Riding an Elephant...

Was not as exciting as I had hoped (motion sickness), but the long-tail boat ride up the Golden Kok River to the Elephant Village was worth thirty minutes of nausea. Good lord, what a trip! The lush landscape—breathtaking, unruly, indecisive—was reminiscent of Vietnam war movies. I took a lot of pictures, most of them bad, but here are few…

 

Long-tail boat, Golden Kok River

When we arrived we fed the elephants shoots of sugar cane and laughed our tails off as they deftly took and curled them into their grotesque mouths. There’s something surreal about standing next to a creature like this. The eyes are altogether too big and wet and old-mannish, the trunk too snake-like. Standing next to an elephant makes you feel a little ridiculous.

Keith feeding an elephant with obvious joy

Anyway, before climbing the stairs to board one of the waiting elephants (there were probably a dozen or more roped up or loping around), my new friend Keith (team instigator, cultural ice-breaker, teddy bear) spied a local smoking something rolled in a banana leaf and managed to coax her to roll he and I a couple for 10 baht (about 30 cents). Keith is both adventurous and a cigar connoisseur, so this didn’t surprise me. She smiled and found her pouch and spread what looked like stringy tobacco into the leaf, and from a small wooden box sprinkled little white and brown squares of something over the tobacco before rolling the leaf up tight. Keith tucked them away in his backpack for later (see a later post for the result).

Rider straddling elephant head (photo by Marah Grant)

View from elephant

On the boat ride back I sat transfixed next to Keith who spent twenty minutes describing the various qualities and urban dangers of the ficus tree, many of which were growing or dying along the banks of the Golden Kok. As strange as it might sound, this too was a highlight of the trip for me, listening to Keith riff on trees.

Chiang Rai, Part 2 (the Rescue Home)

One of our next stops was the rescue home where we met Sue, this amazing therapist from Australia (or New Zealand, I can't remember) who blew our minds, in her own quiet way, with the stories she shared of the trauma these rescued girls have to work through.

Rescue Home, Chiang Rai

Salon training facility

Sue attributed her efficacy as a therapist in Chiang Rai to Jesus, and if you’ve read and believe the Gospels, this will come as no surprise, since Jesus loved to put broken people back together again. She said when she ran a practice back in Australia working with sexually abused girls, with a large staff and all the resources she could ever want, she was nowhere near as effective as she is in Chiang Rai with these girls. What struck me about Sue was this confounding combination of intelligence, faith, and humility, which were evident in every hushed word she spoke. She told us Jesus heals these girls quickly. When one of our team asked, “How many months does it take?” she retorted, “Months? You mean weeks.”

On the same campus as the rescue home is the production facility where all the Destiny Rescue products get hand made by rescued girls—jewelry, bags, wallets, etc. The four-story building is impressive, one of the taller buildings in all of Chiang Rai. 

Production Facility

When we toured the facility, several girls were at work at sewing machines or sitting on the floor, and they were talking and listening to music and seemed, for the most part, to be quietly enjoying themselves. We tip-toed around, trying not to get in their way, or stare too hard, or ask unintelligible questions.

After buying a few things and taking a few pictures, we went to the top floor, which was the best yoga space I have ever seen. The view was extraordinary.

Happy Couple (photo by Marah Grant) 

Of all things, we found kick boxing equipment up there (used, I guess, for self-defense classes one the rescue workers teaches) and to be honest, it was kinda hot watching my wife throw down with big Brian from Texas. That's right, she messed with Texas. That's my girl!

Left jab, Kristin Todd  (photo by Marah Grant) 

Kristin's Posting

I thought it would only be right if I added my own posting with my highlights of the trip.

The obvious answer is spending time with the girls. Every home that we went too, and every opportunity we were able to be with the girls, was a highlight. It was amazing to watch the girls who have been with Destiny Rescue for a couple of years, to see the confidence they were starting to gain. I also loved watching the community they have created, between the workers/volunteers and the girls, and the girls with each other. I rarely saw a girl by herself, she usually would have her arms linked with another while they would giggle and laugh. Watching them laugh, was priceless to me. Their smiles were heart warming and beautiful. 

A beautiful smile

Destiny Cafe--their coffee drinks were fantastic

Girls laughing at the amusement park

I was able to get my haircut at the Destiny Salon, and I loved it. It was the best my hair looked in Thailand, seriously. The girls are trained at the salon to cut, color and style hair and I was amazed by the quality of the salon and the styles and cut they did with all of us.

My finish look

I loved our team. I truly did. I felt so fortunate to connect with each of the team members and to be part of it. I know that I have new friends for life from this trip, something that does not happen often. The hugs, support, encouragement, acceptance, accountability and love that I received from each of them was a highlight for me. Both Dan and I felt like we stumbled across these sweet connections in such a short period of time, it was almost like going to college again!  Since our trip, we have already done 1 video conference and are hoping to do another one soon. I'm thinking we need a reunion trip somewhere in the Midwest so we can all connect again.

