A 65-year-old man recently went viral in Thailand after taking his adorable 11 pet cats on a 300km road trip across the country with his motorcycle and its sidecar. The man, Choowong Samsen or more affectionately called “Uncle Samsen” travelled from the capital city of Bangkok to his hometown in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima or Korat; the first time he went back in over 26 years.
As reported by RideApart/MSN, Uncle Samsen has gone viral, especially on TikTok after several locals posted videos of him and his feline companions on the sidecar motorcycle whilst on the way to Korat. Calling the cats his ‘children’, Uncle Samsen shared in an interview with Thai broadcaster Amarin TV that he went back to Korat so that his cats could visit his birthplace and he wanted to also do business at the annual flea market there.
Returning to Korat is a bittersweet moment for Uncle Samsen as he was previously a successful small construction firm owner in his hometown before going bankrupt due to the economic crisis in 1997. With only 300 baht or approximately RM40 to his name, he went around Thailand to earn a living.
However, after returning to Korat a few months later, Uncle Samsen was mocked by the locals for being “someone who used to have it all”. He then decided to move to Bangkok, where he spent a period homeless and has not returned to Korat until this recent trip.
Uncle Samsen shared that while being homeless in Thailand’s capital, stray cats “who loved him unconditionally” were the only thing that cheered him up. He pledged to never abandon the cats despite his hardship and sometimes would even skip meals to feed them.
Uncle Samsen now makes a living selling amulets and knick-knacks at flea markets, as well as selling trash to a recycling factory. A popular figure on the Thai cat Facebook page Kingdom of Tigers, the online community raised funds to buy Uncle Samsen the sidecar rig so that he and his cats could stay together and get around to the markets.
Aww, what a wholesome story! We hope that Uncle Samsen and his 11 cats would be blessed with prosperity and health.
Also read: Cat Lovers Rejoice! Taman Kucing Cyberjaya Lets You Play With Adorable Furballs & Adopt Them
