So back home, there were not too many choices when it came to traveling. There were plenty of ways to travel - bus, train, taxi, bicycle, car - but not many of them were viable options for someone traveling on their own.
The only time I travelled by train was when I went on a school trip and I was always discouraged from trying it again because of stories of muggings. When I was growing up there was the all-out war between taxis and busses involving gunfights, which my parents weren't too keen for me to be a part of, so traveling by bus or taxi around the town was out of the question. If the ongoing warfare wasn't enough to stop me from wanting to travel by taxi, the state of the 'taxis' themselves (not the kind that we are used to here, but minibuses able to fit around 15 people but often filled to about 25) put me off entirely - doors falling off, windows falling out and drivers who drove like crazy people. Having never learned to ride a bicycle, my only real choice was travelling by car and I got very used to this luxury.
When it came to long distance travel, there were still trains (though the same problems persisted), buses and planes. Planes were fairly expensive to use and I would choose the bus wherever possible, but the busses were unreliable (they could be anywhere from half an hour early to four hours late) and not the most comfortable mode of transportation.
My experience of transportation in Korea has been completely different.I suppose that I should have expected it considering that South Korea is the size of the Western Cape, but it came as a shock nonetheless. Anyway, today's lesson in culture is going to revolve around traveling and what is expected of you when traveling around Korea.
In smaller cities like Cheongju, there are two modes of public transportation - taxi and bus. I tend to travel more by taxis because I never learned the bus schedule or system well enough to be comfortable about it, but I will pass on the little knowledge that I do know in any case.
If you intend to travel by bus around your city, one of the first things you should invest in is a little bus chip. You can buy these from the vendors on the side of the road, often found near bus stops particularly in larger areas such as downtown. You pay a small amount for the chip itself and then you recharge it with money when it runs out. This will stop you fiddling in your wallet for money and stop the bus driver getting annoyed with you while you do so.
Speaking of bus drivers, I have found them to be rather crabby creatures myself. They are on a tight schedule and they do not appreciate you holding them up for anything at all. I have seen little old ladies just about pushed off the bus as the doors close unceremoniously behind them at their stops. I have been shouted at on more than one occasion because I was taking too long to count my money or to climb aboard. Be careful not to get on their bad sides.
Once you are on the bus itself, you can try to find yourself a seat. Depending on where you are, this could be very easy or very difficult. There are a large number of busses that travel to and from Shinae, so if you are headed in this direction, you will probably find yourself with a seat somewhere along the line. If you have been on a hike to Sandangsangseong, where the bus only stops by once every half hour or so, you can expect to spend the whole ride packed like a sardine as the bus takes precarious corners and you try to keep your balance.
If you manage to find yourself a seat on the bus, you shouldn't make yourself too comfortable. Respect for elders is deeply ingrained in the Korean way of life, and if you find yourself faced with someone who is older than you, you may very well be asked to give up your seat. Okay, so maybe not asked, but it is certainly seen as the proper thing to do. I suppose it would be the same anywhere - if someone climbs onto a bus and is in no state to be standing around trying to keep their balance, you would give them your seat. But not giving it up is seen as an insult here.
So those are a few things to expect from the busses. What about the taxis? A taxi ride is very different from a bus one. The taxi drivers are much friendlier and tend to like to chit chat, sometimes using what minimal English they have, sometimes just talking in Korean and expecting you to understand. Either way, they are a lot friendlier than their bus equivalents.
While seating and paying isn't that much of a problem when it comes to taxis (they tend to not mind waiting for you to find your money as the meter will sometimes run while they wait), there are some other things you should know about riding in a taxi. One of the main things is that taxi drivers are much like their South African equivalents in terms of their recklessness. While it did take me awhile to get used to the rules of the road here (driving on the right and the right on red rule being some of the obvious differences) there are still times when I cling to my seat and wonder what the hell the drivers are doing. It would seem that in Korea, traffic lights are just for show and are usually ignored or taken as more of a suggestion than anything else.
Considering the way that many Koreans drive, I was surprised that I hadn't witnessed more accidents, but I soon figured out that this wasn't because accidents weren't happening. It is just that accident control in Korea is a lot better than back home. When an accident occurs, the people involved just want to sort everything out as quickly as possible and be on their way. There is no squabbling in the street, there is no finger-pointing. If the cars are still in good enough condition to drive, then you swap insurance cards and drive away. If they aren't, then you call someone up to pick them up and the scene is cleared within minutes. It is very handy indeed.
Now that I have told you a little bit about traveling within cities like Cheongju, I will very briefly tell you some tidbits aout travelling outside of your city of residence. The main method of transport between cities is bus. Traveling by train is quicker, but it is more expensive and considering that the longest a bus ride can take is three-four hours, I have never felt the need to take one. Travelling by intercity bus is cheap - the most you can expect to pay for a ticket is around 25,000 won - and usually comfortable, especially if you get the deluxe busses which cost a little (and by little I mean a couple of thousand) more. Once you have your ticket, you will notice a platform number, a time and a seat number. If you are on a normal bus, your seat number usually doesn't matter all that much, but on a deluxe bus, you must be careful to take your designated seat so as not to step on anyones toes. Once the journey starts, chit chat is permitted for a short while before you will start being glared at or worse by the people in the seats around you. Silence is a commodity on a longer bus trip, and people will insist that the standard is maintained.
