first stop - thailand.

we were literally on the other side of the world. the time it took to get there was like 30 some hours. i was exhausted. or at least i should have been. adrenalin was running through my body. keeping me awake and aware. i was in thailand. and i want to fully embrace my time here. our first night we spent in a beach town. going to the beach, eating thai food, getting a massage, walking around the markets, riding elephants. we loved every minute of it.
we then headed for a place called 'patong.' all we knew was that it was a party town and it was the port town for the islands. but we arrive to patong, we were both awestruck. standing on the street with our mouths wide open. there were two kinds of people in patong. older white men. and young thai prostitutes. oh and ladyboys (transvestites). where are we? and how is this okay? i felt sad for every girl and was angry at every white guy there. we passed out some flowers to some girls, looked them in the eye and told them they were beautiful. that isnt going to change anything. we didnt know what to do. and we couldnt just sit and watch.
the whole sex trade industry has been unreal to me. i mean i knew it was going on but its never been a cause that ive felt passionate about getting involved.
but in that moment it became real.
we were surrounded. and instead of feeling "passionate about getting involved," i felt helpless and hopeless and mad and confused and overwhelmed. and my comfortable life back home felt purposeless and selfish. welcome to thailand.