This is a continuation of my story about GEORGE KEMP,
a remarkable gentleman that I met in Nan, Thailand

Upon arriving at his sprawling house located just outside of the city, George showed me pictures of himself when he was younger. With his exotic good looks and the physique of a bodybuilder, George could have easily passed for a Hollywood star. Admittedly, George was somewhat of a butterfly (lady’s man) in his younger days and has been married four times.

Sometime in the mid 1960’s, George lived in Japan for 5 years, where he was married twice and earned to speak Japanese fluently, before returning to Thailand to resume his career with the police force.

Tragedy struck George in the prime of his life in late 1973 (at the time he was 35 years old). While on duty in his patrol car, a speeding car sideswiped the vehicle. At the time of the accident, George was taking a nap in the front passenger seat, while his colleague was driving the car. His colleague escaped with minor injuries but George wasn’t so fortunate.

The accident left George paralyzed from the waist down. After extensive physical therapy, George was unable to continue his duties as a traffic cop and resigned from the Bangkok police force. Confined to a wheelchair, George had to adjust to his new life and was forced to reinvent himself.

Shortly after his mom died, he married the Thai lady who was his mom’s caregiver. Not only did she become George’s wife, but she also became his caregiver. Sometime later George and his wife relocated to Nan, his wife’s hometown and settled down.

While George cannot walk because of his paralysis, he doesn’t let that slow him down as he drives both a customized car for the handicapped as well as a mini motorcar. Well known in the community of Nan, George promotes his wife’s dog grooming business and teaches both English and Japanese (he is fluent in both languages) from his home. Believe it or not, I think George’s classes are free!

In addition, George accommodates out-of-town visitors (mostly western tourists)at his house with “bed and breakfast”. There are five guestrooms available; most of the rooms are equipped with private bathroom and a TV ‘to boot’. I have seen the rooms and in my opinion, they are pretty decent (better than most guesthouses in the area). There is one catch however - George refuses to charge his guests any monies. Apparently George does not need the monies - meeting and interacting with people is more important to him!

I promised GEORGE that I would publicize his guesthouse to fellow travelers on the condition that he accepts a minimum donation of 150 baht (approximately $5.00USD) per night which he will donate to a charity of his choosing, He reluctantly agreed to this stipulation and indicated that he would donate any monies he received to medical research that helps other paralysis victims. If you’re interested in visiting Nan and staying with George, contact him by e-mail at g_kemp83@yahoo.com or call him at 0832932394

I always meet a lot of interesting people when I travel abroad – both fellow tourists and locals. Of all the people that I have met, there cannot be anyone more interesting than George Kemp, a remarkable 72-year-old Thai gentleman from Nan, a small city in Northern Thailand.

Actually George Kemp is not his real name but only a pseudonym that he uses when he is dealing with westerners. You’ll understand why he prefers to go by the name of George Kemp, when you discover that his real name in Thai is Akarintrara Adhidhebnarangkura – which is way too difficult for most us farangs to pronounce.

I met George as I was leaving Hot Bread Café in downtown Nan. He was sitting in his customized motor vehicle which looks like a cross between a motorized golf cart and a motorcycle. I had never really seen a vehicle like this before, but it serves George well as he is paralyzed from the waist down.

A big strapping fellow about 6 ft 2 inches tall, George does not look Thai nor does he look like a classical westerner. George’s bloodlines are mixed - his mother was Thai and his father was a white man from England. With Asian eyes, high cheekbones and otherwise Caucasian features, George has a very exotic look about him.

After shooting the breeze for about 10 minutes with George (he speaks excellent English by the way), he invited me to see his house just up the road. Now normally I don’t accept invitations from complete strangers but given the circumstances, I thought why not – I didn’t think a fellow like George had any bad intentions. So I hopped on my bicycle and followed him to his home, located only 2 kilometers from the cafe.

Upon reaching his sprawling country house, I was greeted by a chorus of barking dogs - mostly small Poodles, Shih-tzus, Lhasa Apsos. Most of the dogs were being housed in small cages in the back of the yard. George then introduced me to his wife and his extended family - a couple of young Thai girls (children of a good friend) who were living with him. As for the dogs, George’s wife is a professional dog groomer, and the caged dogs were waiting for their beauty treatment.

Talking about himself, I learned that George had a very distinguished career as a captain in the Thai police force in Bangkok during the 1960s - mid 1970’s where he worked primarily as a traffic cop. The highlight of his career came in the late 1960’s, when George made a special trip to Germany as an envoy of the Thai police force. This special mission led to the introduction of Traffic Lights to the busy streets of Bangkok.

Coming up - Learn how a tragic car accident completely changed the remarkable life of George Kemp