
PUBLIC APOLOGY: I'd like to apologize for not writing sooner.
I've got a bag of excuses, but I'll stick with: I really, really,
really wanted photos to accompany this article but that would have delayed
me even longer. (I'm already in the doghouse with Trish. She
is such a demanding person!)
.
If you don't know, I serve on active duty in the Army. Of course
this is by choice; no one is twisting my arm, though this point could be
argued. I have recently undergone a drastic lifestyle change, wherein
I serve one year in the Republic of Korea, while my family remains in the
States. This is a hardship assignment. It's not the first time
we've been apart for a long stretch, and may not be the last (but we can
always hope). Little events in your life like this make you think
long and hard about how you spent the minutes of your days, the moments
of your life, and evaluate what you did right and wrong. At least,
if you're like me you do. (I call this behavior "Wallowing in Self-Pity")
.
But that's not what I'm here to talk about. I want you to know
that the children of Korea don't play with Hot Wheels. They don't.
I have looked, yea I have ventured and sought, and have found nary a hint
of My Precious. They don't exist in this country. The only
place I have found them are on the American installations, and the pickings
are old and slim, to put it generously. There is a guy in my platoon who
is the ultimate scrounge. He is the guy who can find something for
you when no one else can. Every unit has at least one, and they are
invaluable. His father apparently collects, and my scrounge can't
even find them here.
.
We've been yammering on this site about the Cars That Should be Made,
and Dream 5-Packs and so on and so forth. These kids would be in
awe over a Radar Ranger. Or not, who knows! They don't lust
after cars like we do.
.
Unlike America, the Koreans didn't grow up with the automobile.
They didn't get to enjoy this luxury until almost 1960. Since
then automobile ownership in Korea has outgrown their road maintenance
by nearly 5000%!! In essence, you have the traffic of New York City
motoring along on the roads of...well, there is no good comparison.
Think of the most narrow road, remove the shoulders and replace them with
10 ft deep ditches, then sprinkle with cracks and potholes. Now place
crosswalks and flashing lights at purely random intervals along these roads,
throw up some checkpoints for good measure, and never, ever put a police
car on them. Then populate with motorists that have made Korea statistically
the most dangerous place in the world to drive.
.
If you were to make a five pack for this country, it would go something
like:
| Table of Contents |