had to experience a language barrier at least ONCE

Language barrier isn’t terrible but it’s there

As hunter and I make our way around Bangkok, it hadn’t arisen a issue of the language, nor have I ever had a problem.

We found it quite interesting.

Once we wrapped up the floating markets, we decided to make our way cross with to a Airplane Graveyard. It isn’t very known so we pulled up our maps.

Flagging down a taxi, we hop in.

We tell him we’re going to Airplne Graveyard. He seems like he understands.

I pull up a map, show him. He scrolls around the area and nods, as if he understood.

As we begin driving, he begins asking me, directions. Not verbally but pointing his hand left or right.

As I have maps out, they can see it’s a turn up ahead but he couldn’t understand. He had never used maps before, it seemed.

I am doing my best to say, left here, right. He made 2 wrong turns and missed one because he didn’t think it was that soon.

We had gotten a mile into our trip and we were going the complete wrong direction than we had wanted. The guy had no idea where he was going.

While we sit there, trying to at least say, turn here. I pull up google translate.

As I convert, turn up here, and let him read it, he STILL couldn’t understand.

Google was letting us down.

I tried to switch it from Thai to English. I let him speak in there.

He spoke for about 26 seconds & my phone did not get 1 word he said. Back to square one. Still no understanding.

At this point, I tried to change my maps to Thai.

Did so.

He STILL had no idea how to listen to them nor do what they said.

I turn to hunter, we say, let’s just get out.

So we say, we will just get out here.

He keeps driving and has NO idea what we’re saying.

We began to say fragments.

Done. Out. Stop. Walk.

*pointing outside*

Keeps driving.

At this point the only way to get him to stop was to open the door.

I try one more time on google translate.

“Stop”

He understands, stops and calls his friend.

“ No sir. Done! “

He laughs and understands.

We pay and get out.

Hunter and I sat and just laughed at how tough that was, how we got nowhere and now we had a longgggg walk to where we wanted to go.

So we change plans & just walk the city.

We learned that the barrier is still there for some— you’re able to get around it and find ones who understand but once in a while you will find the language barrier to be quite tough.