Kindness Diaries (2017–2019): Season 1, Episode 12 - The Gift of Loyalty - full transcript

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[Leon Logothetis] From a
distance, the world probably
seems

like a big, bad scary place.

If you listen to the news
or even ask the person next to
you,

they will likely talk about war,
poverty, corruption, and hate.

And they are right,
from a distance.

But, I believe that up close,
there is enough good, enough
love,

and enough pure kindness
to make the world go round,

and that is what
inspired my journey.

A journey where random acts
of kindness are repaid

with unexpected and
life-changing gifts.

And, these are The
Kindness Diaries.



[Leon] I'’m reaching the end
of the Asian leg of my journey.

Tomorrow morning, Kindness 1
and I will board a container
ship

and cross the Pacific Ocean.

But before we do that, I'’m
spending my last night in Ho Chi
Minh City.

And, what would
you suggest I do?

Yeah. We just came
from the opera.

Why don'’t you go in there
and have a nice night?

-Is there an opera tonight?
-Yeah. I think so.

[Leon] Even though I didn'’t have
any money, I decided to check it
out,

and, luckily, that'’s when
fate intervened and I met this
man.

I'’m the director of the AO Show.

Oh, you'’re the
director of the opera?

-[Tuan] Yes, I am.
-[Leon] Alright, what'’s your
name?

-My name is Tuan Le.
-Tuan Le, I'm Leon.



I would like to invite
you to the show.

[Leon] Oh, I'd absolutely
love that. Thank you so much.

What'’s the show about?
What kind of opera is it?

-So, the show name is "AO Show."
-OK.

It'’s based from
Vietnamese traditions.

This is the costumes that
we wear for the show.

If you want, you can wear it
and watch the show if you like
to.

I'’d definitely like
to wear it now.

[Leon] My costume inspired me
to ask for a pretty big favor.

Is there any way, during the
show, that I can go on stage?

Let me think about it and
probably I will make it happen.

-I get you to practice with drum
awhile. -OK.

[Leon] To be honest, I didn'’t
actually think he'd let me do
it,

but here I was learning to drum.

Okay. I don'’t think
I'’ll be taking your job.

I feel butterflies, which I
think they'’re called "stage
fright" in this business.

[applause]

[Leon] The performance
was a beautiful mix of music...

dance...

acrobatics...

and puppetry.

And I got to be part
of the big finale.

I have serious stage fright.

[drums beating]

♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey!

♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey!

♪ Hey!

[applause]

[Leon] And, of course,
I just couldn'’t resist.

[Leon] They love me!

[Leon] Truly it was a
once-in-a-lifetime experience.

-And thank you for letting me do
this. -Thank you.

It'’s the perfect way to
end my stay in Vietnam.

[Leon] And I will
never forget it.

[performers] ♪ Hey,
hey, hey, hey! ♪

♪ Hey, hey!

[Leon] The next day
it was time to leave.

[Leon] I'’m about to get
on this container ship

and cross the Pacific Ocean.

[Leon] Let me back up a bit.

Before I left Los Angeles,

I realized that driving across
the entire planet just wasn'’t
possible,

so I wanted to make
sure I had a ride,

and after countless
rejections, I got lucky.

And that'’s how I
got to this moment.

Canada is waiting for me, and
Kindness 1 is already on board
the ship.

[Leon] Twenty days, perfect.

Anything you want, just give
me a knock. I'’ll be your
neighbor.

Here'’s my bed.

[Leon] Although I was already
familiar with life on a cargo
ship,

I was still ill-equipped for the
boredom that comes with it.

So, after a few days, I grew
restless and more restless
still.

How long have you been
on board the ship?

Fifteen months now.

-Fifteen months. That'’s a long
time. -Yeah

[Leon] So I tried to pass the
time as creatively as possible

with anyone who was
willing to play along.

♪ If I had a Euro

♪ I would make sure I was
in Vancouver tomorrow morning ♪

You'’ve been on the
sea for 25 years.

You must have some
amazing stories.

We were in a dense hurricane.
A really frightening storm.

Lookout reported to me that
there was water in the hold.