The guys in their "sassy pants"

Our team in front of one of the Destiny Rescue homes

It was fun to watch Dan teach the girls English. I never see him in his teaching role, and it was when he really became alive on the trip. I looked down the table and all the girls were laughing and having fun while playing a speed game with English words with him. It was amazing to go on this trip together. I also told him numerous times how much I like him and how he needs to take me on trips more often, away from our daily lives. I'm so thankful as we approach our 16 year anniversary this week, that we still love each other.           

Our hearts breaking listening to Cory speak at the international office

I love this photo

Dan teaching the girls English

I really was fascinated by the lantern festival. I bought 4 huge lanterns for our team to let go, for $3. I wish you could have seen us light the first one on the street with hundreds of people sitting on the side of the road waiting for the parade to start. Our fearless leader, David, lit it and had to chase it down the street as it would not go up in the air. We were afraid it was going to crash into people and burn them. The monks taught us to put it on the ground before sending it up and we were more successful until one of them crashed into a tower. I cannot imagine this being a safe tradition to do, at least for clueless Americans. Either way, it was beautiful to watch the lights float in the air, especially at the temple with the monks helping.

David about to chase it down the street

The monks showing a boy how to do it

I loved Thailand. The people were beautiful. I expected to be ripped off by the natives at the market, to be judged for being American, to feel unsafe walking the streets, and to be exhausted by the language barrier. I was wrong, if anything it was the opposite. The people were respectful to us, I never felt unsafe, I sensed the Thais wanting to share with us their culture and being proud of it, and we laughed a lot while working through the language barriers.

Chaing Rai

I'm so thankful for the support we had to make this trip even possible. More than anything, I hope and pray each of you have an opportunity to do something like we did, to see first hand what is happening on the other side of the world. The one thing you must know, is this: there is immense healing and joy happening in Thailand. There is hope and resiliency in all of these girls. I saw the light, in dark circumstances. This is the story and message I want to bring back to all of you.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Chiang Rai, Part 1

Our last destination was Chiang Rai where Destiny Rescue’s administrative headquarters is located. The three-hour bus ride from Chiang Mai was relatively sleepless. Less than half way in, a beeping sound started from near the front of the bus, the kind you hear when a big truck is backing up, the kind that obliterates the possibility of rest.  Anyway, it was impossible to block out. But what a beautiful drive. I was struck by how similar the landscape was to what I remember of Guatemala. With only a few exceptions (trees I didn’t recognize, for instance, or the occasional street signs), these places, at least from the vantage of a bus window rolling through low mountains, appeared interchangeable.

Our three days in Chiang Rai coalesced around the Destiny Café where we took our meals—at least breakfast and lunch—and drank our coffee and smoothies. The staff, with the exception of a few amazing Australians, consisted of teenage Thai and Burmese girls in DR’s care, a sweet, hard-working bunch who served us with the upmost care and dedication. Though it sounds cliché, they made of the place a haven for us with good food, drink, and company, and it was a joy to watch them work. The café is designed in part to provide job training and instill confidence, and it’s working. The kitchen is virtually run by teenagers (can you imagine teenagers in the U.S. running a restaurant?) who manage to joke with one another (as kids should) and still do their jobs well.

One morning, we had the opportunity of tutoring some of the girls in English. What began as a vocabulary drill quickly turned into a laugh-fest as we tried, awkwardly, to get them interested in various café- and kitchen-specific words, like oven, blender, pot, knife, chop, whip, whisk, etc.

A highlight of the trip for me was a cooking class I took from some of the girls. It began with a trip to the day market just a few blocks from the café to purchase food for the class and the evening customers. I was mesmerized by the abundance and the noise and the colors and the smells.

Day market, Chiang Ria 

Thai Cooking Class instructors buying veg

Mesmerized too by the pig face.

Severed pig face, Chiang Ria market

Later (I can no longer remember which day), we visited the DR administrative headquarters where we met some of the full-time staff, including Corey, DR’s Director of Communications (or something like that) who had me in tears within minutes as he shared the mission and vision of Destiny Rescue—to rescue 100,000 children from sexual slavery by 2020. Corey’s team is responsible for the fine media DR has been producing. Here’s Corey promoting Destiny Threads, which I mentioned in a previous post.

Chiang Mai

So, we're back safe and sound after a tremendous week in Thailand. Thank you for your support, prayers, and well-wishing. Unfortunately, it turned out to be nearly impossible to connect (reliably) to the internet, and what's more, our days were jam-packed with activities, so I gave up the idea of updating this blog a day or so after my last post. I did, however, fill a small pocket notebook with chicken scratch I will try to transcribe in the next few days. Here's a start: 

We left Bangkok for Chiang Mai in time for Yee Peng, or the Floating Lantern Festival, and the longest and weirdest parade I have ever witnessed. I'm not kidding. It went on for over two hours, then it started to rain. And it just kept going. And going. 

