So transportation in Korea is pretty awesome. You can walk, grab a bus or a taxi pretty much anywhere. The subway is great too, but a bit far from my house.
I love the city bus! I take it everywhere. I have a bus card that I load every Monday with about 10,000W (about $8.50) which can usually last the entire week, but it all depends on where I go and how many times I use the bus. Anyways, some of the bus drivers are crazy! They start and stop super jerky and I have almost fallen a few times (especially in my high heels). There is a bus stop right across the street from my house, but I have to Jay Walk if I want to catch the bus on time (I did get pulled over once by the police and they yelled at me in Korean, of course, now I just make sure I can make it across both lanes without seeing any cops). I could walk up to the intersection and then cross, but it is out of the way and every time I decide to cross legally I watch my buses go by. Then I have to wait for 15 minutes for the next one. If this happens I generally just walk to work. It only takes about 20 minutes to walk to work, so it isn't too bad. As the weather gets colder and colder I may take the bus more or less depending on if I have to wait for it or not. I guess if it is super cold walking my help me stay warm. I guess I'll have to wait and see.
Taxi drivers are everywhere in Korea! You can flag one down almost anywhere you are. They are reasonably priced starting at about 2200W (about $2). The cabbies drive like the buses....CRAZY. Put your seatbelt on and pray you make it in one piece....just kidding it isn't that bad. Some are better than others and some just drive like they are Indy car drivers. You can get almost anywhere just knowing survival Korean in the cab. If you know the central area you want to go you can tell the driver that and then use directions when you get there (Chickchin---straight, Orenjock---Right, and Whenchock--Left). The hard part is going somewhere you have never been before. Generally you give them directions and pray they understand you and that you get there. Generally they know where you want to go. Once I got in Cab with a lady driver and I told her where I wanted to go (back to my house, so I clearly know how to say it by now). Well she began asking me question after question and I had no idea what she was saying. Long story short, she got me to my house, but she did yell at me once I got there. I think she was yelling at me because I told her to take me to the Provincial Office (which is right by my house) and she wanted to know if I lived inside. I didn't know how to answer her, so I think she was frustrated with me. O, well. I made it that time!
Scooters are really popular in Korea. People drive scooters wherever they want and go whenever they want. They drive on the sidewalk and go during a red light. My friend has one and it is fun riding on the back. They get you from A to B much faster than walking or waiting for the bus. When you are walking you have to be sure to keep an eye and ear out for scooters because they will ride up right behind you until you move over.
Many people also use bikes. They lock their back tire up with a chain lock and leave their bike pretty much anywhere. They have these really cool kick stands on their bikes. It is this "U" shaped metal thing that you push down to the floor and the back tire rises off of the ground. I'll probably invest in a bike for Spring.
The Subway is nearby, but not close enough to use on the regular. We have two lines here and I pretty much have to transfer if I want to go anywhere. I like the subway though. You can use your transit card here too. They are electronic and are the coolest things. YOu swipe your card to ride the subway and then again when you get off. If you cheated somehow you will get locked in because these doors will close on you so you can't get through! The subways also have English on them, so you know when to get off and on!
The other reason I love transportation in Korea is because you can get around locally or you can travel across the country within hours without a car.
You can ride an Express Bus for super cheap or you can take a train. There are two trains, the slow train and the KTX (fast fast fast). I have yet to take the KTX, but I will soon enough. The KTX costs about double, but it cuts the time by half as well. If you take the bus or slow train from Daegu to Seoul it will take about 5 hours and on the KTX only about 2!
It is truly amazing what a person can do in a country without a car!
I don't miss not having one.
