Well, today I finally got a car here in Korea. I've been without wheels for about 11 years because I've never really needed them much with the fantastic public transportation and cheap taxis.
It was quite opportune actually. I've been thinking about getting a car, and have been very hesitant. Then a good friend of mine called up and offered to give me one of his cars - a Volvo 940 Turbo. It's a bit older, and I was a bit worried about it, but the car runs well and is in good condition.
I still don't have a parking space where I live, so I'll need to figure that out at some point, but when in Seoul, park wherever you darn well feel like. :)
Then again, coming home tonight I was badly cut off by a bus and almost hit by someone else... I say “badly“ because getting cut off is par for the course. Badly merely means 'almost accident time' and sometimes worse. Need sharp eyes driving here. Luckily I've got lots of experience watching how the general driving culture works, and have done very well cutting other people off on my own. Though not cutting them off 'badly'. :)
As was to be expected, several of the reasons for traffic jams today were construction (as is everywhere) and accidents (likewise). The funny part about one accident was that it was clearly just some dimwit being too aggressive in trying to change lanes and 'badly' but someone off. Nobody was hurt - but I'm sure the side-to-side collision caused a few thousand dollars damage. (ouch)
It's all just a matter of knowing when you can cut someone off in a safe manner. The system works pretty well, and I'm itching to try it in North America! (Just kidding!) :)
Cheers,
Ryan