Thai netizens applaud man’s gesture taking blind man to Koh Larn

Thai netizens were impressed by the heartwarming story of a Thai man who volunteered to take a blind man on a beach trip to Koh Larn, an island in Chon Buri province. The man said that what he did was nothing special, adding it was a simple gesture that everyone could do to spread positive energy to others.

Paripol Toopiroh shared pictures of himself and his new friend, a blind man named Jukkapun Katudnong, on Facebook on January 6 and told his followers how he and Jukkapun met and spent time together in Koh Larn.

Paripol explained that he was a member of a Facebook group called Find Travel Companions and Foodies Friends and came across a post shared by Jukkapun.

“Is anyone free this Saturday and Sunday? Let’s go to Koh Larn together! I dream of going on a boat trip to the island to enjoy coffee, take pictures, chill on the beach, and make merit. Please come with me. I am a blind person and want male friends to make the trip easier. I want to relieve stress and relax. I am already in Pattaya. Message me if you are interested.”

Paripol said he decided to message Jukkapun and discovered he was a teacher at the Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind. They arranged to go last Saturday, January 6, and Paripol picked Jukkapun up from the school.

Before leaving the school, Jukkapun took Paripol on a tour of the school, which put Paripol’s mind at ease as Jukkapun was able to look after himself, travel actively and was also a national swimmer in the Paralympics.

Boat trip

Paripol said that he took Jukkapun to the Bali Hai Pier to catch a speedboat to Koh Larn. It was Jukkapun’s first time on a boat and he was very excited. Paripol told Jukkapun about the people, the atmosphere and what was happening around him.

They had lunch together, enjoyed the beach, went to a temple, and travelled around the island on a motorcycle. Videos of the trip showed Paripol explaining what he saw to Jukkapun. Paripol added that Jukkapun bought him a cup of coffee to thank him for the trip before returning to school.

Paripol shared a photo album of their trip to Koh Larn on Facebook together with a picture caption explanation of each picture so Jukkaphan could use an application to read and imagine the pictures. He also invited his followers to add more image descriptions for Jukkapun.

Paripol’s post went viral on Thai social media, receiving over 13,000 reactions, 580 comments and 1,800 shares. Many netizens praised Paripol for trying to describe the island to Jukkapun, and others appreciated the kindness Paripol showed to Jukkapun.

Paripol revealed in an interview with ThaiRath that he was happy that the story went viral on social media and was pleased that his action helped spread positive energy in society.

“I do not think that what I did was special. It is something that everyone can do. If you want to spread positive energy to others, you can start with just a small thing like I did, just help each other.”