Day 5 [8 Jan]

We went to Chiang Mai University to meet up with two professors, one from the Department of Tourism and the other from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Our groups thus far have been thinking of riding and non-riding camps as separate entities and categories, even attempting to determine which is better than the other. The professors however, suggested to us the possibility of the belief of the two different types of camps (riding and non-riding, or also “unethical” and “ethical”) being in coexistence. There is a need to acknowledge that tourists are diverse and have a myriad of tastes and preferences. Generally, more than half of all western tourists do not like to watch human-controlled performances and therefore tend towards the more “ethical” non-riding camps; China tourists however usually prefer shorter half day visits (usually offered by riding camps) and hence may be more inclined towards the supposedly more “unethical” camps. While tourism might not provide the most ideal treatment of elephants, tourism is still the most viable and lucrative form of employment for the elephants (especially since elephants in Thailand are no longer used for logging and forestry work). Understanding now that the survival of the elephants are in a great part affected also by the prosperity of the elephant tourism industry, I now perceive the elephants camps and elephant tourism in a slightly different light. A new viewpoint I have gained would be that a healthy balance and cooperation between different types of camps might be a possible path to pursue.

In the afternoon, our group went for the amazing race. Although the group did not fare as ideally as we would have expected in terms of the accumulation of points, I think that the experience was still a memorable one with many lessons for us to derive from. The greatest mistake my group made was perhaps when we headed straight to the third location once we solved the puzzle for it. Worse, we took the tuk tuk there (and only later did we realize that the location actually has the shortest travelling distance and time!). However, that also made our return to the hotel all the more a miraculous one since we were not only not late, but actually had a few minutes left to spare. Nonetheless, I think we would have been less stressed and flustered if we had been more meticulous and organized straight from the start of the race. That being said, I shall take the experience as one for all of us to learn and improve from. The amazing race also brought back memories from my own experience back in JC. I could recall people who were absolutely charming on Speech Day and during the election week, but were sadly unable to maintain their support after being elected into council. This made me ponder over the notion of leadership and also realize the importance of going beyond the style we are most naturally suited for or accustomed to so as to become a more well-rounded leader. A quality like charisma alone does not make one a leader; it has to be matched with other abilities to be sensitive, to do inspiring work, or to manage group dynamics etc. This amazing race was also different from others I have been through before in that it had a great focus on reflection through our own drawings and the group discussions. I truly appreciate the platform I was given for introspection, reflecting on my past experiences and consolidating my feelings throughout the race and the trip.

At night, I went to a cabaret show with a large group of USP peers. Since I have always been one to enjoy music and dance, the show was one that really appealed to me. Nevertheless, I am also glad that being female saved me from the sometimes over-enthusiastic “attacks” by the performers. Basically, the last night was one of great bonding and I spent time not just with my TOPS group but also with my camp OG (and I feel blessed that we are still tight-knitted till this day). Many of us went to sleep only at 5am and though I will definitely be utterly drained the next day, I know in my heart that the sacrifice of sleep is surely worth it 😀