If there has ever been a story that declares, “don’t trust your travel instincts too much,” this could be it. Nineteen-year-old Lawrence, a traveler from the UK, was located alive after disappearing for two weeks in the dense forests near the border of Myanmar and Thailand. He survived among the animals and insects with his instincts, and lived off of eating ants and trees bark like he was a part of a wildlife documentary.
However, let’s go back in time, or perhaps forward in time, depending on your viewpoint. The search that started on September 27th had everybody involved; locals, soldiers from Thailand, willing volunteers, and even cross-border coordination from armed ethnic groups in Myanmar. Posters of his face were plastered on the border posts, CCTV footage was examined for clues, and the local governor, Athisan Intara, even requested thorough checks in risk zones.
When he was located on October 11, Lawrence was reportedly weak, barefoot, and wandering near a temple in Phra Chedi Sam Ong village, within the Kanchanaburi province. Villagers moved him towards safety and monks provided, food and drink, before he was taken for medical treatment. After two grueling weeks, the boy who went seeking adventure returned as a symbol of resilience (and not the best travel planning.)
The whole time, his mother, Kulnara, was worried to death, fearing her son had gotten caught in a scam or trafficked into Myanmar. So when Lawrence’s rescue was reported, all she could do was cry — “I just want to hug my son,” she said.
Now, about the way it all started — this whole fiasco began in an innocent enough way, with Lawrence getting tired of Bangkok and wanting to explore the Thai border region and possibly pop into the small town of Payathonzu, Myanmar, which he had read about online. But upon reaching the Phra Chedi Sam Ong immigration post, he was informed the border was closed to tourists.
Instead of going back, he decided to take a walk. A long walk. Through local villages, rubber plantations, into the jungle — without food, a map or even a phone signal.
At one point, three local men thought he was just a traveler looking for a cheap place to stay and showed him to a small resort. He couldn’t afford it, so he left — and that’s when the jungle enveloped him. For the next 14 days it was just him, the trees, and a diet straight out of Survivor.
“I was eating ants and chewing on tree bark,” he told authorities later. He climbed over hills, walked across small rivers, and followed animal tracks, hoping somehow one would take him to civilization. None did.
When he was finally found by rescuers near the temple, he looked well, but tired and calm—the look of someone who had simply visited another world. He was handed off to One Sky Foundation, a local non-profit that works with vulnerable families in the Thailand-Myanmar border area.
Police are still looking into what exactly Lawrence was doing to become lost in such a remote area. There are questions about determining whether he was lured in any way by someone online, or simply got carried away with excitement.
Anyways, the moral of the story is pretty simple—adventures are great, but at least look at a map before attempting to adventurously explore international borders on foot, with no food.
