You hear about it in the news. You can read books and articles about it. You can watch documentaries, you can watch movies about it. But nothing you can do will ever fully prepare you for it… Bangla Road that is!
Coming into this month I knew it was going to be difficult, I knew that I would see things most people would never see. But I couldn't have prepared myself for what I saw! The first night we went to Patong! All 15 of us prayed and then set out to Bangla Road! From the very moment you pull into Patong you can tell something is different. Everywhere you look there is signs selling "body enhancements" teeth whitening, body thinning, face whitening, hair extensions. And body enhancement you can imagine there is an advertisement for it!
We parked the van and all piled out onto Bangla! We split into two groups and began walking down this famous street. The very first thing I saw was a "box", it was then I decided I hated those things! I saw a glass box on a second story lite up so bright. Inside of this box was a girl. She couldn't of been a day over 20 years old. She was in a long teal skirt and a white tank top. She was dancing around the pole inside this box. I couldn't take my eyes off of her! She was beautiful but I could see the brokenness in her eyes.
As we walked down the street I saw everything imaginable! There are promoters everywhere selling "ping pong" shows. There are children with flower necklaces that will follow you around trying to get you to buy from them, there are families with their young children, there are people selling cigarettes, there are young men walking around mesmerized, there are prostitutes trying to negotiate with the men that approach them. There is brokenness…. More brokenness than I have ever seen in my life.
As I walked around Bangla I was devastated by what I saw. I knew at that moment what a crazy adventure I had ahead of me.
