Korean Taxi

Some future posts will be in the past tense, as in Thomas Tried Out. I want to write about so many Korean firsts that have already happened. Some yesterday, others months ago. I reason with myself that when I started this I was bored at work and needed something interesting in my life. Now that I teach, every day is too new and interesting, hence the hiatus and eventual recap of past Try Outs. Today's is one such experience.

Like Philadelphia, Boston, NYC, etc. the taxi is a staple of any Korean city. They have taxis in Korea! Not as slick as Japanese taxis but not as grime as Philly. Yet in most ways, the taxis here are better than the ones back home.

It's not so much what Korean taxis have. More so what they don't have. No bullet proof glass, no ghetto junior high tags, no arguing about paying with a debit card and no vomit or pee-pee stench in the nostrils. However. The cabs in Korea are literally immune to traffic violations of any kind.  I'm talking going through red lights, cutting across 3 lanes to make a left hand turn on red, and there are no stop signs here. None.

To be fair, I owe a lot to taxis. Some of the first hangeul (Korean) words I learned were turn left, turn right, go straight, and take me home. Mah-jay-oo-chay-gook Poong-am-dong Kah-choo-say-OH! Translation:  Let's go to the post office in Poong-Am Neighborhood. 


Yippee!


I have yet to ride in a cheaper, cleaner, better taxi in all my travels. While the loss in translation can be frustrating at times, the solitude and soothing ajusshi tunes make for a peaceful ride home.

Korean taxi, check.