Driving in Korea - the honeymoon is over!
April 21, 2013
If you love the thrills and spills offered by amusement parks then driving in Korea is for you!
I've had my Matiz, (aka MiMi), for six months now, and for a good while I tootled around the country quite happily. Despite having heard so many horror stories about Korean drivers I didn't notice anything particularly concerning.
Mimi all shiny and new looking.
I guess the rose tinted glasses had to crack at some point, and this month they did just that. I thought it would be fun to share some of the things I've seen recently, so here goes.
Did you know that many Korean drivers have superpowers?
Nope, I'm not joking! In the past couple of weeks I have seen all kinds of amazing feats that surely involve people wearing their undies on the outside. Here are some cool examples, just in case you are not convinced.
They can see round corners!
That's why there's no need to stop at the white line just before the blind corner close to my house. So what if there's a big sign telling you to do so, oh and a white stop line too. Those are for people who fear being totalled by the truck driver with the right of way.
They can see what other can't
How else can I explain so many folk belting down the hard shoulder of the toll roads? There must be an extra lane there that is visible only to the select few!
They can do more with available physical space than others
This superpower means that tailgating isn't a problem - even if they are so close you can feel breath on your neck. What you see as mere inches translates into several feet for them. When you brake and they can't stop - fear not: there will be a hard shoulder available to steer onto.
A select few have the best power of all - the ability to traverse spatial dimensions
I can't prove this one - but such an explanation helps me to understand why I often come across someone driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway, or attempting to turn into oncoming traffic at a junction!
There is one thing that doesn't make sense though ...
While most superheroes give the impression of being a little separate from others - perhaps in order to keep their secret, Korean drivers like to be as close to others as they can be. This is especially true in car parks.
I have tested this theory thoroughly, and can guarantee that wherever I choose to leave MiMi someone will park right next to me - often so close that I can't get back in via the driver's door. The entire car park could be empty but the one other person around will still do this.
Life's most definitely an adventure!
I've had my Matiz, (aka MiMi), for six months now, and for a good while I tootled around the country quite happily. Despite having heard so many horror stories about Korean drivers I didn't notice anything particularly concerning.
Mimi all shiny and new looking.I guess the rose tinted glasses had to crack at some point, and this month they did just that. I thought it would be fun to share some of the things I've seen recently, so here goes.
Did you know that many Korean drivers have superpowers?
Nope, I'm not joking! In the past couple of weeks I have seen all kinds of amazing feats that surely involve people wearing their undies on the outside. Here are some cool examples, just in case you are not convinced.
They can see round corners!
That's why there's no need to stop at the white line just before the blind corner close to my house. So what if there's a big sign telling you to do so, oh and a white stop line too. Those are for people who fear being totalled by the truck driver with the right of way.
They can see what other can't
How else can I explain so many folk belting down the hard shoulder of the toll roads? There must be an extra lane there that is visible only to the select few!
They can do more with available physical space than others
This superpower means that tailgating isn't a problem - even if they are so close you can feel breath on your neck. What you see as mere inches translates into several feet for them. When you brake and they can't stop - fear not: there will be a hard shoulder available to steer onto.
A select few have the best power of all - the ability to traverse spatial dimensions
I can't prove this one - but such an explanation helps me to understand why I often come across someone driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway, or attempting to turn into oncoming traffic at a junction!
There is one thing that doesn't make sense though ...
While most superheroes give the impression of being a little separate from others - perhaps in order to keep their secret, Korean drivers like to be as close to others as they can be. This is especially true in car parks.
I have tested this theory thoroughly, and can guarantee that wherever I choose to leave MiMi someone will park right next to me - often so close that I can't get back in via the driver's door. The entire car park could be empty but the one other person around will still do this.
Life's most definitely an adventure!
Posted by Valerie Ann Hamer. Posted In : South Korea
My pretty building with ivy growing over my bedroom window, (just behind the tree.)
My magnet and recipe collection.
I changed the living room around... here's the new look...
Global nomad, writer, teacher
