Help for our family friends in Thailand

Hello. My name is Chris Thompson and I am fundraising for special friends of mine Mr. Nattapong Klahan and his family who need our immediate help. Nat and I have been friends since 2008 when I first travelled to the island of Koh Phangan, Thailand - a beautiful tourist location in the Gulf of Thailand where Nat was born and raised.

 

I first met Nat and his wife, Ann, when I needed to have some clothes washed and I saw a little sign outside their small restaurant advertising laundry service. After doing my laundry, Ann invited me back for dinner that night at their simple but quaint little garden restaurant called 'Memory Restaurant & Bar.'

 

Nat was my waiter that night and while Ann was making what would be the best food I had ever eaten in my life, Nat and I chatted away and got to know each other. It was low season and I was the only customer at their little restaurant that evening. Our dinners became a daily ritual over the next few weeks as every night I would go to Memory Bar for amazing food and excellent company. At that time Nat and Ann had just had their third child, a little boy named Not. Not's big sister, Tan, was two years old and just loved pinching me for a good laugh!

 

Since that month on the island back in 2008, I have returned every year and have seen these kids grow up and Nat and Ann's restaurant and jungle trekking business (which he started in 2014) steadily grow. Before Covid hit and Thailand closed their borders to foreign tourists, life was going in the right direction for their family.

 

In an economy where tourism accounts for 20% of GDP, the millions of people that rely on tourists for their incomes have been devastated. Nat lost his restaurant (which was also home to his family) and income from his jungle trekking tours has nearly dried up completely. Nat has never asked me for anything, so when he contacted me asking if I could help...I knew the situation was dire.

 

I am asking all my friends and family and their friends to help this wonderful Thai family in their time of need. Nat needs money urgently for living expenses for his family, and also to invest in their future to be in a position to earn money from tourists once the borders are open again.

 

Nat has a plan to reopen Memory Restaurant on his beautiful little piece of land in the jungle (also known as 'The Lan') with beautiful mountain and waterfall views. He doesn't have to pay rent on his land and there will be some synergy between his jungle trekking and restaurant businesses to earn money from the small numbers of people still able to visit the island currently. He plans to cater to small groups by offering a special Thai dining experience that will be truly unique.

 

Our goal is to raise a total of $14,000 US dollars for Nat and his family. The initial $4,000 earned will be used as emergency funds to cover immediate living and educational expenses for his kids and help Nat to build a small 'hut' on his land where he can live and work on his project. The other $10,000 will allow Nat to build a new Memory Restaurant & Bar on his land which will include a small kitchen, bathroom, tables and chairs, electricity connection, decoration, etc.

 

Thank you to everyone who donates to this gofundme. You will be helping Nat and his family recover from the Covid-related economic disaster on their island and give he and his wife Ann the ability to provide for their family moving forward. Thank you once again for your support.