Han River...A Survivor's Tale.

When other foreigners discuss differences/idiosyncracies/annoyances etc. about the Korean culture...I usually try to find a bright spot, humor about the incident, redirect to a more positive topic, laugh and move on or just shake my head and say "That's just how it is" or 'It's a cultural thing." Today was a bit different.

This morning we decided to go for a nice/relaxing walk along the Han River and hopefully get a little exercise in. It was pretty quiet (as most mornings are) so there were only a few little groups of 'professional' bikers in their matching gear, racing bikes...the works. As we were chatting and checking out the skyline on the opposite side (we had crossed the bridge) out of absolutely nowhere came a Korean woman (around 50 or so) on a non-professional bike and hit Kristin with her back tire in her left calf area. As you can see from the photo there is a wide path and two clearly marked lanes for walking, rollerblading and biking. You may be wondering how her back tire hit Kristin...the only way I can explain it would be to say....visualize a 'skid stop' like a police cruiser may do...or Starsky&Hutch...with major leaning from the Korean lady (but she did not hit the ground). We were stunned but just brushed it off and kept walking...thinking maybe she lost control (on the level surface?) or was a new bike rider/nervous...something along those lines. We kept walking for about ten minutes with no bike traffic or people then AGAIN out of no where...on a slight incline of a hill...she came straight for us and crashed into Kristin...for the 2nd time! How she built the speed up for this collision...we have no idea. This time she did not 'skid stop' but instead hit Kristin in the hip/leg with her front tire and handle bars... then proceeded to fly over her own handlebars and landed 'ever so gently' on the path with an extra roll thrown in for good measure! This time we were really stunned and for one of the first times in my life (people who know me I'm sure would agree) I was completely speechless! I was unable to say anything in Korean...my automatic English came up and all I could say was "What do you think you are doing....trying to hit us??" She grabbed her shoulder and said something in Korean. Honestly, in a normal situation I would have rushed right over to assist/start first-aid..something! This situation simply didn't feel right and we both started walking quickly away. Also remember, she did not hit her head when she fell and was completely alert...no blood...no guts flying anywhere. :-) A few minutes later we looked back and noticed she was sitting on the side of the road and seemed to be talking to a large group (about 30 bikers in matching outfits...all black and red). We have no way of knowing for sure...but after she seemed to speak with them, they peddled very quickly toward us (remember I said about 30) then at the last minute would go around us on either side and yelled little things in Korean...now remember..this is a large path with plenty of room for them to pass us on the left...plus we were trying to move toward the right and get out of their way...it's tough to describe...but a bit unsettling to say the least. After we were passed by the bikers we were met with a Korean Police Officer on a scooter. It could have been a coincidence but we wondered if she had reported a bogus incident to him. We stepped our pace up again at this point. We kept walking, then after about 10 more minutes we see her... AGAIN! She came up behind us...we darted to the right (completely off the path into the grass) and she just peddled by us like a pro with both hands on the handlebars and said the only words that I recognized in Korean ..'thank you' with a big grin. We are unsure if this was some type of scam toward foreigners, terrorist activity with a bicycle (you never know!), or just a very odd person (to put it mildly) on a bicycle...who needs to return to good ol' fashioned hoofing it! :-) We had to laugh and just move on. We decided that (other than the 'bicycle attack') it had been a super walk and a beautiful morning. I guess once I got home I started thinking if it had escalated what would we have done? I don't like to be an alarmist, (seriously) but the only way to have escaped would have been an almost vertical climb up the bank OR jumping into the Han River and swimming for it! If truly confronted with serious danger I believe (at least in my mind) that I could have scaled that embankment (with Kristin right beside me...or in front of me...she's quite fit and agile!). This is one of those stories that you hope was just an innocent/one-time-only incident and you really hope this was not directed at us because we are foreigners. I truly want to be a positive ambassador for America...and demonstrate that the vast majority of us are good, decent, and kind human-beings...there are a few bad eggs in any culture...we may have just run into one! :-)

Just a note...I did receive permission from Kristin to upload her photo... I did warn her that this could turn into a web sensation.......:-) Thanks for reading!