The Wrong Bus in Tainan
by Sophie Yang · Oct 2026
Last summer, I visited my aunt in Tainan. It was my first trip alone, and I felt very grown-up. My aunt sent me a message with clear : "Take Bus 2 from the train station and get off at the old fort. I'll wait for you there."
At the station, I saw a bus with a big 2 on the front, so I jumped on without thinking. I sat by the window and enjoyed the view. But after twenty minutes, the shops and disappeared. I saw only fish farms and wide, empty roads. I started to feel nervous. Then I looked at the sign again. It was not Bus 2. It was Bus 20!
My phone was almost dead. I wanted to cry, but I took a deep breath instead. I walked to the front and asked the driver for help. He was an old man with a kind face. "Don't worry," he said with a smile. "This happens all the time." When we got to the last stop, he let me stay on the bus, and he drove me all the way back into the city.
On the way, he told me about Tainan. He showed me his favorite rice cake shop, a three-hundred-year-old , and the best place for mango ice. By the time I got to the fort, my aunt was very worried. But I was smiling.
I learned two lessons from that trip. First, always check the bus number twice before you get on. Second, a is not always a bad thing. Sometimes the wrong bus takes you to the right place, and a stranger can turn a bad day into an .