Day 4: Road Trip All Day Err Day

In the morning, we headed over to Chiang Mai University to attend a lecture on Globalization, and how it would affect the opportunities and challenges posed to Chiang Mai. It was thought-provoking, since the issue of globalization is ultimately linked to my group’s topic on sustainability – the sustainability of the society as a whole, not just in Chiang Mai but across the globe. Though it will not affect us severely at the moment, its effects will be witnessed gradually in the future, to the point that our future generations will not find the Earth to be sustainable for living anymore. More urgent actions have to be taken, and one can easily start by sparing more thoughts for our precious environment. 🙁

After lunch, our initial plan was to head over to the Maesa Elephant Camp, notorious for its elephant shows, to capture footage of elephants “performing” for tourists in public. However, as we were late for the last show of the day, we decided to change our destination and headed over to the Veterinary Department of the Chiang Mai University nearby. Thankfully, we managed to interview undergraduates from the Department of Veterinary Science, and obtained a better understanding of the elephants’ health, as well as their opinions about employing elephants in the tourism industry. It was reassuring to know that the younger local generation is aware of the problems posed by tourism in their country, and not oblivious to their surroundings. This is commendable, and it would be great if the younger generations in all other countries are well aware of the problems present in their homelands.

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Next, Pro brought us up to Baan Khun Chang Kian, Chiang Mai, to enjoy Chiang Mai’s very own Cherry Blossom. The road up the mountain was scary, or rather thrilling, as only one lane was available and vehicles were travelling from both directions up and down the mountain (video above). However, it was all worth it when we reached our destination. Similar to the Chiang Mai Grand Canyon, my thought at the moment when I witnessed the beautiful scenery was “You don’t have to go to Japan to see the Cherry Blossoms anymore.” The place was filled with greeneries, with the “Tiger Queen” flowers (Thailand’s Wild Himalayan cherry flowers) blooming here and there.

A pity would be that we went to this place too early, before all the flowers could blossom. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful sight, with fresh air and cooling weather – something that we unfortunately would never get to experience in Singapore. (Still, I do enjoy Singapore’s weather despite it being sunny all year long, because summer makes me the happiest.) And as tourists, we could not be more than excited to capture memories of us at this beautiful place, and leave our trail behind. 🙂

On our way down the mountain, we were fortunate enough to witness the beautiful sunset. Like what Elbert Hubbard said, “Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer to your goal.” We all have goals that we aim to achieve. Some may be easy, while some may be hard. Nonethesless, we should still embark on our journey, for we never know what lies ahead of us, and make the best out of them. 🙂

Before ending the day, we managed to arrange for an interview with a personnel from an elephant park office. It was through this interview that we managed to get a glimpse into the dark side of all elephant camps and parks, be it good or bad. Perhaps the use of chains to train elephants may sound like an unacceptable action to us, but it may be a necessity to teach the elephants, especially those with aggressive natures and do not behave themselves. Besides, if these chains are used correctly by the mahouts, they would not necessarily bring harm to the elephants. Like what they always say, “Never assume anything. Nothing will land you in problem faster than false assumption. There are two sides to every story.” It would be great to consider all kinds of views before coming to a conclusion. And with that, it was a meaningful day filled with work and play. 🙂