French tourist's poor pronunciation sends him on wild goose chase in Thailand

According to Nation Thailand, the 22-year-old, identified only as Jack, was visiting Thailand for the first time and planned to go to Koh Tao, a beautiful island in Surat Thani Province.

He booked a taxi in Bangkok on Feb. 12, expected to arrive without any complications, and fell asleep in the car.

When he woke up, it was in a mountainous region, far from the ocean he had envisioned.

To his shock, he had been dropped off in Doi Tao, a district nearly 1,000 kilometers off course.

The mistake was caused by a simple mispronunciation.

When telling the taxi man the destination, he had pronounced "Koh" like "cho" in "chocolate" and "Tao" like "wow," which sounded like "Doi Tao" to the driver.

Unable to clarify due to the language barrier, the driver took him in the wrong direction. After collecting the US$180 fare, the driver disappeared, leaving Jack stranded.

Realizing what had happened, he remained calm and sought help from local authorities.

Jack (R) poses with a police officer in Doi Tao, Thailand. Photo courtesy of Corporal Teerapat Modjod's Facebook page

In a video posted on Facebook by Corporal Teerapat Modjod of the Song Phi Nong police station, Jack could be seen recording his conversation with officers in Doi Tao, who arranged for him to stay overnight at a local resort and, since there were few travel options, found him a ride back to Bangkok the next day on a truck transporting cabbage.

Laughing at his misadventure, he tells the police officers in the video: "Tomorrow, I'm finally going to Koh Tao. Not Doi Tao, the island Koh Tao!"

They had earlier helped him correct his pronunciation of Koh Tao.

According to the Bangkok Post, Jack's journey took another unexpected turn.

After hitching a ride on the cabbage truck to Ratchaburi, he lost his wallet and passport while stopping at a petrol station in Suphan Buri.

Fortunately, a kind man found them and turned them in to the local police. The truck driver, despite being on a tight schedule, took Jack to a police station, where officers worked to track down his missing belongings.

A Google Maps photo indicating the distance between Doi Tao and Koh Tao.

When Jack arrived at Muang police station, he was relieved to find the man waiting with them.

After the ordeal, the police again arranged a place for him for the night before he continued his journey to Koh Tao.

Koh Tao is a popular destination, attracting up to 500,000 visitors a year with its cliffs, clear waters and marine life, The Biodiversity Finance Initiative, a global initiative tackling biodiversity funding, reports.