The Honeymoon Is Over

When I backpacked on buses in past visits to Korea, I used to marvel how the local bus companies managed to offer services in rural areas even though there were few passengers occasionally. It was fun trying to make small talk with the halmeonis or halrabeojis who were often amused and bemused by this foreigner travelling alone. Fast forward to 2011 and this sobering news found on the Hankyoreh:

(Photo by Jeon Jin-sik)

"Residents living in rural areas of Buyeo County, South Chungcheong Province, wait for buses on their way home from visiting a local market that opens every five days at a bus stop in Buyeo Town, July 15. Recently, a number of farming and fishing village buses, which are the only transportation means for those who live in remote and secluded villages in the country, have ceased operation due to the accumulated deficit of the operating companies. Those companies have reduced and stopped bus services as their financial difficulties have worsened from oil price hikes and rising labor costs, in addition to a decreasing number of passengers. As of late 2010, 101 companies ran 2006 buses in 4181 bus routes.Accordingly, elderly residents and students in those regions have encountered considerable difficulties in going to school and the market."

Looks like I'll have to spend more time waiting for less frequent bus services or consider alternative ways of getting around the country. But really the inconveniences suffered as a shoe-string traveller are peanuts compared to what the poor halmeonis and elderly ajummas are going to suffer when their main lifelines are going to be severely curtailed or even disappear entirely.

How will grandma find the way home?

Anyone remember that grandma bent double who had to make her way from her cottage to the nearest market in town by bus in the movie "The Road Home"? There are plenty of ladies like her scattered across the country and I wonder how they'll manage to carry their farm produce from their humble gardens or fields to sell in the nearest rural market without benefit of local transport.



source:
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/488392.html
http://vladivostokfilmfestival.ru/en/archive/film/52/

Chuseok - The Worst of Times, Part 1

I thought I was used to seeing traffic jams but I wasn’t prepared for the almost never-ending lines of cars that streamed out of Seoul on the eve of Chuseok. If you ever need proof that Seoul is made up of people whose roots are elsewhere in the country, look no further than this national three-day holiday, held each mid-autumn according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. It is a time when most Koreans return to their hometowns for family reunions and rituals to honour their ancestors.

The bus and train stations are exceptionally crowded and those with their own set of wheels are not that fortunate because they’re likely to be stuck in massive traffic jams as more than 4.2 million cars clog up the main highways leading out of the capital.

My own first experience of Chuseok was on the tour bus heading towards Seoul and I remember feeling amazed at the number of cars all making their way in the opposite direction. The bumper to bumper traffic was moving so slowly that I could even see some drivers reading newspapers, chatting on their mobile phones and even one person cutting his toenails.

Chuseok can be the worst of times to find yourselves in Seoul. You can’t go shopping, your choices of where to dine are extremely limited and even places of entertainment, like the department stores and restaurants, are closed for at least three days. On my 2003 trip to South Korea, I had forgotten that the timing coincided with this important holiday. It was very disappointing because I couldn’t show my travel companion the wonderful mazes and array of merchandise on sale at Namdaemun Market. However, it was one of the few times I was glad we were on a package tour. At least our meals were arranged by our tour guide; otherwise we would’ve have been walking around and around looking for a place to eat.

It can also be a pretty stressful time for some Koreans as well. I remember reading a local news article in English about how housewives in Korea were particularly tired out from all the food preparations they had to make for the elaborate rituals. Couples may bicker over whose side of the family to visit first to pay their respects. One emerging trend among younger Korean couples is to book a tour out of the country during this period to avoid all the hassles. Single Korean girls may have to run the gauntlet of embarrassing questions from relatives about their single status while the occasional quarrel may erupt when the festivities include too many glasses of soju. It’s a sad time for homeless Koreans as they have no family to celebrate with them.

For more information about what's closed and what's not, click here.

Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/09/117_10804.html


Next posting: Chuseok - The best of times