Ulaanbaatar - Istanbul - Heathrow - Home

And so starts the long journey home.

Being picked up at 05:30 means that there is very little traffic. This must be the only time of day where the roads are quiet in Ulaanbaatar. We speak to a lady at the airport, who tells us that when they arrived back at Ulaanbaatar at 03:00 a couple of days ago, the roads were still full of slow-moving cars.

Ulaanbaatar Airport

The airport is modern and clean, and we easily pick up a wheelchair and porter, who pushes us through First Class check in.

Turkish Airways Flight from Ulaanbaatar to Istanbul

Despite the plane not being full so that we can spread out a little, it is a long and painful flight. The seat behind me is occupied by a “backstabber” – someone who things a touch screen needs to be stabbed with all their force to work. In front is a couple of drunk and very loud Russians, who are drinking from a miniature bottle during take-off and are still imbibing as we land. On the other side of the aisle is a screaming baby, who wails non-stop the entire journey. The party is completed by the “clappers” who give the captain a round of applause as we land, and those idiots who insist on standing up to retrieve their luggage while we are still taxiing on the runway.

Istanbul Airport

As we exit the plane, there are no wheelchair, with another two disabled passengers also waiting. There is also a mother who is freaking out a little as her child’s buggy is missing from the plane. The crew admit they have received numerous complains, as the airport management only ever send one wheelchair to meet a flight, despite being told that there are several special assistance passengers onboard.

Because I can, I decide to walk up into the terminal building to find a chair there. Just as I get to the end of the boarding bridge, I see a wheelchair disappearing into the lift, and try to call out, but to no avail. A little further long, two workers sit behind a desk playing on their phones while two wheelchairs sit idly by their sides. When I suggest I can use one, I receive a dismissive wave in return, with the words; “Buggy. Wait there”, pointing to a bench already occupied by two frail old men and a lady with a walking stick. I wait there.

When a buggy arrives, it is full, but the friendly looking driver indicates that she will be back in five minutes. She is true to her word, and is very sweet. As we make our way through the terminal, picking up as many passengers as we can, we encounter a lot of angry special assistance passengers who have been abandoned for some time (we only have room for two more passengers). The driver stops to assist a very confused and panicky-looking couple, and she confirms that their gate is closed and they missed their flight.

The final stop is at a gate labelled 65+ Station, where we have to walk up a ramp and through security (where I have a safety pin confiscated!) to another waiting area. As our flight is now boarding, I am getting a little anxious, and when they say “Short distance”, I walk. More security to get into the gate area, where all the seats are taken, apart from one of the specially reserved disabled seats, where someone has stored their bag. She very reluctantly removes the bag when I ask if I can sit.

A porter arrives with a wheelchair for me (it seems the lady with her bag occupying the reserved seats is not disabled), and heads for the line for First Class and Special Assistance passengers (clearly marked with a picture of a wheelchair). He tries to get people to let him though (it is the norm in every single airport we have ever used, before and after I needed special assistance, that those who require extra time, board the plane first). All he gets in return are angry stares, and I can clearly sense his frustration. The economy line is the total opposite. As soon as he enters the end of the queue, everyone steps aside to allow us to get to the plane.

Once we are in our seats, the rest of the journey goes smoothly. I manage to get some sleep in, and soon we find ourselves approaching Heathrow.

Heathrow from the air

And so another exciting trip has come to an end.