Day 3

Today, we visited Doi Suthep in the morning which was a beautiful Buddhist temple. I had accompanied my grandparents to Buddhist temples in Singapore before, but none could compare to the grandeur of Doi Suthep. It was interesting to see how both locals and tourists of many different walks of life were gathered in such a place of worship. However, as a non-religious person, the sight of such a commercialized temple made me think more about religion and its purpose – if religion were really so sacred, why would such a respected place of worship as Doi Suthep become so “touristy”? But then I realised that religion is also about acceptance, whether or not the individual subscribes to the same beliefs. If we were all so narrow-minded as to only welcome those who had the same beliefs as us, there would be no opportunity to inspire and enlighten others. I was having a conversation with Hui Shi, who is a devout Christian and it was really fascinating learning about a completely different perspective of what religion could mean to someone, especially as religion has never been a significant part of my life. Even though the trip to Doi Suthep had nothing to do with our research work, I am really glad that I had the time and opportunity to think more deeply about a topic I would otherwise have been rather nonchalant about, admittedly.

Following lunch at a real local noodle stall (thanks, as usual, to our CMU student attached, Pro), we headed to Chiang Mai’s Grand Canyon. There wasn’t really much to see at Grand Canyon, which actually turned out to be pretty petite. But the atmosphere at the place was something quite different. As visitors could jump over the cliff and into the water, everyone was either nervous with excitement or simply relaxed and lounging around the area – either way, they were all having a good time. I didn’t have the courage (nor attire, in my defense), of course, to make that jump but it was equally exciting watching Cheng and Joel take the plunge. There’s something about such fearlessness that I really admire. Not saying that being cautious is a bad thing, but I sometimes wonder what my life would be like if I had fewer inhibitions and worries about failing or embarrassing myself. I probably will never know, but the point is that we all had a great, relaxing time at the Grand Canyon because hey, we can’t all always be about work, right?

We then headed to Chiang Mai University (CMU) as Pro wanted to help us ask his juniors to fill in our survey forms. While we were waiting at CMU, we watched a large group of CMU students practicing their cheer for their Sports Day. The most striking fact, though, was the energy and enthusiasm with which they were yelling and dancing to the cheer. I dare say I have never seen a group of Singaporean students this passionate about a cheering event – or any school event, for that matter. For that, I was genuinely in awe and respectful of their passion and drive to do their best. We also managed to meet a half-Singaporean female student who had lived in Singapore before going to study in Thailand. When we asked her whether she preferred Singapore or Thailand, she actually said that she loved Thailand more.

Both of these incidents these got me thinking about the sense of entitlement I think we sometimes feel here in Singapore. We always think that Singapore is a better country, but clearly this isn’t the case – “better” is such a subjective word. The students I saw here were so content with their albeit (slightly) simpler lives, I wondered what was so different about our lifestyles and education that created such a stark contrast between Singaporean and Thai students. The Thai-Singaporean student we met was so bubbly and cheerful that I wonder if she would have turned out any different should she have stayed in Singapore. Did we just happen to meet the most cheerful girl on campus, who would have been just as happy in Singapore? Or would the stress have bogged her down too? It’s a question we could probably never find an answer to, but worth a thought anyway.

All in all, there wasn’t much to learn about elephant tourism today, but I believe that the other life lessons I’d picked up are just as valuable, if not more valuable than what learning about elephants could have been.