Prison rub-down

Thailand is famous for its massages, so I decided to get one today. The location, however, was not quite the traditional setting for a Thai Massage. Right in the middle of the city, there is a women's prison, although by the flowers painted on the outer walls, you'd never know it. Right beside this prison is a small massage shop, where the prisoners give excellent massages. Thats right, I got rubbed down by some women who's in the Pen!

Actually, the majority of the women in this prison are there for drug offences, as Thailand takes a very hard-line against drug use. So as part of the rehabilitation process, these women are taught a skill, such as massage, baking, or handicrafts, so that they are able to effectively reintegrate into society after their sentence is up. Then, once they only have six month left of their sentence, they are allowed to practice their chosen skill, offering their services to the public. So besides the massages, you can also buy baked goods and needle work. All the profits from this commerce gets set aside and given to the women when they are released. Apparently this has been a really successful strategy.

Besides that, I wandered around today, and came across a temple that was being restored. It was interesting to watch some of the decorators work. It gave me a real appreciation of how much detail goes into the decorating of the Wats.