A trip to a local market turned into a two-day journey for a Kaohsiung farmer after he claimed to have gotten lost on his way home.
A 76 year-old man surnamed Su (蘇) on Monday was found by police officers in Hualien, about 300km from his home in Gangshan District (岡山), with a bag of rotting fruit and a plastic bottle full of gasoline.
The Hualien County Police Department’s Tzuchiang Precinct said they were called by concerned people who had been stopped by Su asking for directions to return to Kaohsiung.
They said they arranged transport for Su and his scooter to return home, adding that his family were relieved to hear he was safe.
Su said he had gone out to buy some fruit, but was unable to find his way home for two days, according to people who reported the incident to the police.
Su said he left home on Sunday and had several-hundred New Taiwan dollars to make his purchases, adding that the money was what kept him from going hungry during the long ride.
He said he had slept overnight on Sunday at a temple without knowing where he was, adding that he also ran out of gasoline and had to walk his scooter for several kilometers before he found a gas station.
Su said he was worried about running out of gas again, so he used a discarded plastic bottle to carry additional gas.
It was not until Monday that he wondered why home was so far away and stopped to ask for directions, Su said.
Although the police said they were concerned over Su’s health, they said he was in great spirits and even said he would ride his scooter back to Gangshan.
However, the police contacted Su’s son and asked him to come to Hualien to pick up his father.
The police said that a receipt from a gas station in Hualien County’s Fenglin Township (鳳林) indicated that Su had traveled south from the market into Pingtung County before going through Taitung County on the South-Link Highway (Provincial Highway No. 9), stopping at a temple on the border of Taitung and Hualien counties.
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