Now I have told you a little about traveling around Korea, and the customs that come with the experience of traveling. Next time I will write about Seoul and the experience that you can expect to have there.
The only time I travelled by train was when I went on a school trip and I was always discouraged from trying it again because of stories of muggings. When I was growing up there was the all-out war between taxis and busses involving gunfights, which my parents weren't too keen for me to be a part of, so traveling by bus or taxi around the town was out of the question. If the ongoing warfare wasn't enough to stop me from wanting to travel by taxi, the state of the 'taxis' themselves (not the kind that we are used to here, but minibuses able to fit around 15 people but often filled to about 25) put me off entirely - doors falling off, windows falling out and drivers who drove like crazy people. Having never learned to ride a bicycle, my only real choice was travelling by car and I got very used to this luxury.
When it came to long distance travel, there were still trains (though the same problems persisted), buses and planes. Planes were fairly expensive to use and I would choose the bus wherever possible, but the busses were unreliable (they could be anywhere from half an hour early to four hours late) and not the most comfortable mode of transportation.
My experience of transportation in Korea has been completely different.I suppose that I should have expected it considering that South Korea is the size of the Western Cape, but it came as a shock nonetheless. Anyway, today's lesson in culture is going to revolve around traveling and what is expected of you when traveling around Korea.
In smaller cities like Cheongju, there are two modes of public transportation - taxi and bus. I tend to travel more by taxis because I never learned the bus schedule or system well enough to be comfortable about it, but I will pass on the little knowledge that I do know in any case.
If you intend to travel by bus around your city, one of the first things you should invest in is a little bus chip. You can buy these from the vendors on the side of the road, often found near bus stops particularly in larger areas such as downtown. You pay a small amount for the chip itself and then you recharge it with money when it runs out. This will stop you fiddling in your wallet for money and stop the bus driver getting annoyed with you while you do so.
Speaking of bus drivers, I have found them to be rather crabby creatures myself. They are on a tight schedule and they do not appreciate you holding them up for anything at all. I have seen little old ladies just about pushed off the bus as the doors close unceremoniously behind them at their stops. I have been shouted at on more than one occasion because I was taking too long to count my money or to climb aboard. Be careful not to get on their bad sides.
Once you are on the bus itself, you can try to find yourself a seat. Depending on where you are, this could be very easy or very difficult. There are a large number of busses that travel to and from Shinae, so if you are headed in this direction, you will probably find yourself with a seat somewhere along the line. If you have been on a hike to Sandangsangseong, where the bus only stops by once every half hour or so, you can expect to spend the whole ride packed like a sardine as the bus takes precarious corners and you try to keep your balance.
If you manage to find yourself a seat on the bus, you shouldn't make yourself too comfortable. Respect for elders is deeply ingrained in the Korean way of life, and if you find yourself faced with someone who is older than you, you may very well be asked to give up your seat. Okay, so maybe not asked, but it is certainly seen as the proper thing to do. I suppose it would be the same anywhere - if someone climbs onto a bus and is in no state to be standing around trying to keep their balance, you would give them your seat. But not giving it up is seen as an insult here.
So those are a few things to expect from the busses. What about the taxis? A taxi ride is very different from a bus one. The taxi drivers are much friendlier and tend to like to chit chat, sometimes using what minimal English they have, sometimes just talking in Korean and expecting you to understand. Either way, they are a lot friendlier than their bus equivalents.
While seating and paying isn't that much of a problem when it comes to taxis (they tend to not mind waiting for you to find your money as the meter will sometimes run while they wait), there are some other things you should know about riding in a taxi. One of the main things is that taxi drivers are much like their South African equivalents in terms of their recklessness. While it did take me awhile to get used to the rules of the road here (driving on the right and the right on red rule being some of the obvious differences) there are still times when I cling to my seat and wonder what the hell the drivers are doing. It would seem that in Korea, traffic lights are just for show and are usually ignored or taken as more of a suggestion than anything else.
Considering the way that many Koreans drive, I was surprised that I hadn't witnessed more accidents, but I soon figured out that this wasn't because accidents weren't happening. It is just that accident control in Korea is a lot better than back home. When an accident occurs, the people involved just want to sort everything out as quickly as possible and be on their way. There is no squabbling in the street, there is no finger-pointing. If the cars are still in good enough condition to drive, then you swap insurance cards and drive away. If they aren't, then you call someone up to pick them up and the scene is cleared within minutes. It is very handy indeed.
Now that I have told you a little bit about traveling within cities like Cheongju, I will very briefly tell you some tidbits aout travelling outside of your city of residence. The main method of transport between cities is bus. Traveling by train is quicker, but it is more expensive and considering that the longest a bus ride can take is three-four hours, I have never felt the need to take one. Travelling by intercity bus is cheap - the most you can expect to pay for a ticket is around 25,000 won - and usually comfortable, especially if you get the deluxe busses which cost a little (and by little I mean a couple of thousand) more. Once you have your ticket, you will notice a platform number, a time and a seat number. If you are on a normal bus, your seat number usually doesn't matter all that much, but on a deluxe bus, you must be careful to take your designated seat so as not to step on anyones toes. Once the journey starts, chit chat is permitted for a short while before you will start being glared at or worse by the people in the seats around you. Silence is a commodity on a longer bus trip, and people will insist that the standard is maintained.
Now I have told you a little about traveling around Korea, and the customs that come with the experience of traveling. Next time I will write about Seoul and the experience that you can expect to have there.
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