Bangkok was one crazy, insane, beautiful, smelly, unique, and mind-blowing city. Us being city-lovers, we were excited to set foot onto the streets of this world-class city. Little did we know what we were in for… Before we flew from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, people from the wedding party asked us where we were headed to after the wedding. After explaining we were planning to spend a few days in Bangkok, people, almost without fail, asked us “Why in the world would you do that?” Needless to say, our confidence in our travel plans was quickly leveled. What were we getting ourselves into???
View of part of the Bangkok Skyline from Lumphini Park
After a short flight to Bangkok, we found ourselves in the middle of a very confusing and packed airport. We eventually found bus transportation from the airport, hoping that the stop that were assigned to get off at was actually our stop. We de-boarded, and found ourselves in a sea of smells, tuk-tuks, diesel-infused air, and people (all speaking Thai, might I add). Not having any idea where we were, we just started to walk. After 15 minutes (a.k.a. ETERNITY) of lugging our suitcases through narrow, crowded, dirty sidewalks and non-handicap accessible curbs, we found our “soi,” or side street. Little did we know (not knowing seems to be a trend…), our hotel was only one soi away from the most concentrated red light district of the region. Oy.
Despite a stressful start, we quickly settled in. Our hotel was restful- quite, clean, and equipped with a kitchenette. We were grateful for the alone time, and for the chance to veg for a couple of days after extreme traveling.
Another view of downtown Bangkok. Notice the traffic...
We even enjoyed walking around a bit, and getting our exercise in a nearby park called Lumphini Park. We were startled at the size of the large dragon-like creatures swimming and walking around the park!
That's a full-size tree. You do the math....= HUGE!
The water monitor's tongues are also large!
What was most entertaining, however, was the outdoor workout equipment we found at the park! We enjoyed taking funny pictures, and getting a little bit of a workout in!
Working out at Lumphini
Brent trying a new machine!
Here’s some more pictures of the park:
View of boats, pond, and city from Lumphini Park
Funny golden goose boats at Lumphini Park
Trees and grass area at Lumphini
I mentioned above that our hotel was nearby a major red light district. I wanted to spend a bit of time commenting on this issue. It is not an exaggeration to say that 1 out of every 8 people we saw on the streets of Bangkok was an older white man (50+ years old) with a young, Thai girl. As someone who is extraordinarily bothered by signs of oppression and female disempowerment, I was quite disgusted most of this trip. It was hard to look into the eyes of these men and extend God’s grace to them. I saw hurt in them, and in the eyes of the Thai girls, and there was absolutely nothing that I could do to stop the injustice and systematic sin. While Brent and I have read countless statistics on the status of human trafficking in cities such as Bangkok, we never thought reality would match, and even exceed, our expectations by epic proportions. While we know that there are countless issues to join in on and advocate for, I feel it is our responsibility to make clear to you that this is a real and highly complex issue worth educating yourself on. Many of these girls were enticed into trafficking through lies, and have since become addicted to the drugs provided by the brothel lords, or have no other way of making money (at least not enough to support themselves). It is not about just rescuing the girls, but about building an infrastructure in their country where they are empowered to start business enterprises and pursue education that will help them get out of these situations. Please consider this issue seriously. We saw it with our own eyes! We would highly recommend reading the book Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof if you are interested in pursuing this issue further.
The second day we were in Bangkok, Brent and I decided to walk around. Little did we know that we would end up getting lost in the capital G- GHETTO of Bangkok. We were definitely NOT supposed to be there. However, we quickly found a bridge that took us over the slums. We were able to take some interesting pictures, and had some rich discussion on the peaceful relations between Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists in Thailand. I especially love the first picture below:
Mosque on one side, Church on the other- both surrounded by slums
Power lines and small quarters in the poorer parts of Bangkok
Some examples of housing in this particular ghetto. Pretty ingenious!
Dirty water and river bank housing
Our third day in Bangkok, we spent some time on a river boat tour. We made our way through narrow canals that run through Bangkok on a small river boat. The boat drivers balanced on the back of our boat with propellers precariously hitched on the end of a long stick they used to steer the boat. God help us!
River boat. The long stick is the attached to the boat's rudder and motor...
Another, more complete, picture of a river boat
We enjoyed skimming through the town, and got to see some of the rougher parts of town that many of the tourists don’t usually see. The river was brimming with catfish, which seemed to be a main staple (for food and income) of the many households that line the river bank.
Fisherman's house along the river. Many of these people are living in very poor conditions.
Catfish! Our tour guide threw a piece of bread for them, and they all came to the surface!
I (Amy) was experiencing a bit of stomach pain (the result of being “culturally sensitive” to street food vendors) which got progressively worse over the course of the boat ride, making it slightly less enjoyable than planned. The catch with cheap tours in Thailand is that the taxi drivers get a commission if they take their tourists to jewelery stores on their way back to the hotel. UGH! We weren’t too happy, but eventually made our way back to our hotel (without “family made” sapphire earrings). After a day of R&R, we were back and ready for more exploring!
Some of the evenings in Bangkok were spent walking around town, shopping at the nearby grocery store, or catching taxis to different markets or events. One of the days happened to be the Queen’s birthday. Every street vendor, hat seller, and trinket pusher seemed to be celebrating this event. Streets were packed with music players, banners and lights were hung on every light post, and flower beds were packed with hand-sculpted arrangements. After playing taxi musical chairs (apparently some taxi drivers don’t want to drive in traffic), we made our way to the Queen’s castle. It was wonderful to walk around the grounds, and even got to see some of the Royal Temple. Quite ornate and gaudy, but still really special.
Temple Sculpture. Buddha is depicted in the sculpture in the foreground.
Ornamentation on the wall of the temple- EVERYTHING has gold leaf!
Amy stands with a rooster-like statue in the temple
These little statue men made us smile 
This Buddha is made entirely from one piece of jade! It stands the same size as Amy!
Us at the temple. We were hot and tired by then, but happy to be together!
The Grand Palace. The King and Queen live elsewhere, but this is where they work.
A picture that captures Thailand beautifully- a people proud of their country and religion
Our last evening was spent at the night bizarre, where we bought some cheap food, and looked around at different trinket and souvenir vendors. We enjoyed getting to stretch our legs a bit, and picking out a few gifts for friends and family.
By this time, we were ready for home. After packing our bags, and picking up a coffee before the flight home, Brent and I were headed into 20+ hours of travel (including 12 hours in the Seoul airport).
Brent's expression in this picture pretty much sums up how we felt while traveling back home... zonk!
We learning so much from this experience! We LOVE traveling together, and loved being in a new and different culture. We have gained much insight into an Asian culture that we knew hardly anything about before we came. The land of a thousand smiles has treated us well! We returned with a deeper desire to know the cultures and backgrounds of the refugees we work with even more. Maybe one day, we will return.
