Saturday, November 18, 2023
The long journey to Thailand

The journey to any Southeast Asian location is long from the United States. For me, it is easier to fly from Los Angeles International, and the most convenient way to get there is to walk about 3/4 mile to a neighborhood Avis location, pick up a car for a one-way drive to Los Angeles International (also known as LAX), drop off the car at Avis there and they shuttle me to the actual airport. Here I am in front of my house about to load my luggage into the Kia rental car.

My flight from Los Angeles to Seoul (Incheon) leaves at 10:40 PM. Being aware of this being the start of the Thanksgiving week high travel time, I left my home at 4:15 PM for a 2-hour drive to the LAX Avis rental car return. Because the airport traffic was very busy, the shuttle ride took about 45 minutes for an approximately 1-mile ride. Everything was busy, including the International Terminal, but the Korean Air check-in flowed well, and fairly soon I was in the longest security line I have ever seen at the International Terminal at LAX. I have Global Entry which includes TSA Pre-Check. Although I provided my TSA ID when I purchased the tickets and then when I did the online check-in, I was not given TSA Pre-Check and was in the long general security line.

In spite of the long security line, I was through the security screening with more than 2 hours until boarding. A minor bonus to my having accumulated many miles on Korean Air is that I was allowed to use the Korean Air business class lounge. That was nice; there was some free food (fruit, small sandwiches, and a few things), nice comfortable seating, and many power connections for charging electronics.

Soon I was at Gate 154 waiting to board the 13-hour flight to Seoul (Incheon).

And I was able to get a fairly dark photo of the Airbus A380-800 in which I would be riding to South Korea. The Airbus A380 airplanes are very large. Most airlines are phasing out the 4-engine aircraft due to the higher operational cost. However, because of the high capacity demands since the recent pandemic, many of the A380s are still in service or have been returned to service.

The flight from Los Angeles to Seoul Incheon was scheduled for 13 hours and 30 minutes, a long flight. I watched a few forgettable movies (I cannot even remember what I saw now), read a little, and tried to sleep, but except for a short 2-3 hour time, sleep eluded me. The arrival at Seoul Incheon was more than 30 minutes late, but with a 4-hour layover, I had plenty of time to go through International Transfer Security and find the location for the flight to Bangkok. Seoul Incheon has a large transfer lounge, so I stayed there after a bit of a walk. Knowing that they provide showers, I had a small towel, underwear, and socks in my carry-on backpack.

I did not take photos of the lounge itself because there were a good number of people there. After what seemed like a long journey, that shower felt good, and I made my way to Gate 234 for my second and final flight to Thailand.

The flight to Bangkok was scheduled for 6 hours, and we arrived about 30 minutes early at about 12:45 PM local time. Thailand is 15 hours ahead of Pacific Time in the U.S.

Immigration was very busy with what seemed to be very long lines, but it all flowed well, and very soon I had cleared immigration with my 60-day tourist visa stamped in my passport. I have officially arrived in Thailand.

Now through immigration, the next stop is baggage claim claim, and within just a couple of minutes, I saw my bags on the carousel. With luggage in tow, I made my way to the Airport Rail Link for the 45 baht (about $1.50) trip to the BTS which would then take me to my hotel at the Phloen Chit stop. Here is a simplified map of the Bangkok mass-transit rail system:

The Bangkok Airport Rail Link is the burgundy line from the far right to the center of the map. The distance from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the Phaya Thai stop is about 18 miles. Then I take the light-green Sukhumvit BTS Line (also known as the sky train, since it is elevated) four stops to the Phloen Chit stop right at my hotel. And at about 4 PM I checked in, just about 33 hours since I had left home.

My goal for today was to get some dinner at Sunrise Tacos, and then go listen to jazz at the Crimson Room. I can get very good Mexican food at my home in San Diego, so why did I want to go to Sunrise Tacos in Bangkok? Here is a quote from my post a year ago:

…when the pandemic hit Thailand, businesses shut down, and many people were without work, the owners of Sunrise Tacos started preparing and delivering meals and other essential items (like cooking oil, soap, toothbrushes, etc.) for those in need. They started a foundation, The Bangkok Community Health Foundation, and continue their mission today. So even though I have donated to the foundation, I wanted to go to one of the Sunrise Taco locations and support them a little more. One of their locations is in Terminal 21, a large shopping mall at the Asoke BTS Sky Train stop, two stops from my hotel.

Here is the sign and my meal at Sunrise Tacos in Bangkok:

Chips, guacamole, multiple types of salsa, spicy chicken tacos, refried beans, rice, and a Coke (which is not seen). A very good and filling meal.

After eating and returning to the hotel, I was just too tired to go to the Crimson Room. Tomorrow my goal is to visit the historic temples I love (Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Wat Phra Kaew), and then maybe see both the Crimson Room and the Saxophone Pub. Today was a very l-o-n-g day of traveling. I am in Thailand!

Next: A full day in Bangkok