I tried to call Korean Air to see if I could change my return flight to Seattle as soon as possible without success. Either the line was busy or I was on hold for over 15 minutes. I decided that I should just go to the Korean Air office at Bangkok Airport to change my return flight.
On March 22nd, I got on the 8am ferry to Ban Phe where I got the 9am bus back to Bangkok. I was only one of three people who were on this bus with its pink curtains.
It was a four-hour ride, and then from there, I took a Sky Train and Metro to the Mega Mall in Chinatown where there were several floors of toys. I had promised my grandson, Atticus, that I would get him another remote control Tuk-Tuk that their dog, Tank, had chewed up.
When I got to the Mega Mall, I saw that it was closed. I didn’t know why it was closed—maybe a government holiday. I then got back on the Metro and rode it to the Weekend Market and saw that it too was closed as were all of the shopping malls.
Someone told me that the government had ordered all of the stores closed because of coronavirus concerns. At this point, Thailand only had 150 reported cases of coronavirus and one death. To ride the SkyTrain and Metro you must now wear a face mask. They have also red X marked out the second wait line on the Sky Train platforms.
I rode the Sky Train to the Nana area where I normally stay and was planning to have lunch at Fitzgerald's Restaurant, but when I got there, I saw that all of the restaurants, bars, massage, and beauty parlors were closed. I was hoping to get the last mani-pedi before returning home, but that was not to be. Here are some notices on places that describe the closure.
Only takeaway food available at restaurants including this McDonalds
Some of the sidewalk vendors were still open and I luckily found a remote control Tuk-Tuk at one of these for just 500 Baht—$16.
I also found one of my favorite street restaurants was open so I was able to get some shrimp pad thai before heading out to the airport.
I arrived at the Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) at about 3 pm and learned that Korean Air would not be open until 10pm. I found a comfortable chair and began reading a novel for a couple of hours and then went to one of the restaurants where I ordered some sushi.
While there, I decided to try calling Korean Air again using Skype on my mini iPad. After about 5 disconnects, I finally got an agent who found me a flight home on the following morning—March 23rd. The change would cost me $476 USD which was just $140 less than my original round-trip ticket (converted from Barclay points). Instead of a direct flight from Incheon, South Korea to Seattle, this flight would take me first to Los Angeles and then on to Seattle on Delta Air. [Good news, my Travelguard Insurance reimbursed me for the $476 change fee.]
Since all of the evening venues, restaurants, and bars were closed, I figured that it would be better for me to find a hotel near the airport rather than heading back to downtown Bangkok.
Using booking.com I found the Miracle Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel and took a taxi there. It was a most comfortable hotel room with a comfortable bed and the tiled shower area was beautiful for just $27.
In the morning, I took their shuttle back to the airport after breakfast. After going through two temperature checks and hand sanitizing treatments, I boarded the Korean Air flight headed to the South Korea Incheon Airport.
The Incheon Airport was beautiful with very few travelers. We breezed through the immigration after first having our temperature taken along with hand sanitizer treatment.
I found a public nap lounge with comfortable lounge beds that would have been welcomed if I had a longer layover.
Nap Room Lounges
Airport Waiting Area
The toilets were amazing with a heated water butt spritzer followed by a gentle warm butt fan to dry you out.
The Korean plane to Los Angeles was about 1/3 full so I was able to use three seats to sleep for a bit on the 10 1/2 hour flight. Since we had transferred through a country (S. Korea) with a COVID 19 outbreak, we were given this CDC card that required us to self-quarantine for 14 days and to watch for any of the listed symptoms.
After landing, I breezed through the Global Entry and was only asked if I had traveled through China, South Korea, Europe, and/or Iran. I said I had transited through South Korea. He then let me pass. This was the only airport I had traveled through where I did not have my temperature taken.
I have traveled through the LAX several times, and I have never seen it so empty. You could sit in the restaurants, but they posted these social distance instructions.
The final leg of my trip home was on an almost empty Delta Air flight that took a spectacular arrival route up from the south over Bremerton and turning down over the east side of Seattle.
The Seattle Airport was practically empty as was the light rail home—although now it was running every 14 minutes rather than every 7 minutes. The streets of Seattle were almost empty at 8pm since all public places were closed except for groceries, pharmacies, and gas stations.
On March 26th, the Thailand government will no longer issue foreigners Visas as a result of the COVID 19. In just a week the number of positive cases has gone from 150 to 1,045 and the number of deaths has gone from 1 to 4. Had I been able to travel to Cambodia, I would not have been allowed back in Thailand for my April 19th flight. I am glad to have changed my flight to March 23rd.
Cost of SE Asia Trip
The 61-day trip cost $4,658 with food costs of $1,794 for an average of $29 per day, lodging costs of $1,230 for an average of $21 per night, and travel and tour costs of $1,584. The two largest travel expenses were for the Korean Air ticket for flight change with costs of $477 and $100 for the Vietnam Visa.
I have recently uploaded all of my travel videos to YouTube now that they allow longer uploads and you may want to see my travel adventures there. That link is
https://www.youtube.com/c/huntforgold.
If you do go there, please subscribe to my video channel since it will help me eventually get some income there and help with my future travels. Fewer people are using DVDs so I am transitioning to streaming my travels on my YouTube channel.
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