Tonight Winnie and I were having a drink at Jurock and I noticed there was a strange noise coming from somewhere down on the street. It turned out to be a couple of teenage boys playing with a remote-controlled car. They were remotely driving it the way cabbies drive here - near constant braking and accelerating. It was just as infuriating as it is when you get a taxi.
It tickled us because I guess that is the way you learn to drive in Korea.
Photo of the Day: Thursday 11th April.
Foreigners only taxi.
Taksówka (Tahk-SOOF-kah) - Taxi.
My cab driver didn’t understand where I want to go because I apparently speak Korean with a Russian accent. Or possibly Spanish as he just asked me if I am Mexican.
I get asked if I am Russian a fair bit. I don’t actually know for sure if it is code for “Are you a prostitute?”, but that is the general consensus.
The cab driver tonight asked me. I tried to pretend I didn’t understand his question in Korean, but damn him, he switched to English. It is still pretty rare that cabbies speak English in Suwon, so I said no, as indignantly as I could muster and told him I’m from the U.K.
When he gave me my change he turned around, leered at me and told me he loved me. When I said thanks, he corrected me. “No! I love you too!”
I took my change and got out.
Photo of the Day: Monday 20th August.
Taxi in the rain.
This is nice. Korean cab drivers return stuff all the time though.
Got stuck in Seoul last night as I missed the last bus back to Suwon. So much for it running all night. Not on a Sunday, apparently. Anyway, I managed to get a cab pretty cheap, as the cabbie got three other people in the same taxi. One of them was a 67 year old Korean man who spoke excellent English. We had a lovely conversation while the driver was getting two other Koreans to go with us. Only in Korea would this be a good idea at 1 a.m. Anyway, it was fine but we didn’t set off until 1.30 a.m. And we really set off. At one point I thought we were going to take off!
I was pretty much terrified the entire journey. I was sitting in the front, praying to a God I am not sure I believe in, as I thought my number was up. The slowest he drove was 80km/h but it was mostly 160km/h. He thought nothing of tailgating, weaving and jumping red lights. The. Whole. Way.
I noticed we left Sadang station at exactly 1.30 a.m. and we arrived at Suwon station at 1.43 a.m. I didn’t think that was possible, but now I realise it is and I never want to experience it again.
Photo of the Day: Wednesday 22nd February.
Cab driver watching the news on TV while driving.
Last night I went to Tao at Suwon Station, for the first time in months. I used to go most weekends last year, and I realised how much I miss going there. It’s a pretty much guaranteed great night and I am yet to be disappointed. Last night was no exception.
When I left, I went to get a cab home, as I have done a thousand times before. Some Korean girl insisted I get into her cab with her and her friends (another Korean girl, a Korean guy and a German guy), so as not to get swindled. She said that as a foreigner in her country, it was her duty to help me, as she has been helped when living abroad. I tried to explain to her that I was okay, but there was no way she was taking no for an answer.
On the way, the Korean guy really wanted to make conversation, but his English wasn’t very good. We had a laugh over him saying, “London! I’m Manchester! Park Ji Sung! London Eye. Mamma Mia. Billy Elliot!” The girl who had insisted on helping me out said I was not to worry, he had just been let out of a mental hospital. All the while the German in the front kept quiet, except when the Korean guy piped up with “England! Germany! Fight! War! Now….?” to clarify that actually the UK and Germany are just fine at the moment.
Only in Korea would I feel totally comfortable in getting into a cab with a stranger and her friends. They were great, and even though the cab took a totally roundabout journey, they got me home and wouldn’t let me contribute to the fare!
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