This is a travel vlog by Nate and Kara Buchanan documenting a multi-leg trip from Jerusalem to Bagan, Myanmar (roughly a 30-hour travel day). Key coverage in this chunk: the authors' chaotic start in Jerusalem, transit through Istanbul with a detailed tour of the Turkish Airlines/Airport business lounge (food stations, napping pods, golf/driving range, art gallery), an upgrade/experience in Turkish Airlines business class (Versace amenity kits, chef-plated meal service, slippers/fuzzy socks), and arrival in Myanmar with a private car drive from Mandalay to Bagan and an unexpected local parade. The video emphasizes lounge food and service, in-flight amenity presentation, and the long but rewarding travel sequence.
Questions this video answers
30 hours.
40,000 miles required; the narrator said he was 11 miles short.
Chapters
I'm gonna laugh no matter what. With the fact that I was trying to hold the camera really still, I felt like I couldn't laugh too hard. It just made it worse.
Today we are traveling 30 hours from Jerusalem to Bagan, Myanmar with a little unexpected luxury along the way.
Popular bus, getting a big crowd. Our 30 hour travel day is off to a strong start. Got on the wrong bus. It'll get us there. It's just going to take twice as long.
That bus was the first of many modes of transportation today.
You can run faster.
Go, go, go.
Hit the button.
Hit the.
Yes.
Good work.
We made it to the airport train just in time.
I was like, wave it to the conductor. He is laughing at us.
All checked in for our first flight. It's going to be a big day.
The fact that we are going to Myanmar this morning is a little bit of a miracle considering that I remembered last night at 10pm that we needed a visa and it's supposed to take three days. Eight hours later we have them. We had to pay a bunch of money for the rest service. But the important thing is we're going to Myanmar.
We've officially been stamped out of this country and I can't believe we're already leaving.
We didn't come here with enough time to begin with and then we got off to a little bit of a rough start so we didn't get to see everything we wanted to, but it just means we have to come back next time. The Dead Sea, the desert, the west.
Bank and all the food and back to Jerusalem and back to T. It was so good.
I just so good. I'm already sad thinking about the fact that I'm never going to have hummus that good again until we come back here.
I just booked the hotel that we're staying at tomorrow night when we get to meet Myanmar. Do you ever have those times in life where you have so much going on that you feel like you can't do anything? 100%. That's where we are right now. I'm usually like a little scatterbrained in the last minute, but we're cutting some things really close here.
Thank you. All right, first line of the day, two hours to is.
And do not open your headwinds.
You may use the electronic devices.
Please be careful while opening your head.
Ins when the aircraft reaches its final parking position.
Thank you for flying.
The Turkish Airlines and member of Star.
Lines made it to Turkey and now we have five hours here in Istanbul before we board our next flight. Flight unfortunately we're not going to the big beautiful Turkish Airlines business class lounge because I am 11 miles short of Star Alliance Gold status 11. To put that in perspective, who for people who don't know much about frequent flower models. It takes 40,000 miles to get Star Alliance Gold Status 11.
There is a priority pass lounge.
It's going to be great.
Let me find.
Sometimes friends are better than frequent fly miles.
Last time we were here we only had about 10 minutes. This time we have five hours. So we're going to try to do a better job of showing you around.
This lounge is huge and super nice. But by far the best part is the food.
In the back of the lounge there are several chefs hand making dough, preparing one of our favorite dishes in this country, Turkish pide.
There is also a soup station, an entire island of little mezzi kebabs, some meat from a street cart, countryside butter, a hibachi grill, traditional Turkish moussaka, Drinks, drinks and more drinks. Manti or Turkish ravioli hand cut by this lady. I love that. This entire lounge is basically one giant open kitchen.
Thank you. Tons of coffee stations with Turkish coffee and tons of delicious desserts. As far as non food related things go, there are napping pods. I'm having way too much fun to sleep right now. Popcorn station.
A place to keep your kids entertained. Remote control cars, video games, tons of TVs. There's even an art gallery.
They still have it. I thought they gotten rid of it Last time we were here. I thought they got rid of the driving range. This was my favorite thing about the old lounge.
Probably the only place in the world where you can hit golf balls in the airport for free. In summary, not a bad place to spot spend a few hours. This is one of those lounge visits that's going to go by way too fast.
Our time in the lounge went by way too fast.
This day just keeps getting better and better.
Now we have a nine. I would like to thank. This is probably the most excited I've ever been for a nine hour flight. Here we are. We have been getting so spoiled lately. So not only were our original seats in economy in separate rows, now we're in literally the very front of the plane in business class.
