history of not being able to sleep on planes, we strap ourselves in for a 40 hour 'day'.

Hours 1-5, Siem Reap to Saigon:

Rather inconveniently, the ultramodern Siem Reap airport, built specifically for visitors to Angkor, is located a good hour away from the town (partially due to local planning restrictions). But it's a straight-forward car ride out through vast nothingness to get there, and the voyage through the terminal (complete with piped-in bird sounds) and the flight itself go smoothly. So far, so good.

Hours 6-16, Relax:

With a 10 hour gap to our flight out of Vietnam, we dump the bags in left luggage and head into Saigon for a massage, with the intention of putting ourselves in relax-mode ahead of our longest flight. After negotiating the stepping stones over the koi pond entrance, we find ourselves at Ha Spa, an oasis of .....well, chaos and noise. It's small and crowded, being a popular spot for locals as well as those passing through. Nonetheless we are given firm but technically excellent massages (Claire also treats herself to an unusual hair-washing treatment) and can feel the muscles loosening as we head around the corner afterwards for lunch at a pizzeria.

We have given ourselves plenty of time to get back to the airport and go through the formalities, which is a good thing because the queues at check-in, passport control and security are very slow. We do however have plenty of time airside to do a quick clothes change and to ready ourselves for the 11 hour flight to Istanbul.

Hours 17-28: Saigon to Istanbul

Okay, so I understand that aircraft manufacturers and airlines are looking to cram as many seats into each plane, and over the last number of years I have noticed a steady reduction in leg-room space coupled with a narrowing of seat width. But the latest trend in airborne discomfort is the introduction of spine-bending seat designs that make it difficult to sit up straight. Over the course of the flight, we and other passengers struggle to adjust to a tolerable seating position, and spend an hour or two standing in the aisles to relieve the pain.

On the plus-side, Turkish Airlines have delivered again mealwise, with a nice chicken dish for dinner followed up by a French toast breakfast. Also, the inflight entertainment options are also decent, and after a movie I watch some live football. Unfortunately they don't have the league cup final on, but thanks to the BBC news channel, I don't have to wait until landing for the result.

Hours 29-36: Istanbul

Another major airport hub, another long layover. Fortunately Turkish airlines offer a free tour of the city to those waiting for connections, so after a bit of a wait, we head off with 50 others and our guide Kazim on a three hour whirlwind coach tour of the city. It's a good 40 minutes just to reach the city centre, but we are given good information en route by the guide on the history of Istanbul.

Fun fact, Constantin didn't name the city after himself (he christened it Nova Roma), but locals began referring to it as Constantinople due to his connection. Of course the name later changed to Istanbul, which apparently stems from the Greek words for 'to the city'.

It's a huge place, so naturally we only get a snapshot in our brief visit. We view numerous mosques (and learn why they have varying numbers of minarets), and travel along the city's southern coastline, watching the Sea of Marmara blend into the Bosphorus strait, splitting Istanbul into its European and Asian sides.

We have two stops, with the first being a photo stop on the Galata bridge. From here there are great views of both banks along the 'Golden Horn' stretch of water, including the Yeni Cami Mosque and the

Galata Tower.

A few minutes down the road we stop by the waterside for breakfast, which consists of a Simit (a ring of bread with sesame seeds), tea and a small cube of Turkish Delight (of course). It's a very pleasant stop, and we are also afforded time to check out the exteriors of the adjacent Dolmabahce palace and clock tower, as well as a mosque and the Besiktas football stadium.

True to their word, the tour operators have us back at the airport by 11.30, so we proceed at a leisurely pace through two security checks and passport control before arriving at our gate area for the final flight of the trip.

Hours 37-40: Istanbul to Dublin

I take it all back about the previous plane, they've found another few inches to lop off the legroom on this one! The tiredness is catching up now, and despite the discomfort, I manage to drop off during The Shawshank Redemption (usually unforgivable).

Shortly after 3pm Irish time, we are back in Dublin, and are proud of the DAA as they produce our bags in a timely manner. Then it's outside to Marjorie and Myles, our chauffeurs, to take us the final part of the way.

The End?

And all of a sudden, that's it. Two very different trips and 15 weeks of memories upon which to reflect. Things will slowly get back to normal for now, but in the back of our minds we'll be cooking up the next big adventure!

Thanks for reading along. We realise that the blogs turned from being a 30 second bite size read in the early days to a Sunday Times weekend piece, so bonus points for those who have stayed the course from start to finish!

Until next time....