My impressions of Bangkok haven’t changed much since yesterday, but feelings toward the city have grown richer and more nuanced. Today was a strange mix of the sacred, the profane, and the humorous.
The day began with a visit to New Beginnings. This small ministry does wonderful work with girls and women who leave the sex industry. I say “small ministry” because they have committed themselves to growing deep, not wide. That’s something to applaud in this world of hyper sized ministries (and egos to go with them).
The folks at New Beginnings befriend girls and women in the sex trade. As one intern told us, “I talk about girly stuff most of the time…painting our nails, cutting our hair, what outfits are cutest, things like that.” But through such conversations, trust is built. New Beginnings offers an open door that welcomes the girls into their home. A few leave the trade and move to the apartment that New Beginnings has (it’s a few blocks from the red light district). Here they are given resources to continue school, learn a trade, and rebuild their lives. Most of all they are given love, safety, and pride. They are immersed into a spiritual and vocational blend of education can best be described as holistic.
There’s more to it than can be expressed in a short blog post, but you get the idea. It’s an amazing “little ministry” that is doing great things. I’m proud to know these folks. Bonita, if you are reading this, then let me say how proud I am of you. You have a sacred home in the midst of a lot of ugliness.
From the sacred setting of New Beginnings we went to something that combined the humorous with the profane. Cabbages and Condoms is a resort/restaurant in Bangkok that has a wicked sense of humor. It was founded to promote the idea of safe sex and family planning. It is … well … a bit unorthodox in its approach!
Tiger Woods created from condoms. Made me wonder how Nike felt about this!
I enjoyed lunch there — the food is quite good — but what I’ll remember most are the funniest ways you can use condoms. How about a full size Santa Claus made of condoms? Or a giant poster showing every conceivable sex position that identifies them as “safe”, “unsafe”, or “don’t swallow.” Yeah, you get the idea.
Perhaps the funniest was the life size Tiger Woods made of condoms, with a sign attached that says, “Tiger, we hope you used them!” And after lunch a condom for each diner.
Part of the Grand Palace complex.
Okay, so enough of Cabbages and Condoms … back to the sacred. We took a taxi over to the Grand Palace, an incredible complex of fascinating buildings that were once the seat of power in Thailand. The King’s throne is here, for instance, as is the Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha. Buildings that look like solid gold, mosaics of gorgeous colored glass, and 20′ tall figures of Buddhist demons. It’s all a bit dazzling.
Despite the opulence and importance of the place, it didn’t really feel sacred. But then again, the first few times I visited the Vatican I would’ve said the same thing. Crowds, noise, and flashing cameras has a way of taking away the sacred. It’s still quite the site and tourists swarm to this historical and religious site. A must see for any visitor.
The evening we relaxed over the most amazing Thai dinner I’ve ever have. A wide variety of flavors reminded me of the wide variety of things I have seen thus far. Best of all was the conversation with Rachel, Kevin and Jen. Looking forward to tomorrow!