On our first night in Chiang Mai, we also had our first taste of the much touted street food. It was good, and cheap. Kris and I both had stir-fried noodles, wontons, and fruit smoothies for less than $4. And the satay was just 30 cents for two skewers! (see close up below; yeah, I ate four of those bad boys)

During Yee Peng, rice paper lanterns are lit and released as a good luck ceremony symbolizing forgiveness. The sky over Chiang Mai was dotted with these flickering lanterns rising like tiny stars. I even spied several young Buddhist monks and a small boy lighting one. We got ours off the ground eventually, but not nearly as artfully as the monks.  

Yee Peng Festival, Chiang Mai

On our second day in Chiang Mai, we visited the Destiny Rescue Cafe & Bakery where we had an amazing lunch.The café is run by a lovely Australian couple and the food and coffee were fantastic.

The beautiful staff at Destiny Rescue Cafe & Bakery

While lunch was being prepared, we got a tour of Destiny Threads, the high-tech screen printing outfit behind the cafe. Someone generous donated this insane piece of equipment, and they're making really cool shirts. You should buy one. Your purchase will go to a good cause. 

After lunch, guided by Sarah (pictured top left above), a sweet, bright, dedicated volunteer who teaches English among other things, we visited the Chiang Mai rescue home.

Chiang Mai rescue home

Later that night (or the next, or the previous, I can’t remember now), we were treated to the Sukhontha Buffet, an indoor-outdoor restaurant the size of Walmart. It was kind of like a Melting Pot only much bigger, and instead of fondue, we grilled our own meats and vegetables on these little hot coal grills. There were hundreds of stainless steel bins filled of meats, seafood, and other unrecognizable food to choose from. I eventually found the pork and chicken (I think) and ate until I could barely move.

Sukhontha Buffet

Later yet, a few of us enjoyed fish footies at one of the spas. If you’ve never enjoyed hundreds of minnows devouring the dried skin from your feet, I recommend it without reservation. It's a game changer. 

Hawk feet with hungry fish

Day One (Continued)

It has been difficult finding time write, so I apologize if these next posts are a little too hurried and piecemeal.

So, after taking the girls to the amusement park (now a couple days ago), we returned to our hotel for a quick dinner and then headed out to visit two of the more popular red light districts in Bangkok: Soi Cowboy and Nana Plaza. 

We were led by an Aussie named D----- (aka Mike), one of the Destiny Rescue guys who rescues girls and organizes and participates in raids with the police. Mike is badass. He recently arranged a raid at Nana Plaza (dubbed the world’s largest adult playground) with the police and managed to successfully shut down an establishment that was employing under-age girls. But just trying to get a cab to take us to the infamous Soi Cowboy (“Soi” is Thai for “Street”) was an ordeal. I watched Mike flag down at least four cabs whose grinning cab drivers just shook their heads and drove off.

Soi Cowboy

Cowboy 2 on Soi Cowboy

It would be difficult and a little painful to try to describe these places. Perhaps because of my own naivety, or because I have never been to Vegas, I wasn’t anticipating all the glitz, nor the absurd “uniforms” the young women wore, eye candy for countless older white men all wide-eyed and drunk. We were instructed not to enter any of the bars, which were basically strip clubs attached to the high rise chain hotels behind them.

Nana Plaza

The most harrowing experience of the night, however, was the mile walk from Soi Cowboy to Nana Plaza where there were more prostitutes but in greater desperation, and countless street vendors peddling their wears—kitsch, DVDs, pipes, rifle scopes, sex toys, you name it. Most troubling of all were the utterly destitute—women with their children asleep on the sidewalk, children who will likely be sold in a few years to the brothels. And then there were the two men lying face down on the concrete, both missing limbs. 

The only comfort I found (dropping change in their cups offered none) is a passage from Psalm 12 my friend Doug sent before we left: 

    In the hovels of the poor
    Into the dark streets where the homeless 
    groan, God speaks: 

    "I've had enough; I'm on my way
    To heal the ache in the heart of the wretched.

Day One (Abbreviated)

I will attempt to fill in the gaps in the next couple days, but wanted to get a quick postcard out now that we finally have reliable wi-fi. The connection in Bangkok, where we stayed our first two nights, was unreliable. We arrived in Chiang Mai today and had our first opportunity to rest from the long flights and a jam-packed day in Bangkok. After sleeping just a few hours, we woke early our first day to visit one the rescue homes and take the girls to church.

Mahapawn Bangkok Alliance Church

Afterward, our team took the girls to Siam Park City amusement park. Most of them had never ridden a roller coaster, so it was a delight—an immeasurable delight—seeing their contagious smiles and reckless laughter. 

Siam Park City

Those are the girls on the left. More on that soon. We're off to dinner and street markets in a few.