Alice in 'can't find my bus' Land

Ah, yes…it’s that time again. Time for another bus blog entry.

That can only mean one thing; I have yet another trauma-filled adventure to share.

Now as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t always have actual ‘on the bus’ stories to share due to the fact that my bus situation significantly improved since last year. God knew I could only handle so much. However, I do like to stay true to the theme of this blog, so today’s story – although not exactly taking place riding on a bus – does have something to do with a bus.

So, buckle up and let’s get into it.

About three weeks ago, I had to go to Seoul because I was given the amazing opportunity to go and witness Min Yoongi perform live at one of his final shows to end off his Agust-D D-Day tour. For anyone who doesn’t know…yes, I’m a fan of BTS and Min Yoongi happens to be a member of BTS. How I got this ticket in the first place is beyond me. It seems I have been blessed with the power of ticketing but not navigating a Shinsegae Department store in order to find a bus terminal I have frequented many times (Ah yes, foreshadowing), and I think I’ve since been brain-washed by Min Yoongi’s amazing stage presence and performance. I’m kidding, but I just had to go on a side quest to tell you that the concert was such an experience. I guess I was so starstruck afterwards that I couldn’t seem to take the correct subway and I couldn’t seem to find the very place where the buses depart from to get me back to Gwangju. Now of course I’m simply blaming the concert and not my own unsurprising incompetence with both direction and memory.

I have been to Seoul several times. I’m very familiar with Seoul, but I think that if Seoul had a mind of its own and could think on its own, it would strongly beg to differ.

Okay, let me go about being a little insightful and informative for a sec.

There are buses that run in the city to get you from point A to point B. I’ve talked about these buses in a previous blog and explained the different colour buses found in Gwangju and their purposes. These are my usual trauma-inducing buses. However, there are also ‘intercity’ buses which take you from one city to another within Korea. I’m sure many people are familiar with this concept as it’s probably available in many countries.

In Korea however, speaking from my own experience – these buses are awesome. They’re affordable and you can even splurge on a more first-class bus experience if the economy experience doesn’t do it for you.

I’m not too familiar with every bus but I’ll give you the four-one-one based on what I personally know:

Economy – the cheapest option, but if you’re traveling far (longer than an hour) then I would opt for a more comfortable bus. The seats are small and they’re not very comfortable. I once took an economy bus on a delayed, five-hour journey to Sokcho and nearly ended it all. NOT. FUN.

Excellent Economy – Honesty don’t be fooled by ‘economy’ in there. These buses have spacious seats, and they have the most comfortable head rests where; if you lean your head to the right or left, you’ll find the perfect and most comfortable support. At least for my little ol’ noggin.

Premium – This is your first-class experience. This bus has charging ports that actually work, as well as TVs, privacy curtains and seats that can lean back enough to basically turn into a bed – without compromising the space of the person behind you – so fear not. I will say that these headrests don’t 'tickle my toes’ quite like Excellent Economy though. So I’m willing to sacrifice it. Not to mention this bus is a lot pricier.

In conclusion, I would say Excellent Economy is the perfect balance of reasonably priced and comfortable for any journey.

Okay, now that we have that out of the way…

I decided I would go to Seoul and come back to Gwangju on the same day straight after the concert – because money for accommodation that night was non-existent. At least that’s what I told myself in order to save what little money I had left (cries in empty-wallet-syndrome).

So usually when I go to Seoul, I’m about 70% confident that I’ll mess up taking the subway at some point. I know that seems rather negative, but I like to be mentally prepared okay. Whether it’s taking the wrong line, going in the wrong direction, or getting on the express line instead of the normal line – I know I’m bound to get one thing wrong. But it’s okay. I welcome it for the content. Mwahaha.

Another side note: In Seoul (I’m not sure about the rest of Korea), there are both ‘express’ and ‘non-express’ trains that run in the subway. I didn’t know this…until I found myself riding the express train and missing my stop on a prior visit – because of course Tayla’s stop wouldn’t be one on the express line. Heaven forbid it works out for me. I was made to struggle on those damn subways.

