Day 430: Taxi Bastards

The one thing I probably hate the most in Korea is the taxi drivers!

Yes, it's true, that some of the friendliest people I've met in Korea have indeed been taxi drivers, but the vast majority of them are assholes to the core, and I really do hate them. Some of the rudest, most vile, dispacable, wretched human beings I've ever come across in my life have been Korean taxi drivers. Generally they're just extremely rude to foreigners on a regular basis, and unlike most of Korean society, don't ever seem to hide their racist ignorance. The list of horror stories go on and on. I don't even know where to begin.

I've been yelled and screamed at more times than I can count. I've been turned away from hundreds of cabs while waiting in line at taxi stands only to see the same cab driver up five metres and pick up a Korean (who's not in line) instead. I've been taken on very long and out-of-the-way routes to destinations where I know they're only doing it to try and get a higher fare and think I don't know any better. I've had drivers just make up ridiculously high fares on the spot to try and get money from me. I've been heckled dozens of times for attempting to speak a little Korean. I've had the music in cabs cranked so high you can't speak because the taxi driver doesn't like the sound of English, or been yelled at cause he thought my friends and I were laughing at a joke or silly conversation too much. I've heard of friends getting money thrown back at them and getting kicked out of cabs prematurely. I've heard of people getting spit on just for being a foreigner. I've ever seen Addie get her hand *slapped* by a taxi driver because he didn't like the way she gestured when she pointed out our destination.

All in all, I've seen a lot of really disgusting behaviour by taxi drivers here. If they weren't so damn cheap, I'd boycott them entirely. I know that not all of them act this way, but the ratio of nasty to nice is about 9:1. There truly are a lot of bastard taxi drivers out there!