So I went down to
check this one,

and this whole big, say,
25-square-meter hatch,

was only hanging on one hinge,

and tons and tons and tons of
water came inside in the middle
of the ocean,

and nowhere to go,
nobody to rescue you.

So we had to make
all holds open,

all pumps, fire pumps,
submergible pumps...

you cannot imagine,
even with buckets,

and you cannot imagine
with the whole crew.

And we kept it for 12 hours
ongoing to keep the water out,

and it was a struggle from now,
yes/no, could change every
minute.

And we survived this.

I still don'’t know how, and a
few days later the storm ceased.

Yeah, that was something
I will never forget.

-Unbelievable.
-Wow.

-So, Captain...
-Yes.

...when am I gonna see land?

In two days from now.

And it's only when
we have good visibility

because we will
pass this island.

[Leon] But I started to believe
I was never going to see land
again.

Something sounded fishy.

How many days left?

It's about 5 1/2 days
before we will reach port.

Five 1/2 days more to go.

Captain, you said
that yesterday.

Yeah, that'’s correct,

but we have to take
the weather into account

and also sometimes the
ports are a little bit
congested.

How does it feel to be a Dutch
captain in the presence of an
Englishman,

and the English are the
greatest sea power in the world?

To be very honest,
you were, right? You were.

Let'’s keep it
historically correct.

[chuckles]

[Leon] But then one
morning... land!

Beautiful, beautiful...

Land!

[Leon] I will say, it didn'’t
feel that overly dramatic at the
time.

Now there was just
one more thing to do.

Kindness 1! My son!

[Leon] You know that expression,
"Be careful what you wish for"?

Well, all those days at sea,
all I wished for was land,

but there was one thing
I didn'’t take into
consideration.

Canadian land is brutally cold.

Can'’t do this, guys.
I have partial frostbite.

I know that sounds like
an exaggeration, but it'’s not.

I can hardly speak.

I need to find...

a jacket, proper gloves...

some kind of face thing.

[Leon] I desperately needed
a break from the road,

and decided it was the perfect
excuse for a picturesque detour,

which was just incredible.

And incredibly cold.

Ohhh...ice.

It feels like I'’ve been chasing
summer for this whole trip
around the world

but now I'’ve been
hit with reality.

Canadian winter.

[Leon] So, I took the
opportunity to ask for help.

I like your jacket.
Can I have it?

Okay.

-[laughter]
-I'm so cold now.

[Leon] Back out on the road I
soon arrived in the center of
Vancouver.

Hopefully I would find some
more people to help me.

-Is there any way that you could
help me? -Sure.

Sure. What do you need?

I need, like my gas tank
pretty much filled up.

Okay. Let'’s go ahead and do it.

-Do you live nearby?
-No.

-How far away?
-Forty minutes.

I don'’t know how the Canadians
survive in this weather.

Do you want to hear
an interesting story?

No.

No.
[laughter]

My feet are beginning
to feel numb.

My knees are beginning to
feel like they'’re about to lock.

[Leon] As I wandered
the waterfront ,

I had a very lucky thing happen
when I met a man named Clarence.

I need a hat.

Um, I need a place to stay.

I need some hot chocolate.

-OK.
-That's what I need.

I can help you out with
some food, how about that?

[Leon] So, my new
friend bought me lunch

and almost, more importantly,
got me out of the cold.

After lunch, it was time for me
to pay a visit to a very special
lady.

I think this is it.

[Leon] You see, before I started
my trip, I promised someone dear
to my heart

that I would call in on her
102-year-old great grandmother,

known affectionately as Nanna.

But, outside of that,
I didn'’t know what to expect.

How are you?

-I'm very well, how are you?
-I'm fine.

[Leon] Nanna was
something special,

and it was hard to believe she
was 102 because she was
absolutely young at heart.

Nanna also introduced me
to her dear friend John.

You were born one year
before the Titanic sunk?

Yes.

That'’s... that's
just astonishing.

[John] And three years before
the World War, the First World
War.

-Three years before World War I.
-Yes.

Have you ever met the Queen?

Because there'’s a rumor that
says that when you reach a
hundred years old...