I then had to get off at the next stop and catch another train going back in the direction I was coming from. If you haven’t figured it out yet, express trains only stop at certain stations since they’re ‘express’ trains, DUH. They run a bit faster but don’t hit all the stops. It’s worth noting if you visit because they’re efficient on saving you time, however there’s no use taking one if it misses the stop you need to get off at.

But of course, we learn from our mistakes, right? RIGHT?

Well, I’d like to think so. But often I am humbled further and further each day.

When you travel to Seoul (at least from Gwangju), there are two bus terminals you can choose from – one being Central City Bus Terminal. Now the difference is that this bus terminal offers many buses at many different intervals. However, Dongseoul Terminal (the other one of the two) only offers a few buses at certain times and the terminal itself is a little small and dingey. I would always opt for Central City when leaving Seoul if you don’t book a ticket in advance – because chances are you’ll most likely get one quite easily leaving at 5-10 minute intervals.

So when I came to Seoul over this specific weekend, I didn’t book a ticket to come back to Gwangju as I wasn’t sure what time the concert would end and what time I’d get back to the terminal. Luckily Seoul has about five thousand subway lines to make it extra easy for you to travel all over the city. (If you can’t sense the sarcasm in my writing, please know that although Seoul only has nine main subway lines, there are over 400 locations to stop at.)

Here in little ol’ Gwangju, we have one very sad subway line, with a whopping total of 20 stops. So as nifty as it can be for commuting…to have that many subway lines (reference to Seoul), it can be completely and utterly fizzily dizzily as heck AKA CONFUSING.

Here, have a comical visual comparison of both cities and their subway systems / lines.

Seoul Subway System

Gwangju Metropolitan City Subway System

Sure, there’s signs. Sure, the lines are colour-coded. But no, it somehow doesn’t make it any easier. At least not for me. As I said – I’m always at least 70% confident that I will make some kind of directional mistake when navigating the subway in Seoul.

The joy of messing up in Gwangju is that most stations have the layout where the trains going in opposite directions, can be accessed from the same platform. Made a mistake? Turn around and walk to the other side. Easy.

In Seoul, rather than the trains being on opposite sides from each other – they seem to run right next to each other and the platforms are on opposite sides. So if you mess up, you have to go back up the stairs and figure out how to get to the other side. It usually isn’t too complicated – but it can be stressful if you’re on a time crunch or if the train is soon approaching. Also, small disclaimer: Not every station and layout is in fact the same, so don’t always expect this to be the case. Spontaneity is the definition of the Seoul subway system. You never know what to expect, and when you do – you don’t. Take my word for it.

Okay, let’s carry on with the main story, shall we?

When I arrived in Seoul, I mentally prepared myself to navigate that subway like a stealthy ninja. I looked it over on my app a million times, revised and memorized it, and knew where I needed to go and so I did – like a moth drawn to a flame, nothing could stop me from getting to Line 9 (The line I had to take from Central City to get to KSPO Dome). Plot twist; I did it. Yeah, you thought I was going to mess up right? Well, I didn’t – and even to me that was the biggest twist of them all. I will say though that after this day my level of confidence messing up went from 70% - 88%. So you know what’s coming for me.

I even bragged about it to my friend that I met up with. I told her how I always usually get lost in the subway but managed it like a champ. I was so proud. I knew I was too proud…and so the humble train had to come and remind me of that… (pun always intended.)

So when the concert ended, I was able to leave the venue in record time and beeline it for Line 9 to head back. There weren’t many people and I had missed the rush. I quickly navigated my way in the direction I needed to go. I was slightly unsure of myself but confident I was right when checking the map to get back to Central City.

I got on the subway with about four other people. It was practically empty. That should’ve been my red flag. I was so chuffed that I had missed the post-concert subway ‘push and smoosh’ that I didn’t realise I was going the WRONG. DAMN. WAY.

Surprise, surprise.

I reached the next stop over and realized it was the end of the line. So everyone had to get off anyway. The poor lady opposite me I guess also took the wrong train because she looked just so confused. Anyway, I was prepared for the fact that I had to get on the same train going the opposite way, but you know what I was not prepared for?

As we approach the stop I just came from, it hit me that all the people I had avoided by getting to the subway in record time, would be waiting for the very train I was currently on – and oh boy were they.

