During our trip to Pattaya, we had an unexpected Pattaya taxi experience that could have easily turned into a nightmare—but instead became something we will never forget.
We were traveling with our families (mine and my younger brother’s). It was our last day in Pattaya, we visited Snow World, and by the time we came out, it was already evening. So we decided to spend some time near Jomtien Beach. We hired a local Pattaya taxi and asked the driver to drop us there.
A Random Conversation
On the way to beach, like every tourist place taxi driver, he started talking to us—asking like, how long we were staying and how we planned to return. We told him it was our last day and we would be heading back to Bangkok the next morning.
He offered to take us to Bangkok. But his car was too small for our group of six and all our luggage, so we told him we needed a bigger vehicle. He said his friend had a van and gave us his number, asking us to mention his name. Honestly, we thought he was just trying to sell something unnecessary. Still, I saved the mobile number—just in case. That small decision ended up saving us.
The Moment Everything Changed
When we reached Jomtien Beach, it was very crowded. The driver asked us to get down quickly to avoid traffic. We got out in a hurry, paid him, and moved toward the footpath.
And then…Kabir (my younger brother) suddenly realized something, he missed his bag in the taxi trunk. I asked, “What was in it?”
His wife said, “Some snacks and medicines…”
I said, “Let it go… it’s almost impossible to find that Pattaya taxi again.”
But then Kabir said—“My new camera is also in the bag” That’s when everything changed. It was a brand-new Nikon camera, worth around ₹1.7 lakh. He just purchased before the trip. Now it wasn’t just a bag, it was a lost camera situation, and we were in serious panic.
Finding a taxi again in a crowded tourist area is almost impossible. And that’s when I suddenly remembered that the driver had given us a number. Ok, it was not his own number, but his friend’s. that’s still a small hope.
We immediately called him and tried to explain that our lost camera was still in his friend’s taxi. Communication wasn’t easy—his English was limited, and as you know, how great is Thai accent, we were getting almost nothing what he was saying. —but somehow, we managed to explain him the situation. Thankfully, he understood and shared the taxi driver’s number with us.
Now we had bigger questions : Would the taxi driver accept that our bag has left in his taxi, Would he come back, Would our lost camera still be there, and so on…..
But we had no choice, except to call him. At first, he didn’t understand anything. He kept asking if we wanted to book a taxi. Thanks to his poor English and great Thai accent, it took us more than 10 minutes to describe our problem.
But slowly, he understood what had happened. He told us he had already picked up another passenger and was on the way to drop them and the road was one-way, so it would take some time for him to return. He asked us to wait at the same location, he dropped us. Half-hearted we waited for the taxi, actually none of us remember the taxi number, even if taxi comes to us we will hardy be able to recognise it. So we were on the mercy of the driver, if he returns and recognises us. We waited… hoping for the best.
Around 10 minutes later, the same Pattaya taxi was right in front of us. The taxi driver stepped out and handed us our bag. Our lost camera was safe. We couldn’t believe it.
The passenger he had picked up was still sitting inside his taxi. We thanked him as well for allowing the driver to come back. We even tried to give the driver some extra money, but he politely refused. That’s when we truly realized—he wasn’t just a taxi driver.
He was an honest driver.
What We Learned That Day
This entire Pattaya taxi experience stayed with us. In a stressful moment like losing an expensive item, an honest driver can completely change everything.
👉 There are still honest people in this world.
👉 And Thailand truly surprised us in the best way possible.
And This Wasn’t the Only Time…
Interestingly, this wasn’t the only time we lost something on this trip. We actually lost our belongings twice and both times, we got everything back!
If you haven’t read how I missed my bag at the Bangkok airport and got it back, make sure to check that story as well here —it’s equally unbelievable.
If you had any similar experience. comment me below.
