Monday, April 28, 2008

Easy Rider

"Pics or it didn't happen!"

I've been reluctant to relate this story because it's probably ranks up there as the equivalent of a '외국인' (waegugin/foreigner) UFO sighting.

I'm in a car just outside Busan moving at a very slow speed through heavy traffic, and it's a given that while we are stuck on the road the motorcyclists are taking to the pavement/sidewalk and continuing on to their destinations at some speed. The usual assortment of mopeds and mid-range bikes passes us by, before something a little more noticeable comes along - I'm no motorcycle expert but it looks a lot like a Harley-Davidson.

But while I was busy looking at the machinery, it was who was on the bike that attracted the attention of my fellow prisoners - '외국인! 외국인!' (foreigners) they cried - and as the machine passed by, there was little question of the apparently Western features of the two riders in the fleeting glimpse I snatched before they were disappearing into the distance.

I admit to being so desperate to catch this sight on camera, I failed to properly confirm what I was seeing, and taking a picture of a fast-moving bike, in a moving car through traffic only resulted in blurs. Later I realised I should have just taken a video and screen-captured the results.

So no pics, and maybe it didn't happen. After all, what are the chances of there being waegugin riding around Busan on the back of a Harley? The next day, like all sensible UFO spotters, I told myself it was my imagination. Maybe they were just Koreans who looked like foreigners, having an Easy Rider theme afternoon? But then, by coincidence, I found this YouTube video channel from 'Pusanguy', and now I'm not so sure I should be so ready to doubt. The truth can be stranger than fiction, and maybe the truth really is out there.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Coulda been Jeff

Jeff in Korea said...

It could very well have been me. There are VERY few (as in only 3) foreigners in this area that ride harleys.

I'm curious if it was me. What day did you see it? Where outside of the city were you when you saw it?

Mike said...

Hello Jeff,

It was Sunday 6th April, somewhere vaguely in the vicinity of Gimhae airport heading back in towards Busan, but I'm not sure of the precise location.

Incidentally, a couple of days ago I was in a taxi in Hadan when a biker passed by with a 'Rotten Dead' jacket. I thought it seemed a bit unlikely for a Korean to be wearing it, and found the site through an Internet search. So I guess one way or another there are foreign bikers riding round in the area.

Jeff in Korea said...

I can't remember what I was doing on the 6th, but the Rotten Dead was definitely me. There are a few highly visible, serious bikers in the area and lots of foreigners on smaller bikes for commuting and other use.

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