On the night before the March 1 (Samil Movement) holiday of 2018, I went out with coworkers in the Samseong-dong area near Seolllung Station since it was one coworker's last day. On the following Monday, it was another co-worker's last day, so we had pizza and drinks to give both of them a proper farewell.
To make a long story short, we all decided to go home at 1:30am. I was having a heck of a time getting a taxi and I had been waiting in the street for a good 15 minutes. Thankfully, it wasn't raining or it would have been worse. Finally, one taxi driver pulls up and asks where I'm going. I tell him Nakseongdae Station but he rejects me because he said he was heading to Gyeonggido (Gyeonggi Province, just outside of Seoul).
I wait another 10 minutes and another taxi driver pulls up and this time the driver had a passenger with him. The chances of the second driver wanting to pick me up get even smaller since my destination would have to be similar to where his passenger was going. Expecting to be rejected, I start to walk away. Then suddenly I hear him yell at me and motion for me to get into the taxi. I was really surprised.
I get into the back seat and then it gets awkward. For the first five minutes, the taxi driver and the female passenger in the front are just talking to each other. We pass Gangnam Station and he's pointing out how many people are waiting for taxis and the female passenger is saying "Wow" in Korean.
A couple more minutes pass by as we're near Kyodae Station and the taxi driver asks me in Korean, "Nakseongdae right?" Phew. Thankfully he gets it right. Then a flashback to my earlier days in Korea come back to me. The driver starts asking me how long I had been in Korea, what my favorite food in Korea was, what I did in Korea, etc. As I answer each question, both the taxi driver and passenger react to each answer with surprise. It was hilarious and weird at the same time!
I was so thankful that I was able to get home before 2:30am. Not only that, my wife was very understanding and also very happy that I made it home finally.
Taxi drivers in Seoul usually have a bad reputation of refusing drivers as the first taxi driver in this post did. You can just check Google and see the first page. However, there are some like the second driver that are really polite and kind to non-Koreans. I've been in Korea a long time but still appreciate these experiences!
Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy
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