A jetlagged US man has become the
most famous tourist in Iceland after he got terribly lost from a GPS mishap.
Noel Santillan had planned to drive
from Keflavík International Airport to a hotel in central Reykjavík – but a
spelling mistake sent him six hours away to a remote fishing town Siglufjörður,
North Iceland, reported the Iceland Monitor.
A Siglufjörður resident who
answered the door at midday was astonished when a weary-looking Santillan held
out a piece of paper and politely enquired if he was at the right address.
It soon emerged that Santillan had
typed in an extra R to his destination – a rogue letter that caused the GPS to
direct him on a 430km route to Laugarvegur, Siglufjörður, instead of
Laugavegur, Reykjavík, which was only 45 minutes from the airport.
"I invited the man inside,
called his hotel in Reykjavík to change his booking and then sent him to Hotel
Siglo where he was well received," wrote the resident, according to the
Iceland Monitor.
Santillan, from New Jersey, told
Icelandic news website Visir that he suspected something was amiss during the
endless drive over icy roads, when he observed signs indicating Reykjavík was
in the other direction.
But, feeling tired after his flight
from New York, he decided to keep the faith in the GPS. The 28-year-old said
the misadventure was worthwhile, as he got to experience the hospitality of the
people in Siglufjörður, reported the Iceland Monitor. He also raved about the
epic views he saw during his long drive north.
"I did enjoy the scenery on
the way," he told Visir. "I've never seen anything quite like
it."
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