Debit Card Disasters and Leaving Daegu

I managed to narrowly make it back home last night after an unexpected setback nearly left me stranded in Daegu. I almost always travel with a debit card back-up -- it's just good practice whether you're backpacking through unfamiliar terrain or driving across your own neighborhood. I did as much while overlanding through Europe and Morocco in 2006, and while I never had a cash crisis, I knew my spare card was there just in case.

I suppose I got a little too comfortable here in Seosan, pulling cash off of my US-based debit card at the 24-hour MiniStop shop just down the street from my apartment. So it didn't cross my mind to bring a second card along. Although I noticed right away in Busan that finding an ATM which would accept foreign cards was a bit trickier than I had expected, I eventually did manage to take out enough cash to last me right up to the last day of my trip.

Returning from my day-trip to Palgongsan yesterday late afternoon, I thought I'd make a pit-stop at the KB Star Bank across the street from the bus stop, and pull out enough Won to get me safely home. KB banks have always accomodated my foreign ATM card. But today was different. I tried one machine after another, each rejecting my sole source of cash and leaving me with a painful message, "Your card is not accepted here. See a teller for more information." I felt the beginnings of desperation rising from my belly, and though I tried to keep my mind focused on a solution, the tellers certainly wouldn't be of any help whatsoever -- it was Saturday afternoon, and aside from ATM machines, the banks were closed until Monday.

I raced back to Bron's place, aware that the clock was ticking and not having more than a vague idea of what route I'd need to take (let alone what times to make those connections) to get back to Seosan by nightfall. He was home, thank God, and I placed a call to my bank back in Pennsylvania to make sure they hadn't placed some kind of hold on my account. There was no answer. Naturally, although it was 4 PM for me, the time difference of thirteen hours was really cramping my style. It was 3 AM Eastern Standard Time, and the support lines were closed for another four hours. Being that I was delving deeper and deeper into distress, Bron spotted me some cash to cover the cost of my bus ride home. I vowed to wire some money back to his account when I got home.

An hour later, after hefting my backpack through Daegu's city streets and metro stations, I arrived at a sprawling tangle of bus terminals, each taking passengers on in quite different directions. My next challenge was to find the bus terminal leading me back toward Seosan, which was no small undertaking. Bron had hinted that there were as many as thirteen bus companies, and that I'd need to check carefully to make sure I was heading towards the right destination. Fortunately, the third company I approached sold me a ticket to Daejeon, from where I was sure I'd be able to find a bus on to Seosan.

I didn't think twice about things until three hours later when, after a short layover in Daejeon, I boarded the last bus for the night back to Seosan. I realized then that had my timing been off even just a bit, I would have been circling the bus terminal in the dark, trying to find some safe and inexpensive place to rest my head until morning came and the buses resumed. It was enough to bring a surge of relief to my heart, and gratitude that, after a week of fantastic adventures, I would be able to crawl into my own bed and sleep off the tensions of the afternoon.

At around 11:30 PM, my bus pulled into Seosan's terminal, and I found myself back on familiar streets, heading uphill towards home. It had been an adventuresome day, and I got a little more than I bargained for. There's nothing like a close call to make you realize how often fortune crosses your path. And I was certainly no exception. Thank goodness for good fortune, I'd made it home.