Subway Screw

The other day I took the subway into Seoul to visit my chiropractor. The rack was calling. My back needed popping.

To get there, I have to ride the subway line from my city for about 30 min. and then change lines. The line change at this particular stop is a bear; you have quite a hike to make. Total time to get to the chiro: about 1 hour.

Anyway, once I came off the rack, purchased my Cheetos at the international food store, and jumped back on the subway, I was quite impressed with the time I was making. After all, this was the morning of a teaching day and I had to get back in time to change clothes for the work day.

When I boarded the subway car at the changeover station I noticed that not all of the waiting passengers got on, but I thought I knew why: sometimes the subway doesn't run out as far as I want to go. Instead, it stops at a midway point and everyone has to get off and wait for another train that will go the rest of the way.

My thinking was that I'd rather get on a nearly empty car, be able to sit down, and then change over, rather than wait for a traingoing the whole distance (and likely have to stand).

So I got on, grabbed a seat, and buried my head in a newspaper. When I looked up again to check our progress I noticed that we were back to the station where I had boarded. Shit!

I jumped off and was totally confused. Which side of the tracks was I on and why was I back at the same place?

Apparently, the subway train had turned around without my noticing it. Normally a conductor moves through the cars and kicks everyone off when the train is doing such a turn-around, but that didn't happen in this case. Normally a Korean will tell me (the ignorant foreigner) that I have to get off (as if I didn't notice that everyone else was doing so). That didn't happen; there were several Koreans in the car with me who didn't move a muscle.

So we got turned around without my knowledge, I went back to "Go", and I wasted half an hour or so. Plus it cost me a bit of loot as I had to cross over the tracks and re-enter for the correct destination.

I got home in time to change, but not with a lot to spare.

Now I'm going to be somewhat paranoid about which trains I get on, though I can always ask.

Going to the chiro isn't going to be quite so easy any more.