I attempted to sleep in slightly today as my itinerary was fairly light. St. Ermin’s offers a breakfast buffet in the Caxton Grille and I made use of this convenient option. Though not included in my room price, since I booked with points I had a basic room, it was satisfactory. The scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, and fruit were good, however; I was not a fan of the sausage. The flavor was good but it was a softer texture than I am accustomed to in sausage and I found it a bit off-putting. The buffet also included bread and pastries, yoghurts, and bacon though I stuck with a more simplistic option. 

I collected my luggage and checked out of the hotel. Apparently during the flight to London my checked baggage had the zippers ripped off one of the smaller pockets (not the main one and not structural damage to the bag overall). The zipper itself is still there but the pull tabs on it are gone and the pocket tends to flop open. I was concerned about further damage which may be more severe and asked the bellmen to take a look for me.

A delightfully humorous bellman named Steve came to my proverbial rescue with … duct tape. Had I noticed it sooner, it is possible the hotel could have repaired/replaced the zipper for me but, since I was checking out, duct tape was the next best option. It actually somewhat blends in (the duct tape is black and so are the zippers on my blue luggage) and will at least get me to Amman. Side note, Steve will be in Vegas next week. Not really but he should be; that man is hilarious and the perfect bit of cheeky. The entire staff at St. Ermin’s were incredibly helpful and absolutely fantastic the entire stay. If you are considering a London adventure, consider St. Ermin’s hotel! 

I navigated the tube and train back to London Heathrow Airport. Basically, I took the same path backwards with the exception of going to terminal 5 for my British Airways flight to Amman. I did miss one sign in the tube station which resulted in going up (and then back down) a set of stairs I didn’t need to use but I recovered quickly. It’s not an adventure without at least one or two minor learning experiences! 

Interesting aside, it is possible to arrive at the airport too early. British Airways uses what I will call a zone check-in system. Your check-in zone is not posted until three hours before your flight departs. I decided to enjoy a Coca-Cola and a water at Caffe Nero just outside the check-in area until my zone was posted. This gave me about 45 minutes to check emails, make a few calls, and journal. Once my zone posted I checked in, tagged and dropped my bag, and went through security. There are several differences for these processes at LHR compared to US airports. The bag tags are slightly different but same idea. You actually tag your bag and put it on the belt yourself. It then gets carried away for scanning and loading onto the plane. In the US I have CLEAR for security but that does not apply in other countries. I did however have a Fast Track, I think this is part of booking a business class ticket, which allowed me to go through a shorter security line. The actual security screening is also different and is more like regular airport security in the US. You have to remove your coat, belt, and shoes. Liquids, gels, and pastes must be removed from your hand luggage (carry on items) and placed in a bin for scanning. The Brits are serious about one zip lock bag per person and it must close. Larger electronic devices must be removed and placed in a bin. Surprisingly, the security checkpoint was actually faster than US domestic flights with CLEAR. It was an impressively operated endeavor. 

There are plenty of shops, including high end luxury shops, just beyond security. The airport was rather busy and, since I purchased a business class cabin, I decided to see if that came with lounge access. For British Airways this is Club Europe and it did come with lounge access. The BA lounge puts even Delta’s Atlanta Sky Clubs to shame with its expansive size, adequate seating options, and impressive food and drink offerings. There were multiple seating types, multiple hot drink stations for tea and coffee, an open bar area with chilled prosecco and rose, soft drink options, and water refill stations. Food options included a hot line with curry and rice options, a ‘tea line’ with finger sandwich offerings, and a cold line with salad, etc. The toilets were large enough to comfortably accommodate a person and their luggage without having to do the awkward toilet straddle to get your luggage in and close the door. I stayed in the lounge until my departure gate was posted, about an hour before the scheduled departure. I also received notification that my Amman accommodations were ready but more on that later. 

Going out of gate A10, it was not immediately clear which of the sub-gates I was to depart from. There is an A10a, A10b, etc. so I had to check the screens to confirm the correct sub-gate. This is where things became a little annoying. First the queueing process was strange and the gate agents kept asking people to exit the queue. Then the flight was delayed for about half an hour though no announcements were made, I noticed it in the British Airways app. Once the que finally opened the entire boarding process was a bit of a mess. You scan your boarding pass then take a bus to the actual plane. I mean a solid 10 minute bus ride. I started to question if there was a plane but it finally came into view and we were able to exit the bus and board the aircraft. 

Onboard in the business class cabin I was surprised by a couple things. First, the business cabin is designed with a 3-3 configuration and the middle seats remain empty. This guarantees each passenger in the cabin an aisle or window seat and it leaves an extra tray table that can be used during the flight. I found this particularly helpful for journaling and not spilling drinks during the flight. The second thing I found surprising was the absence of an in-seat entertainment system for a 5ish hour flight. Obviously this isn’t a make or break and I utilized the flight time to catch up on journaling. 

Flight attendants came through the cabin shortly after takeoff to offer a selection of beverages and a snack. Beverage options included soft drinks, water, juice, and champagne. I selected Coke Zero and a glass of champagne to celebrate a successful solo London adventure. The snack offered was a package of mixed nuts and I was pleasantly surprised. The Socca Nut Mix advertises being hand roasted in London with whole cashews, giant corn, almonds, and chickpeas coated in gram flour and parsley. Though not an option I would have selected from a shelf, I found it to be surprisingly tasty. This service was soon followed by lunch. 

When the attendants got to my aisle, the only option remaining was the vegetarian pasta. The mushroom and cheese ravioli was served with a vegetable and cream cheese plate, cheese plate, warm bread, and a vanilla panna cotta/pudding topped with a berry coulis and chocolate disk. The food was good and I didn’t mind not having an option (remember folks, it is a choice to complain). A glass of red wine nicely complimented dinner and some journaling. I managed to catch up on journaling with two and a half hours of flight time remaining. 

We arrived at Queen Alia International Airport just after midnight, local time. I was able to deplane quickly and made my way to the line for visa issuance. In my case, I had purchased the Jordan Pass in advance and the visa fee was waived. The Jordan Pass also admits you to numerous state-operated sites around the country including most of the sites I plan to visit. Passport control was the next stop and that was when I encountered a slight delay. A family of five was in front of me in the line and there was something that delayed their processing. Once I made it to the counter, my passport was processed quickly and I was on to baggage claim where my bag was already on the carousel. All luggage accounted for, it was time to exit the airport and meet my contact from the Ludy Travel Service!

I should note that Ludy Travel Service is, in fact, not an actual travel service. This is the term affectionately applied to trips taken to visit my friends, the Ludys, who are posted overseas. That being said, they met me at the airport and drove me to their apartment. We were soon off to bed because my body has no idea what time zone I am in but my brain keeps telling me I made it to Amman, Jordan!