Hitchhiking in Korea. Or, meet my hero.

Last Sunday I headed to a gallery I thought was just outside of Seoul. I took a bus, the subway, another bus, and the driver told me to get out- in the middle of nowhere. The sun was beginning to set and I knew the gallery would soon be closing. I was hours away from Suwon.
There are farms all around me. Where are the buildings? The crowds of people? The cars? Finally a jeep came to the stop sign where I was pacing, map in hand. I ran onto the road. "Stop, please stop!" I shouted at him. He rolled down the window.
Where is **** gallery, I asked in Korean. A 40 minute walk away. Wonderful. He told me to get into his car. He only looked about 20 yrs. old and I noticed a girl in the front seat. OK. Safe enough.

They drove me to the gallery and I arrived just as it was closing. I thanked them for their generosity, exasperated because there would be no time to tour and I had zero idea how to get back to Suwon.

So nice of you to go out of your way. Where were you headed, in the first place, I asked him. "Suwon, to meet my friends. But I have to drive my sister home first." SUWON?! When he found out that was my destination, he said he'd return to get me in 15 minutes, when I was through taking photographs. We'd go together.

We became instant friends on our long drive to Suwon, laughing about destiny. He said he wants to be re-payed with dinner and an English lesson.