-[Nanna] I got letters from her.
-You received a letter?

-[Nanna] I have the letters.
-Really?

-[Nanna] Oh, yes.
-Can I see the letters?

[Leon] You'’ve got a letter here
from the Premier of Canada.

Oh yeah. I got letters
from all the dignitaries.

-Queen Elizabeth!
-There you are.

So, that'’s true... you do get
letters when you reach 100 from
the Queen.

When you'’re 100, you get
the letter from the Queen.

[Leon] This is fantastic.
"Mrs. Alice Lenora Orrey.

I'’m delighted to hear that you
are celebrating your 100th
birthday.

I send you my warmest
congratulations on this happy
occasion

and good wishes
for an enjoyable day.

Elizabeth R."

[Leon] Sitting across from
someone who had lived such a
long life

and still seemed so happy,
I just had to know her secret.

[Leon] You know, many
people in today'’s world,

they think that true riches is
about how much money you have in
your bank account,

yet on my journeys
across this planet,

I found that true riches are
really what you have in your
heart.

That'’s right.

[Leon] And all of these pictures
you have around your house, and
all this love...

[Nanna] They mean
more to me than money.

I never did want a lot of money.

As long as I lived comfortable,
that'’s all I care about.

[Leon] After our talk, Nanna and
John extended their graciousness
even further.

-You'’re getting tired?
-You know, I am.

Well, you can sleep
on the couch if you like.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

You'’re welcome.

[John] I have a jacket here that
I used on one of my trips here
with Mum.

-Can I give you a hug?
-OK.

Thanks.

This old lady...

Nice meeting you.

[Leon] The next day, I was back
on the road thanks to a kind
donation of gas,

and I was feeling much
warmer in my new jacket.

Before I return to the States,

there was one more authentically
Canadian place I had to visit.

I have crossed 24 time zones

and here I am under the
snow in Whistler, Canada.

As you can see behind me

are the Olympic rings.

In 2010, the Winter Olympics
graced this town.

[Leon] Though a ski paradise
isn'’t as much fun when you don't
have any money.

But I decided to see if I could
find some love amongst the
villagers.

Is there any way that
I can stay with you tonight?

It'’s literally, it's just for
one night and then you'’ll never
see me again.

-Like in my house?
-Yeah.

Uh... [laughs]

I don'’t think so.

I don'’t know. I have
a lot of roommates.

-Really? How many?
-Four.

-Four?
-Yeah.

I think they'’d be kinda weirded
out if like an older man

was sleeping on our couch.

An older man?
Did you...that...oh, my god.

I'm just gonna go to the
pension office to get my
pension.

Is there any way that
I can get a lift pass for free?

-[woman over speakerphone] No.
-No?

[Leon] I wasn'’t having very much
luck, but true to their Canadian
reputations,

they were probably the
friendliest rejections I'’ve ever
gotten.

So I am basically relying on
a good hearted man like you with
a...

-beard...
-[man chuckles]

...to help me get
up the mountain.

What do you want me to do?

Buy me some skis, buy me some
batons, some clothes... um, a
ski pass,

and some hot chocolate.

You want some hot chocolate?

You want to sleep
with my wife, too?

[laughter]

[Leon] But everything changed
when, in the midst of the
village,

I spotted an incredible black
beast of mythic proportions.

Arrggh! Growler!

Where did you get Growler?

We found him at Whistler Animals
Galore. If you like dogs, you
should check it out.

-Really?
-Yeah.

What is it? Is it
like a shelter?

[woman] Yeah.
You can adopt dogs there.

[Leon] I decided
to go check it out.

-Hi.
-Hi, how are you doing?

-I'’m good, how are you?
-Good, thanks.

We provide a safe haven

and development for

lost, unwanted, and
homeless animals.

One example, if you'’d like
to come back and see Happy.

She just needs a little bit
of space. She'’s still very shy.

When we first got her,
no one could actually catch her,

but now you can get
a tail wag from her.

She'’s happy, she likes
to play with other dogs,

and, you know, people can feed
her by hand, and that kind of
thing.

So this is an ex-sled dog?

[woman] He'’s a
retired sled dog, yes.

