Palace, temple, and hate preacher

Today I booked a tour including the Grand Palace and temples like Wat Pho and Wat Arun. And since we did a lot of walking, we also gathered many impressions of the surrounding area.

We visited the Grand Palace and the surrounding grounds, all of which were very impressive. There was even a model of Angkor Wat. Our group was a comfortable size, and we had a friendly guide who was informative and answered all our questions well.

Next, we'll go to the Reclining Buddha. The Massage Museum is also located there, featuring many statues in the outdoor area depicting elements of Thai massage. Our guide will tell us about the history of this massage. Luckily, there's a first-aid station right next to the complex. 😊

At one point, there are signs informing us why one shouldn't get a Buddha tattoo. And the "why" surprises me a little, because I had previously assumed that Buddhism didn't contain such toxic elements as Christianity or Islam, which tell us how impure we are. How disgusting our bodies are. How flawed we are when we give in to perfectly normal urges like sexuality. That we are not lovable.

And that brings us perfectly to the street preacher I run into on my way back to the hotel at the end of the day. The moment he sees me, he seamlessly launches into a rant about the downfall of civilization due to transgenderism, the end of the divinely ordained union of man and woman, and the fact that there are only two genders, something about demons and all that, the whole nine yards. This religion of love, which is so intent on spreading hatred, that this guy comes all the way from who-knows-where to Bangkok just to spew his poison into the world with a megaphone.

I stop, pull out my phone, and record for a few seconds, with a forced grin as if I couldn't care less. His assistant, who's holding the poster and handing out flyers to passersby, at least seems the least bit embarrassed.

The only funny thing about it is: I later looked up the URL of the banner using the still images. Contrary to expectations, the page doesn't lead to a Christian site trying to convert you or anything like that. Nope. It leads to a webshop selling religious banners, stickers, and pins. How fucking Christian…