"Broke Down Palace"

I just finished watching "Broke Down Palace". Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale suffer one of the biggest nightmares that can befall a traveler: getting thrown into a foreign jail for a crime they didn’t commit.

It was a terrifying movie for me to watch though but the first 10 minutes make me really excited to go to Thailand but after watching it I dont think i will ever go there.

Thailand was at the top of my travel wish list. I always wanted to visit the beautiful beaches, eat the food and hike the mountains of the north but getting thrown into jail for a crime I didn’t commit is highly unlikely to be on the agenda.

Unfortunately, this sort of stuff can happen when traveling.

Sarah Shourd and Laura Ling are two recent examples of travelers jailed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. While Brokedown Palace may be a sensationalised Hollywood movie, there are some things we can learn from watching it.

Darlene is tricked into signing a confession written in Thai. They are sentenced to 33 years in a Thai women’s prison. Alice, on the other hand, had the right idea when she refused to say anything.

Lesson learned: When arrested abroad, be careful of signing or admitting to anything, especially if you don’t understand.

Warning! Major spoilers ahead!!!!

Alice (Claire Danes) and Darlene (Kate Beckinsale) when they have graduated from high school, they were planning their senior trip to Hawaii though Alice decided that Hawaii is too boring and convinces Darlene to lie to her dad and go to Thailand instead.

Don’t let your trip become another Hollywood movie!

This should be obvious but please: tell someone where you are going.

In fact, tell two people because what if something happens to the one person you told? It’s best to let a couple of people know your whereabouts when traveling.

Getting arrested in a foreign country is just as scary as Brokedown Palace makes it look. Hope any innocent person who was arrested on fake drug smuggling will be set free soon.