So, a company shut
its doors and came to us

to re-home all the dogs,

so it'’s been quite a
big project for us.

[Leon] The facility
was quite impressive

and I asked if I could
help out for the day.

I got to meet many
of the residents,

all of whom seemed very grateful
to be out of the cold winter
air.

When they came in, they
weren'’t in the greatest shape.

They were full of fleas
and worms and very dirty.

Just with the problem
of the overpopulation, uh...

mainly in the reserves
north of Whistler.

We get countless dogs that come
in that have been hit by cars

or just completely abandoned.

They come in like racks of bones
and just in terrible shape,

but luckily with our
critical care fund,

we'’re actually able, when dogs
do come in with serious
injuries, to help them out.

We had a dog named Maya

who'd actually been tied
to the back of a pickup truck

and she had fallen out of
the truck and been dragged,

so she had massive lacerations
and damage to her cruciate
ligaments

and it was packed
full with gravel,

and WAG was able
to find a foster home for her

and take her to the vet and get
all the treatment that she
needed to have.

[Leon] So, you're giving second
chances to these furry little
creatures.

[Angie] Exactly.

[Leon] As we walked the pups,
Angie, in a gesture of thanks,

made me a most kind offer.

So, Leon, have a chance
to go up the mountain yet?

You know, I haven'’t.

I used to ski as a kid and it'’s
so nostalgic being around the
mountains,

but because I haven'’t got any
money, I can'’t get up the
mountain.

Well, I might actually
be able to help you out.

-I actually had the a pass...
-Really?

If you'’d like to
give it a go, yeah.

You'’re more than welcome to
take her out for a rip, as they
say.

Oh, I would absolutely love
that. That'’s so kind of you.
Thank you.

[Leon] But little did she know I
had something that I wanted to
give as well.

You know that I'’m traveling
around the world,

relying entirely on the
kindness of strangers,

but what you don'’t know
is that, in special situations,

me and my friends, the crew...

want to give back to the
people that have helped.

And the level of kindness
that you show to these animals

and that your organization shows
to these animals is really
heartwarming.

And as I told you, I have
a dog, Winston Churchill,

and the thought of my dog
being out on the streets,

cold, with nowhere
to sleep, with no food,

and having you
come and help him,

you know, really brings
tears to my eyes.

And the amount of dogs
and cats that you'’ve helped

and lives that you'’ve changed
is pretty inspirational.

So we want to help you guys to
help as many dogs and as many
cats as you can.

We want to restock the entire
facility with new beds,
medicine...

toys, collars....

anything that the dogs need.

Anything that you need
to make the dogs happier

and to get them a
"forever home" quicker, we will
give.

Thank you so much.

-Blankets, everything.
-Thanks, that's very generous of
you.

Uh, as you mentioned before...
you know,

we can'’t function without
everyone else'’s help and
kindness, as well, so...

Really appreciate that,
and it'’s been a pleasure having
you

come help out for the day.

That'’s awesome.

I'’m pretty blown away. I...

You know, I really wasn'’t
expecting anything when you
walked through the door.

Do you mind if I give you a hug?

No, absolutely. I
love hugs. [chuckles]

Thanks so much.

[Leon] We never know what
surprises await us around the
corner,

whether it'’s how a chance
encounter can bring your life
into the spotlight,

or when the discomfort you feel
in one instance can lead

to the joy you feel in the next.

We can never predict when
mundane moments will transpire
into magical ones,

and that'’s okay.

The only thing we have to do
is to be open to the
possibility.

Next time... It'’s the final
1,600 miles of my global
journey.

I have seen so many
incredible things..

from mountain ranges,
temples, people.

[Leon] I make it all the way
back to the place where it all
began...

Kindness 1 and I have made
it to the Hollywood sign!

[Leon] But, before
I'’m through...

I have saved the biggest
and the best surprise gift

for the man who got my
entire journey started.

[man] Altruism'’s a basic thing.

Keep doing what
you'’re doing, man.

Seriously. You guys...
keep doing this.

[Leon] And, the best part is,
he has absolutely no idea.

Man, like I said, nothing
good ever happens to me.