March 27, 2026

We had an overnight stay in Bangkok and used some of our many travel points to stay at the lovely Landmark Hotel. Above are some views from our room.

A rookie mistake when visiting a city is to try and see too much in a day. How do I know? Because I’ve done that in the past and all you are usually left with is a blur of traffic jams and tired feet. Our goals for Bangkok were simple. I wanted to be fitted for a new white dinner jacket at Jesse and Sons known as one of the top tailors in Bangkok with strong international clientele and high-quality craftsmanship often compared to Savile Row–level tailoring and about half the price of a comparable dinner jacket in the United States. And Chongae and I wanted to partake in as much Thai street food (considered best street food in the world) as we could. We were able to accomplish both goals!! The only problem is I may have to have my jacket refitted after enjoying so much food. (lol)

I want to share with you our night experience in Bangkok.

Writing is how I make sense of the world. I know the world doesn’t necessarily need another writer preaching their beliefs. And yet, I persist.

We decided to go for an evening walk and found ourselves smack dab in the middle of Nana Plaza, we learned later known as “the world’s largest adult playground”. Now I am not immune to the fact that such places exist. I went to high school in New York City and the famous Time Square at that time was a collection of seedy Strip Clubs, Peep Shows and prostitution was rapport. But this experience was a sensory overload.

Here’s why.

Young women with little or no financial opportunities are trafficked from Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia to work in “massage parlors” with no intention of ever giving a legitimate massage. The men we saw lining the streets were predatory in their obvious pursuit of sexual pleasure.

Now these men may justify/rationalize that this is free enterprise based on supply and demand. One party provides a service=the other party avails himself to it. Yet the equation seems lopsided to me. One provides out of necessity=the other consumes out of luxury.

Chongae is the most generous person I know. She will always give to a person on the street but never takes the small item that may be offered to her. I’ve always considered this a double blessing that Chongae provides to those in need. I wonder what would happen if some of these men provided the fee but didn’t take the service. Would it be enough to show these young girls that they have value beyond a transaction?

Chongae and I obviously did not stay in this area long. But I was left with many questions to ponder and some conclusions to come to.

I am certain that some of those men profess to have faith. They were looking for love in all the wrong places. I often wonder if those of us who profess to be Christians had to wear a sweatshirt that said, “I Believe in God”. It surely would cramp your devious desires but that is what happens when you hide your light under a bushel basket.

I understand addiction. Sex triggers the hypothalamus which maintains the body’s homeostasis and new sexual experiences give new levels of pleasure. Sex impacts the amygdala which creates positive feelings evoked by stimuli. Sex effects the frontal lobe, where Dopamine, a neurotransmitter that performs a major role in reward and motivation, is profoundly active. I firmly believe that many of these men are sexually addicted looking for their next encounter to provide that needed stimulus.

But here is what I do know. Intimacy involves the mind, the body and the spirit. Not everything that feels right, attractive, or uplifting is actually from God. Evil can appear convincing and even feel good at times. The main tactics of evil are always the distortion of the truth; believing something false that feels real or convincing.

I feel asleep thinking none of those men would readily accept a counterfeit dollar bill, yet they easily accepted a counterfeit relationship.

Thanks for traveling with us.