Day 3 – A note to Tourists. Sincerely, a tourist.

Today is a day where we can finally relax and take a break from the work and research we have been doing. I am definitely looking forward to tasting amazing street food, sightseeing, tuk tuk rides and more adventures.

We started our day with a long bus journey to Doi Suthep, West of Chiang Mai. As I am prone to motion sickness, I could feel my insides churning as the bus climbed up the mountain to get us to our destination. How lovely. Upon arrival, I was greeted with a flight of stairs that seemed never-ending. Just when I thought things could not get any worse. I quit whining and marched up the stairs despite being presented an alternative option – to take the cable car.

But boy, when I reached the top, the view was well worth it.

Despite being a tourist myself, I was appalled at the number of tourists at the spot, happily chattering and snapping away at the aged Buddha murals. My expectation of a temple was that it should be a holy and scared place, where noise should be reduced to minimal for the monks and local people to concentrate on chanting and praying. Doi Suthep was sadly, not as peaceful as I initially imagined.

I felt strangely uncomfortable, invasive even. Who are we, even as paying tourists to march in boisterously to the locals’ religious grounds? Tourists are not entitled to behave however they want, as if they owned the place. The least we can do is practice respect and be conscious of our behavior. Despite strict attire rules, I still saw some western tourists dressed inappropriately. Many of the Chinese tourists in large tour groups were also inconsiderately noisy. Indeed, Chiang Mai thrives on tourism and from funds they earn from tourists, but despite that, we should all practice greater respect for other cultures. Perhaps I am privileged to be educated and brought up well enough to know how to act appropriately.

After my disappointing observations of tourist behavior in sacred grounds, I went up to the observation deck to take a breather. The view from the top was breathtaking. It was an inviting landscape of mountains and trees, accompanied by a gentle, cooling breeze. I felt more peaceful up here as compared to the temple.
Next, we split up into our groups and went off exploring the city on our own. It was lunch time, so we decided to experience Thai culture, by tasting authentic Thai food. We journeyed down to our lunch destination (recommended by our lovely exchange student, Fye) by tuk tuk transport. It was my first experience on a tuk tuk. There is just something charming about sitting in an open air vehicle, driving through the half-old, half-developing streets.

Our first authentic Thai lunch was scrumptious, cheap, and it exceed well beyond my expectations. If only Singapore had access to such delicious and (may I once again emphasize) cheap food! After lunch, all we did was basically visit the malls and shopping districts, went for a much-needed relaxing full body Thai massage, had mookata for dinner, and visited the night bazaars. Nothing insightful to add here.

Chiang Mai has many amazing things to offer. Amazing hospitable service, cheap and good food and drinks, friendly locals. It is no wonder that it has become a top destination for tourists. My greatest takeaway from today, as an observant tourist, is that we should be mindful of our behavior when “intruding” into the locals’ spaces. Show respect to other cultures, as it is a lovely thing that they are willing to share the beauty of their cultures with us. We should in return show them upmost respect they deserve.

Janice Leong