An 85-year-old partially blind Thai man, Lung Lek Wongjaiya, walked for 14 days from Nakhon Ratchasima to Chonburi after failing to locate his son, whom he hadn’t seen in nine years. According to local media reports on December 9th, Lung Lek, who is blind in his right eye, had traveled to Nakhon Ratchasima to search for his eldest son. However, despite asking neighbors, he could not find any information about his son’s whereabouts.
Initially, Lung Lek had brought 2,000 baht with him, but it was quickly spent on motorcycle taxi fares while he searched for his son. With only 8 baht left, he made the difficult decision to walk back to his hometown in Koh Pho, in the Phanasnikhom district of Chonburi. Wearing just one set of clothes, Lung Lek had to sleep wherever he could along the way. Despite his hardship, he was helped by compassionate strangers who offered him food, water, clothes, and even a bag to carry his belongings.
Throughout his journey, Lung Lek faced the added challenge of his vision impairment. His right eye is completely blind, which made the long walk even more difficult. At one point, while resting near a temple, a kind local offered him soybean milk, 20 baht, and a boxed meal to aid him on his journey.
Lung Lek explained that he had traveled to Nakhon Ratchasima at the end of the previous month to visit his son, but was unable to meet him as his son had likely moved. After failing to find him, Lung Lek decided to walk back to Chonburi. Lung Lek has two children, including his eldest son in Nakhon Ratchasima and a daughter who lives in Rayong.
When a reporter learned of Lung Lek’s story, they offered to help him get home. The reporter took him to a minibus terminal, where the minibus owner, moved by his journey, provided him with a special fare to return to his hometown.
