Another Bus Blog!

Just as I begin to feel confident in my ability to get into Seosan and back without incident - I fall flat on my face and make a spectacle of myself! Okay, technically, I did not fall on my face...but I did blunder once again with the bus system here! Thankfully, I had no kids with me this time to be scared out of their wits! Not that they would have been, anyway...this blunder was of a different nature than the last episode. I had dropped the kids off at John's classroom (he was done teaching for the day) and was going to make a quick run in and out of Seosan by myself. I hurried to catch the bus, just missing it by seconds. I was just ready to cross the road when the bus stopped and it took off before I made it across. Impatiently, I waited for the next one coming in 15 minutes. As the bus came up, I noticed it looked a little different. So I double-checked my watch...right on time.

Now, something I've noticed here is that people do not line up neatly and file onto the bus in an orderly fashion. No. They crowd, then merge. Politely, of course. So even if you are the first one at the bus stop, you may be the last one on the bus if you are waiting "American style." So as I politely (as I know it) keep a short distance between myself and the one in front of me, I unknowingly invite everyone else at the bus stop on in front of me. You see, here it is more impolite to become upset at someone cutting in front of you than it is for the person actually doing the cutting...if it is done respectfully. So, I find myself "respectfully" at the end of the line every time! And many times left standing in the isle since there are no seats left. This doesn't usually bother me, but this time I was not feeling particularly patient, plus I had some things I wanted to get done on the way which would not get done standing up.

So when the bus stopped and a man started for the door, I was right behind him, right on his tail. In the back recesses of my mind, I noted that people weren't crowding like usual. But sometimes people wait at the bus stops to get picked up by someone else, so I didn't think too much of it at the time. Once I stepped up on the bus, I realized the interior was also different from the normal buses we take, and also, the bus did not accept my electronic bus card we always use. I double-checked again, "Seosan?" The driver paused, then said, "Yes, Seosan." I showed him my bus card...he shook his head. "How much?" I asked. "Ee chon won," he replied. 'Wow! 2,000 won! This must be a non-stop, very expensive bus!' I thought. (The cheap bus-fewer seats and more standing room- is 1,100. The expensive bus-more seats- is 1,500.) I sat down in the first seat as I fished out two 1,000 won bills to hand over. The expected flow of others behind me never materialized. The driver took off. I sat back and took in my surroundings more closely. The man and myself were the only ones on the bus besides the driver. Something didn't add up. My only consolance was that the driver said the bus was going to Seosan. It occurred to me belately that I should have checked if it were going to the bus station. Otherwise, I'd be lost again. My first guess was correct...the bus went directly to Seosan. We made only one other stop...at a bank where the driver hopped out and got cash. Hmmm? That was different. Then the driver and the other man began to talk more. Just as we came into Seosan, the man was on his cell phone and I heard the word, "American." Uh-oh. Something's really not right. That was confirmed when the bus pulled into the back of the bus station and not out front like they always do to let off passengers. I realized then that the bus had only stopped to pick up the man who must have also been an employee. The bus was not taking on other passengers. But since I didn't pay attention to the others, I followed him right on. Then, apparently he didn't know how to tell me to get off again, so he just charged me the 2 bucks for the ride. Oh, my! Head in the sand!! I think this whole bus terminal with all it's drivers are going to know to watch out for the crazy American who can't keep her buses straight! I slinked out of the bus and quickly shot back through the terminal - backwards. All the while thinking that standing is not so bad if it ensures I'm on the right bus!