In Thailand, a tourist drove almost 1000 km in a taxi in the wrong direction (2 photos + 1 video)

The man was hoping to end up on a tropical beach, but the taxi ended up in the mountains. The fatal mistake cost the Frenchman $200.





A 22-year-old tourist from France went on an unexpected "tour" of Thailand, driving more than 600 miles (965 km) in the opposite direction due to a language barrier. Jacques, who was traveling in the country for the first time, called a taxi from Bangkok to the popular island of Koh Tao in Surat Thani province on February 12.

After telling the driver his destination, the man fell asleep peacefully on the road. However, when he woke up, instead of tropical beaches, he saw only mountains around him. It turned out that due to the incorrect pronunciation of the island's name, the taxi driver misunderstood him and took him to a completely different place - to the town of Doi Tao in the north of the country.

The name "Ko Tao" (pronounced "Cho Tau") is easily confused with "Doi Tao", especially for a foreigner who is not familiar with the local language. In addition, even if the taxi driver had understood the destination correctly, you cannot get to Ko Tao by car - you need to cross by ferry.

This misunderstanding cost the French tourist almost $200.



The confused tourist was helped by the police. The law enforcement officers explained to him the correct pronunciation of the island's name, settled him in a hotel and helped him find transport back. The next morning, Jacques was sent to the capital on a truck with cabbage. Then he was able to get to his real destination.