4/6.01: Coming and Going

300 steps, and we would reach Doi Suthep. A top tourist destination in Chiang Mai, this sacred temple is a familiar sight for school children in Chiang Mai, where they will come here for luck before their exams.

Being a tourist hotspot, we were hopeful to document and conduct more interviews with tourists. I managed to grab an Australian lady about her feelings with regards to heritage in Chiang Mai. She emphasised the architecture of the place, such as in Doi Suthep, and that everything has been very beautiful. It was there we found that there were certainly differences in perspectives. Tourists see what tours want them to see, and I am not so sure if it is authentic, or under danger of commodification.

At the same time, who was I to judge. I was a tourist in this city too, and even though we have been conducting research, it is almost to the detriment of my understanding of something else. The heritage site that we visited was certainly of remarkable beauty. But as we kept to trying to get more interviews, or gathering more footage, I did not stop to listen to what one of the locals had to say about the site and its significance. Only later, did a friend fill me in with information of the temple.

My impressions of Doi Suthep, however, were almost akin to what I felt when I visited the Louvre in Paris. There were simply too many people (or tourists) to properly appreciate the place in its entirety. In almost every frame that I took, a tourist would be in it too. But yes, I did think the gold and sculptural elements of the place, were certainly awe-inspiring. I was focused on getting as much footage as I could in this place too. But I think for me to fully appreciate the place, I needed space to think and time to look at the temple, instead of brushing past one tourist to another.

I wondered how much of the temple’s culture would be disrupted by the constant influx of tourists here. Certainly, there would be people like me who did not know much of the place and just came in for a quick glimpse. Or they may be disruptive, given the lack of understanding.

Thereafter, we were meant to have an OTOT.  We decided to visit Chiang Mai university – where Son studied, and even got to conduct more interviews with our down time. With massive lack of sleep and documenting the past few days, my shoulders ached and I just wanted to get a break. But I was eager to see what the school was like too, and so I joined everyone else. It was more rural, simple. I can definitely see that the pace of life runs slower here.

We got video interviews with 2 of Son’s friends. When asked about what they liked to do in their spare time, they said they liked to go up to the mountains to camp with their friends. Coming from Singapore with a lack of such natural beauties, it was definitely refreshing to hear. Too often I think we get too caught up with our technology bubble that it is almost suffocating.

We also visited the lake, which was beautiful, and there were mountains in the background. In the midst of this tranquility, I felt a great sense of appreciation for Chiang Mai and what I have seen thus far.

Thereafter, the group went to get more thai massages, whilst me and a couple of seniors got together to check out the contemporary arts scene in Chiang Mai. I felt like I needed this, or some downtime. Being an introvert, I felt very exhausted being around groups of people 24/7, and I also wanted to do something that I enjoyed. We walked around the area looking for museums. Though we could not find everything (and some were even closed), I saw a different part of Chiang Mai that I have not seen throughout the course of this trip. It was more modern, but there was a great charm to it too. I loved how Chiang Mai was developing, whilst maintaining its rich religious core.