Traveling abroad can be an exhilarating experience, filled with new sights, sounds, and cultures. But there’s a flip side to this adventure, especially when language barriers come into play. These barriers aren’t just about struggling to order coffee or asking for directions; sometimes, they can lead to unexpected and even risky situations.
A group of Malaysian tourists in Bangkok, Thailand shared their close call experience on Facebook.
They were lured in by what seemed like a fantastic deal for a day of exploration – a car hire service for just 1,500 Thai Baht (about RM195).
Little did they know, their day would unfold like a script from a suspense movie.
Not following GPS
Right from the start, the journey took an odd turn. The driver, rather than following the GPS, embarked on a mysterious detour.
In just 20 minutes, the driver was on the phone six times, discussing their whereabouts – a detail that would make anyone’s eyebrows raise.
“Fortunately, my aunt understands Thai and overheard the driver telling the person on the phone, ‘There are 7 people in the car,’ or something like that.”
The situation escalated as the tourists noticed the detours were extending their travel time significantly.
What was supposed to be a 30-minute trip now looked like it would take an hour.
Alarm bells rang, and the group asked to return to their hotel, but the driver had other plans, insisting on taking them to various tourist spots.
Realizing something was amiss, the tourists stood their ground, refusing to go anywhere but back to their accommodation.
Passengers escape when driver stops at gas station
“Luckily, the driver suddenly said he needed to refuel. After reaching the gas station, he kept making phone calls, so we got off the car and paid him. We decided not to continue with him because we really felt he might take us somewhere else instead of back.”
“Then, we ran to a café near the gas station, and to our surprise, we saw that he left without even refueling!”
They paid the driver and left the vehicle, relieved to be out of a potentially dangerous situation.
This incident, which the family later shared on Facebook, sparked a lot of discussions.
Netizens chimed in with their opinions, some grateful for the warning, others skeptical of such cheap travel deals.
The incident served as a reminder of the importance of caution while traveling, especially when language barriers can obscure your understanding of a situation.
The tourists safely escaped, showing the importance of caution and skepticism about too-good-to-be-true deals when traveling abroad.
