Thursday, November 12, 2025
The Long Journey: Home to Bangkok via Los Angeles and Incheon (Seoul)

Travel day is finally here. I am traveling to Thailand for my 13th yoga-focused winter in Chiang Mai. The trip is lengthy: home to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX); LAX to Incheon (Seoul’s airport); Incheon to Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok’s main airport); and finally to my hotel. In many previous years, I walked to a neighborhood Avis location, picked up a car, drove home, loaded my bags, drove to LAX, filled the car with gas, dropped the car at Avis, and took the Avis bus to the airport. Rental car prices have risen dramatically since the pandemic, so I was on the lookout for other options. A little over a year ago, I saw a van at a “park and ride” lot in Sorrento Valley, less than two miles from my home, with the name “reLAXsan” and a logo indicating it was a shuttle from San Diego to LAX. ReLAXsan starts at Old Town in San Diego, stops at the Sorrento Valley park and ride, stops at another park and ride lot in Carlsbad, and then goes directly to LAX. And the cost is less than half that of the rental car option. And much more convenient, since I do not have to drive or get fuel before dropping off the car, and I am taken directly to the airport. So I am booked on reLAXsan again this year.

As the time to leave arrived, I loaded my baggage into my car. My neighbors, Frank and Cathy, watch over my home, mail, and car while I am gone, and Frank will take me to the reLAXsan shuttle. Here I am with my bags about to be loaded into the car.

Since last year, reLAXsan has gotten more business, larger vans, and added to its schedule. Last year, the most convenient shuttle arrived at LAX about 3 hours before Korean Air check-in opened. This year, there is a shuttle leaving Sorrento Valley at 4:45 PM, arriving at LAX at 7:15 PM, right about the time Korean Air check-in opens.

The shuttle arrived on time, and I took a photo of the newer, larger van. I think it seats 24 passengers plus luggage in the back.

Los Angeles International

We left Sorrento Valley on time, faced typical afternoon northbound slow traffic on I-5 until Encinitas, and then arrived at the Carlsbad pickup location also on time. Due to heavy afternoon commuter traffic on I-405, reLAXsan uses the Highway 73 toll road from San Juan Capistrano to Costa Mesa, bypassing much of the slow traffic. We arrived at LAX approximately on time. The shared ride drop-off points have been changed since last year, and now there is a drop-off right in front of the Tom Bradley International Terminal. All in all, a very good trip.

The Korean Air check-in was open, and the initial group of passengers already processed, so I was able to walk right up to an agent, check in my two bags, and make my way to Security. Since I am TSA Pre-Check, getting through Security is fast and easy. This is the first time I am not using a paper boarding pass, and I was a little concerned about how it would work with Security. It is becoming commonplace that boarding passes are on phones, so they are unfazed looking at a boarding pass on a phone. After Security, I made my way to Gate 148 for the flight from LAX to Seoul/Incheon. Here is a photo of me at the gate, ready to get going. I am still not very good at taking selfies, and often ponder the value of them. I was there. Is it really necessary to have me in the photo?

The flight to Seoul/Incheon leaves at 10:50 PM, so it is night and dark outside. I was able to get a couple of photos of the Korean Air Boeing 747-8 at gate 148, waiting for us to board in an hour.

This flight often uses an Airbus A380, a larger airplane than the 747. I perused Korean Air schedules, and it seems that the A380 is being used on the flights that leave for Korea during the day. I am ready to go, regardless of the airplane.

Seoul/Incheon

We arrived at Seoul/Incheon just a few minutes early after more than 13 hours in the air. After going through International Transfer Security, I made a long walk to one of Korean Air’s lounges to see if my Morning Calm Club status would allow me to use the lounge. And I was admitted – it sometimes pays to be loyal to an airline and accumulate miles. I found a good seat, plugged my watch, phone, and tablet into chargers, and got a coffee and a snack (fruit, pastry, and oatmeal). And, all at no charge.

There are also a couple of shower rooms available, and it would have been nice to have a shower. However, by the time I checked, the queue was over an hour, and I needed to leave for my gate in less time than that. Maybe next time.

I made the very long walk from the lounge to gate 258 a few minutes before boarding. Here is the gate with the destination “Bangkok/Suvarnabhumi ” starting to scroll to the left (Suvarabhumi is the name of the main airport in Bangkok).

And the Airbus A330-200 at the gate outside waiting for us to board.

As we were boarding, I was taken aside and told that security had found two camera batteries in my checked luggage. They had taken the batteries and loaded the bag onto the plane to Bangkok. Airlines in Asia have become very strict about not allowing lithium-ion batteries in checked luggage. Also, they do not allow lithium-ion batteries in the overhead bins – they must go under the seat in front of you. I had forgotten that the little bag in which I keep my camera handle, batteries, charger, and cables was in my checked luggage. My concern was that they might have also taken the charger, since there was a battery in the charger. When I arrived in Bangkok, I checked. The two plastic battery holders were empty. The charger was there, and the battery inside – they had completely missed that third battery. This leaves me with two batteries and the charger, more than enough.

Bangkok

We arrived in Bangkok on time. It was 1:30 PM Indochina time. Getting through Immigration was a slow process with long, slow lines of people. Many were not prepared – there is a Digital Arrival Card to be filled out within 3 days of arriving in the Kingdom. This has basic information, like full name, passport number and country, flight number, address of hotel or accommodation, date leaving, etc. This is the same information that used to be filled out on a paper form that was handed out on the airplane. I completed my entry before I left, so when I got to the Immigration officer, she scanned my passport and had everything on her screen…including the history of all my visits to Thailand. For me, it was an easy and fast process. But for many who failed to prepare and failed to see the signs, they had to go back to the kiosks that were set up for entering the data before the actual Immigration line.

The checked luggage was coming out to the carousel just about when I got through Immigration, so I retrieved my luggage and made my way to the Airport Rail Link for a ride into Bangkok, about 45 minutes. The Airport Rail Link terminates at the Phaya Thai BTS Skytrain stop, so I moved to the BTS and rode the 4 stops to the Phloen Chit stop right by my hotel. The Airport Rail Link is 45 Baht (about $1.40) versus 600-800 Baht for a taxi. Then I got a BTS Skytrain day pass, allowing unlimited rides for the current day for 150 Baht (a little less than $5).

Sakuri Akasari & Sunrise Tacos

After checking into the hotel, I got a shower, clean clothes, and headed out. My first stop was Sakuri Akasari & Massage near the Thong Lor BTS stop for their 100-minute sea salt scrub, salt tapping, and massage. After the body scrub and massage (and almost falling asleep), I felt very clean and refreshed.

I headed back to the BTS Skytrain and up to the Asok stop at Terminal 21, a large shopping mall, to eat dinner at Sunrise Tacos. Yes, there are many tacos where I live in Southern California, but I want to support Sunrise Tacos. Here is a quote from my blog three winters 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.

A few years ago, when I got to Sunrise Tacos, one of the owners was there, and I got to talk with him. This year, I talked to the manager and she remembered me. The food is good, too.

After dinner, and after a long, 30-hour journey from home to Bangkok, I got back on the BTS Skytrain, back to Phloen Chit and my hotel. I briefly contemplated walking to the Crimson Room, a small jazz venue, but I was just too tired.

I have arrived in the Kingdom of Thailand. Tomorrow is a full day of sightseeing, visiting two of my favorite temples, and hoping to visit two temples new to me.

Next: A Full Day in Bangkok