Look at these slippers. And we just got a mini. Like a hefty mini. This, this is crazy. I'm so happy right now. I already get way too excited about buying a business class. But like my expectations were so low. I was planning on like trying to sleep for nine hours next to a random stranger in the middle section. And now I have all this faith. They just handed us our amenity kits. It's Versace. Mine's white, but Nate got a blue. This is the first time we've ever gotten to two different Amini kits. And this is 100% the most beautiful packaging I've ever had on a mini kit. Keeping this bag no matter what's in it. There we go. Oh, my gosh. It smells like lemons. A hair tie. This is the most useful piece that I've ever received in a minute. I don't even know what else is in here. I know that sounds dramatic, but Earplugs. Refreshing scented mist. I can't wait to smell this.
Oh, my gosh, it smells so good. I have new Versace perfume. Feel like the whole plane's gonna smell like this soon.
Lotion with the same scent. Oh, my gosh, Another perfume. Should I spray this one, too?
No.
Okay, I'll save it. Boiling coffee. The chef just asked us what we wanted for dinner. We've been having so much fun. We haven't even read the menu yet. Sorry for the break. Fuzzy socks I'm going to put on with my slippers and some little stickers that say, please wake me up for a meal and please do not disturb you. Stick these on your chair. And then they know not to wait for breakfast if you want to sleep. I can't believe how great this is. This is the best mini kit we've ever got.
Omg. I got this blue Versace bag. I wonder what's in it.
Oh, it smells so good. Oh, these socks are actually really nice. Toothbrush. Very useful. Nice. Like foamy eye mask. Omg. Is this perfume? Oh, how do I open it? I must spray this on myself and make the whole plane smell.
A second. Floss. Also very useful.
It's a very nice amenity kit. I just don't usually use lotion and perfume.
Whereas I've saved, like, every lotion I've ever gotten in an amenity kit in my toy.
Appetizers.
It smells so good on this plane right now.
Of all the airlines that we've flown on, Turkish has the best presentation. There's a chef wheeling a cart down the aisle with all the appetizers, and she plates them as you order them. And it's the only airline that would ever had a candle at dinner on. Plus these little mini salt pepper stickers that they get. Super cute.
Okay.
Thank you.
Wrong way.
We just had fried rice and coffee for breakfast with a lot of chilies.
Spicy fried rice and coffee.
We're very Confused. It's breakfast time. And our bodies. But it's lunch time here.
It's time to board our last flight of the trip.
Two hours to Myanmar. Thank you.
But the first ones on the plane. This is so fun. We're the last ones at the gate. Just gonna put on my slippers and get my amenity kit out and pretend like we're still in business class.
I just closed my eyes. It feels like we're back on our Turkish flight.
Boarding is complete. We have the middle seat again. Both of our economy flights today we got a whole row to ourselves and then the one in between plan was business class. Could this travel day be any better?
On behalf of Bangkok Airways and our four chair partner, Captain Tana and his crew would like to thank you for flying with us and we look forward to seeing you again. Soon. Have a vacant stink to.
After over 24 hours of travel on buses, trains, multiple planes, we have made it to Mandalay. But this is not the end of the journey.
Welcome to Mandalay.
So our final destination is Bagan and it's just this short form flight from Mandalay. However, there was no way to get there on the same ticket from Israel, so we would have had to book a separate domestic flight, pick up our bags, recheck our bags, go back through security, wait for the plane, get on the plane, arrive, get our bags again, buying our taxi and then get to our hotel. So booking a car for the three and a half hour drive sounded much simpler. And for four hours in a private car, it's crazy cheap. So we're currently en route to Pagan.
This is crazy. We were just driving down the road and now there's some big parade going on that we think has something to do with like the monks going to the monastery, like the young monks.
Everyone's all dressed up and there are cows and an elephant.
I didn't, I didn't even know there were elephants in Myanmar.
It's crazy. There's so many people.
It's beautiful. We're just driving through some little town and just stumbled upon this.
DARPA's like, yeah, let's watch the parade.
I think they are just as amused by us as we are by them. I forgot how sweet the people are here. Here. It's just making me so happy.
We're all waving and we're taking pictures of them. They're taking pictures of us. This is so great.
Guys. Really into the parade.
Thank you for stopping, for joining in.
Well, we made it. We have a bathroom, cara, the desk, and most importantly.
A bed.
It's all been uphill or downhill or. Last time I said that, people, I said, it's all downhill from here.
Here.
People said that was bad.
Well, so. Uphill. It's all uphill from here. Like you're looking up. But downhill could be easier. Like, if you're on a bike, it's all downhill from here. That's positive. So it just depends on your perspective.