There, as we approached the platform, I saw what looked like an ocean’s worth of concert goers.

It was Min Yoongi Mania Madness.

I wanted to simultaneously laugh and cry at just how comical this was. On the positive side, I had a seat.

Eventually, I did in fact get to Central City. Well, I was under it.

Let me break down Central City for you a little bit. It consists of a Shinsegae Department store, two bus terminals, an underground shopping area that spans into the abyss, and so many in-betweens. It’s a lot. It’s a maze. It really is an “Alice fell down the rabbit hole and landed in a weird land” type of scenario – because everything is odd and unfamiliar, and no matter how many times I seem to catch buses from this terminal, I can never seem to find the damn terminal from underground. Where’s a rabbit running late to follow when you need one?

It's easier to find the entrance to the bus terminal from above ground – but trying to do it underground is simply too much for my anti-navigational brain.

For some reason, following the signs was not as effective as it was navigating the underground earlier that day. I clearly used up all my brain juice.

Remember how I said there are two bus terminals in this place? Well, I found my way into one. But yes, of course it was the wrong one. At that point I proceeded to get claustrophobic not knowing where I was and so I hightailed it out the door. Now where the heck was I? Somewhere dark and weird that’s for sure.

I had slipped out a side door of the building I was not familiar with. I tried looking at my map app and making my way back inside, but I saw that I was on the opposite side of where I was recommended to be – according to the app.

I did at one stage come across another entrance back to the subway (underground) but like hell I was going to try and navigate that AGAIN. We’re staying above ground this time.

I will say I left out the part where I was above ground in front of the Shinsegae a little earlier and I know that if I enter it from a specific side, I can easily find the terminal. But I popped up on the opposite side of the road and I failed to find a crosswalk within 30-40 meters on either side of me. I really think my brain was erasing things that were in fact really there because I refuse to believe there was no crosswalk. So, I went back down from where I came in hopes I would find the escalators or stairway to the side I needed to be and that’s when I got lost and found the wrong terminal. Honestly, you’d think it’d be easy – but like I said; it really is a maze down there.

Fast-forward back to walking around above ground, as I ventured and walked through the areas you probably shouldn’t walk alone – I made my way around, only to be disappointed that everything still looked so unfamiliar. At that point, my anxiety was taking over, and I wasn’t thinking very rationally because when I went inside, I was back in the wrong terminal. It was like Inception (reference to the movie) or one of those nightmares where you can never seem to move forward and are always stuck in a constant loop.

Okay, back downstairs I go at this point. I exited the terminal and made my way to the subway entrance I had seen earlier. I went back down and tried my best to follow the signs one more time without crying out of pure pity for myself – which took me back to the same exact area that led me to this stupid other terminal in the first place. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake thrice.

(Now if you’re wondering why I didn’t try and ask for directional help, my mother would say in response to your question; “My daughter would rather get lost and remain lost than have to ask for any kind of help.” So there, that’s why.)

I read the signs carefully, and realised I missed the sign that read ‘Central City Bus Terminal.’ I thanked God and went on my merry way down a new passage of endlessness and eventually found another sign that read the same thing.

Oh yeah, now we’re talking. Eventually, things started becoming more and more familiar and I made my way to a set of escalators that would eventually bring me to… you guessed it, Central City Bus Terminal. Don’t get the wrong idea either. This place is massive and is an extension of the Shinsegae Department Store. How one can’t figure out how to get there despite having been there more times than I’d like to admit – is really beyond my comprehension.

So in record time (obviously not), I got out of there at about 22:20 instead of 21:30 like I had initially hoped. I was lost in the void for almost an hour – but safe to say it didn’t get me…this time.

Like I said, I’m now 88% confident I will mess up in the subway when visiting Seoul in my hopefully not so near-future. Do I welcome it? No. Will it be worth it for some funny laughable blog content? I sure hope so, and although I wish this story was just a dream like Alice’s wonderful adventure – it wasn’t. I didn’t wake up gleeful, and the adventure wasn’t very wonderful. But regardless, I’m glad I got to share it with you.

Until the next stop,

Bus Blog Driver Tay