While we were on Koh Lanta we had two unique experiences that I wanted to write about here in a bit more detail. And maybe one or both of the projects will interest someone enough to get involved themselves. 

First, about a month before we left Germany, I started following a father-son duo on instagram who are cycling around the world in hopes of setting two world records (as the first father-son pair to undertake such an endeavor). I enjoyed their posts and then saw they occasionally upload a YouTube video, so started watching those with Hannah when we had a chance. Then, in early October, we saw they were in northern Thailand, heading south towards Singapore, and we thought there might be a chance our paths would cross. So I reached out to them on instagram and they said they would come to Koh Lanta while we were there! We invited them to dinner and got them a bungalow at the place my sisters  were staying. They ended up staying on island for four nights and we had a few meals together, exchanging stories of our travels. Three years ago they did the trip that Steffen has been dreaming about for over 15 years—cycling across the United States, and reignited his determination to make that trip happen sometime in the next few years, ideally with one or more of our girls. 

It is so inspiring what Josh and George are doing, and they are both very kind, humble people who are so open and thoughtful regarding all the different cultures they are cycling through. I highly recommend watching some of their videos to get an idea of what kind of challenges and successes they are experiencing on this grand adventure!

They are raising money for unicef while cycling, so maybe you feel inclined to donate under their name here. You can also help support their efforts through their patreon page here. 

Our other unique experience was a tour of Lanta Animal Welfare Center, an animal rescue center that has done some incredible work over the past 20 years to help street dogs and cats of Koh Lanta live their healthiest, happiest life. We had the chance to meet some of the rescued dogs and cats that are up for adoption, saw the facilities where they care for the sick and injured animals and learned about their training programs. It is a clean, well-run facility, and it is so clear that every single staff member and volunteer cares so deeply for the animals. They also have programs where they go out into the community to vaccinate and sterilize street animals, educate community members about how to treat animals and provide medical care to animals on nearby islands. It is quite impressive what they have built purely with volunteer hours and donations.  If you are so inclined, it would be great to make a donation to help them continue their important work. You can also follow them on Instagram here.

We are taking this yearlong trip to see new places, to experiences different cultures and to inspire our girls to pursue their dreams as they get older and more independent (whatever they may be and all the different ways those dreams may evolve over time), so we are so glad that we had a chance to meet some people this past week who are living their dreams and helping make the world a little better as they do.