Journal through Thailand

How does one describe a horrific, life changing, yet hopeful experience? Here is my attempt to share moments throughout each day of the journey in hopes to convey what has utterly rocked me to the core and will forever haunt me...

{DAY 1 & 2} May 22nd & 23rd 2009 FRIDAY & SATURDAY
Long day...night, day and night of traveling. 10.5 hours from Seattle to Narita (Tokyo). Thanks to Jenifer (sister in law) we, well four of us (don't worry we shared) :) received some sweet upgrades. All of which make flying for almost 11 hours straight quite lovely.
The Japanese are very friendly (as least the ones I encountered) masked and all, for fear us Americans will contaminate them all!
Another 6.5 hours to Bangkok, not as cushy as the first flight but we all slept the majority. It was a HUGE plane, double decker and one of the roughest flights I've ever been on. Hmmm...
The Bangkok airport is incredible. Think Jetson's, futuristic with amazing architecture. As we snake our way through this monstrosity of an airport, customs, baggage and out the doors for transportation, I am greeted with the smell of Thailand and intense heat. Along with crazy humidity at midnight!
After negotiating our van ride from 1700 bat to 800 bat, we settle into our hour and a half drive to Pattiya. One would think it was Friday evening in the US. The city is alive with activity and very much awake as we bump along in zombie mode. Make shift shacks, selling this and that. Stray dogs wander aimlessly, children out playing, eating and watching tv near ram shackles on what appears to be the side of the road. We finally arrive at our hotel and hit out first real bed in over 24 hours. Lights out!

{DAY 3} May 24th 2009 - SUNDAY
Our first real day begins with breakfast, which was mildy interesting, but sustaining. Given everything is cooked in fish oil.

Courtesy of www.amychengphoto.com this little girl's mother is learning Freedom Stones, while battling HIV. Which makes her daughter a high risk for being trafficked.
We head to the slum ministries where many are gathered learning the art of jewelry making (Freedom Stones) We are greeted by the most precious lil guy, all of two. He along with many other children are there with their mothers, one with his parents. As the children all play, their parents create beautiful jewelry. Several gals share their stories, one of which eagerly invited us out to see her house in the slums. We quickly learn this young mom of two boys (15 & 2) has sold herself and her oldest son in the past. Her oldest son has since developed an infection from a sports accident. Sadly this was a saving grace for he and his mother. She has been regularly attending the center with her two year old. Her ill son now lives with his uncle for better care. I pray the little two year old never falls prey to the mothers past.

Courtesy of www.amychengphoto.com this is the precious 2 year old boy I speak of above, pictured in his 'home' looking out the 'window'.

Courtesy of Kara Hicks Photography while this little girls mother made Freedom Stones, she played with the other children, learns English and loved playing with my hair. :)
How do I begins to describe the slums, when I'm still in process myself. This mother guided us through tall grass, along a small dirt track. Various waste littered the entire area, inviting all creatures and insects to salvage any rotting garbage. I carefully wind my way through, strategically placing each step. Approaching this woman's shack I am distracted by the two baby bottles sitting on the ground, dirt. Each containing a small amount of rancid milk, covered in flies and literally baking in the 100 heat. Does the baby boy drink from that? How do they not get sick? Are they immune? The little boy wanders around munching on a fistful of what looks like a chunk of ramen noodles. He is a little guy and I wonder if that will be his only meal today?
A water source of sorts stands alone with a handful of toothbrushes that have seen better days.
Her home, a ramshackle at best, she is very proud of. Inviting us in, I carefully step through the doorway, over the mound of tiny ants threatening to overtake it. The shack is composed of various woods, cloths, concrete, mud, sticks...various cloths and fabrics decorate the walls and ceilings. It's surreal, movie like and I'm moving through it. A mosquito net hangs from the ceiling to cover the bed at night that she shares with her baby boy. In the midst of such poverty the women offers us a rumbutan, which is a common fruit in SE Asia. I was so touched by her kindness and giving spirit in the midst of what seemed like uncertainty, sadness and chaos.

Courtesy of www.amychengphoto.com this area in the slums the children gather to sing and play games, while providing a little shade relief from the soaring temps and humidity.
That afternoon, we had the privilege of attending a Christian Thai church service. Everything is translated from Thai to English, although the worship was one for all and absolutely beautiful to hear two languages coming together to worship as one.

Later that evening we took a walk down the famed Walking Street. I've only been to Vegas once and that was on business. However Walking Street felt a lot like Vegas on crack. The street is packed shoulder to shoulder with open air bars on either side of the street. Literally hundreds of scantily clad girls line the outside inviting and soliciting anything, literally. Men and boys push various "shows" which I'm trying to forget, much less utter the words. Women, girls and "lady boys" dance just inside these bars, hoping...waiting to grab the attention of the many foreigner men (mainly American and European). This all occurs on the 1st floor, street level. You can only imagine what takes place on the 2nd and 3rd floors of these bars. It truly felt like the pit of hell. Everything about it assaulted my senses. Ironically within the last month prostitution has become illegal. So I had to laugh when we saw the big police van at the start of the street, when not five feet away were rows and rows of that very thing. Just reiterating how corrupt their government is, tourists or not, it's all part of their lively hood that they participate in as well.