Desperately Seeking Boonrian

So after I was finished diving in the Thai islands of Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, I headed up to the north. My friend and coworker, Ashley Adams, was coming to Thailand to learn how to train elephants, and she invited me to meet her in the north and go on a trip to the Laos jungle. Sounded like fun, so I went.

We met up in Chiang Khong, which coincidentally, is where she was nine months ago to film interviews for my recent show "Hooked: Monster Fish!" We decided to track down one Mr. Boonrian Jinarad, the man who caught the world-record freshwater fish - a 646 pound Mekong Giant Catfish. When she was in Thailand doing interviews a few months before, Ashley interviewed Boonrian. But she had only a vague memory of where he lived - so we had to use our investigative sleuthing skills (second nature to a documentary producer) to find him.

We walked from Chiang Khong to Ban Hat Khrai, Boonrian's village. We found the big fish statue, and we knew we were on the right track:


We went and had lunch at a nearby restaurant, supposedly they knew about big fish:



They had a few dishes that we didn't try, like the Fish Bowel Salad:


and Frog in Jungle Curry:


Not sure what Lungle Curry is, but we both skipped that one, too. After lunch, we spotted another clue down by the river - the canoes that they used to catch the Mekong Giant Catfish. And I discovered the floating buoys that hold up the nets:



Back on the road again, Ashley's sixth sense is on alert. Suddenly, we see a man sitting in front of his house doing paperwork. On a hunch, we decide to ask him if he is Boonrian:


Well folks...it was Boonrian. But I'll let the videos tell it from here. (Note that neither of us speak any Thai, and Boonrian speaks not a word of English.











We spent about 30 or so minutes with the man, yet I don't think Boonrian had literally any idea who either of us were, the entire time.