3/1

We are finally in Chiang Mai! My first impression of Chiang Mai is that it has a really friendly environment. You can almost immediately tell that the people of Chiang Mai are extremely welcoming and approachable because they always greet you with a warm smile. The land of smiles indeed. Chiang Mai’s lifestyle is definitely more slow-paced than the lifestyle at home, and it feels awesome to be able to unwind and chill.

The very first thing I realised upon touching down in Chiang Mai airport was that Thailand seems to place a strong emphasis on her diplomatic ties with other cooperating ASEAN states (Don’t mind me, PPGA student here). I say this because the airport had a separate queue solely for citizens born in ASEAN countries at the immigration counter. I think this puts forth a subtle and implicit message that Thailand treats her ASEAN counterparts seriously and welcomes citizens from ASEAN states with open arms.

In addition, my perception of Chiang Mai as a religious province was confirmed when our tour bus drove past a huge red billboard that had Buddha’s head on it. The caption “It’s wrong to use Buddha as Decoration or Tattoo. It means no Respect” was printed largely beside Buddha’s head. This, to me, shows how much the people of Chiang Mai revere Buddha as their God. This visual experience was refreshing for me, particularly because Singapore is a multi-religious nation that tolerates a wide range of religious beliefs.

We arrived at Le Meridien in the late evening. I’m pleasantly delighted by the sight of the hotel because it looks so luxurious and grand. I also feel really thankful that the school (or more specifically the USP team) has provided us with such lovely accommodation for the upcoming week in Chiang Mai. Le Meridien is a gigantic hotel with a creamy white exterior. Its tinted windows gleam in the night, and the colourful lights emanating from the night market playfully bounce off these windows. My room is more than big enough for Valerie, Yingwen and I, and I can hardly wait to bury myself in the large fluffy sheets generously provided for us 🙂

Anyway, it was already quite late when my group finally settled down in our respective rooms. We quickly set out to the night market with our student attaché Son to grab dinner 🙂 I felt excited to explore Chiang Mai’s night life even though I was also exhausted from packing and travelling. The night market composed of a multitude of stalls selling incredibly attractive items. I literally had to restrain myself from buying an item from every stall I walked past. We had, after all, just arrived in Chiang Mai and I really couldn’t afford to spend all my money on the first day.

We had dinner at a relatively touristy place that served Western burgers and fries. The restaurant setting was very Western inspired, and American music blasted through overhead speakers. A part of me felt sad that we hadn’t decided on a place with a traditional Thai setting that served Thai food. However, all was not lost as the place we were at also served local food too.  I finally got to eat the Tom Yum Noodle Soup I had been so desperately craving for, coupled with a fresh coconut. The noodles were extremely spicy, but it felt very satisfying, haha!

We’ve just gotten back to our hotel rooms not too long ago. Though we’ve only just arrived in Chiang Mai less than 10 hours ago, I already feel that I’ve learnt a fair bit about Chiang Mai’s culture just by observing her unique environment. I’m looking forward to tomorrow 🙂

Goodnight for now!