Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

Welcome to Patong,

A place of flashy lights and loud music
                                  …that hides the hurting people inside.

As you walk down the crowded street there are people left and right asking if you want to go to the “Ping Pong show”. There are women standing outside the bars asking and pulling you inside. Stepping in front of you, pointing you inside. You can’t get away.

As you go from the main road to the “roads” connected on the right. The road of ONLY bars, it gets worse. Women are all over. They are dancing on bars, dancing in the walkways, and when they get a chance throwing back shots and “sipping” on a beer. The faster they drink the faster the faster they can escape from what they are doing. They put on a smile and call us in. They seem like they are having a great time. 
We sit down and order a coke, sprite, or juice. Then how do we talk to these girls, well they ask it we want to play connect four. (Which became one if my favorite games here) So we start playing and chatting, while we sip on our drinks they sip on theirs. She is very nice, she seems happy, they are laughing and smiling. Then we start to ask them real questions, and we start to seek the truth.

A person may think because they worked in the bar they are provided drinks, NO they pay for them. A person may think they chose to do this, NO they don’t want to do this. A person may think they are forced to do this, NO they aren’t, but they think there is no other option. You may ask why don’t they leave, THEY DON’T BELIEVE THEY CAN.
These women are beautiful, they have beautiful hearts, they are hidden in what the atmosphere is around them. This starts to change their minds as they get deeper and deeper into it. The longer they stay the more numb they become, the more they believe there is no other option. They begin to think they will never find love, or the hope they will find someone who has money and can provide for them and their family. But the people don’t want to help their family. They build so many walls that they just begin to walk through life without feeling, just acting.
During this time I have been able to get to know the women for who they are, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE GOLD INSIDE OF THEM. Not the image that is put on them, but each one for her heart. For who she is alone, not in a group. They are strong. They have so much respect for their family it is incredible.
These women don’t do this for themselves, most of them do this for their family. If that is not selfless then I don’t know what is. They are selling themselves to provide or someone else. This is so hard to see because if you get to know them they are NUMB.  Wires have been crossed and connections have been confused. They have forgotten how to dream. One person said to a girl “You are worth more than this.” She replied, “This is Patong.” They have forgotten what is outside the walls they now know.
I have been broken for these women, not only these women but all women everywhere who believe they have to go through this. To know what it feels like to see worth and beauty in someone who doesn’t believe it. That is something hard to know, but we keep going. We keep speaking truth. These women will be changed, they will come out.