Meigo Märk, a self-described “traveller of the world” from Estonia, made headlines in Malaysia back in 2017, when he walked 2,408km around the entire peninsula on foot. What wasn’t publicised at the time was a small find he made on his travels, that has recently developed into a heart-warming tale of Malaysians’ willingness to help others, and hands across the sea.

It began when Meigo was on one of his favourite parts of the journey - walking through a dense and beautiful forest in...