TOPS Day 2: Immersion & Assimilation

Another early morning start and we’re headed back to Chiang Mai. On the way back, we made a stopover at the Wat Rong Khun White Temple for some cultural immersion and learning about Chiang Rai’s heritage.

As we checked back into Le Meridien Hotel, our tour guide Pat brought us to Warorot Market, where we treated ourselves to some authentic Thai cuisines like Phad Thai and Beef Noodle Soup. During lunch, Luk Pong managed to engage in a hearty conversation with one of the local food sellers. This gave us a chance to learn more about the preparation of food in the local markets. Acquiring nutritional knowledge that she learnt in school, this local food seller shared with us that nutrition and healthy eating starts from home, as she is able to control the amount of salt, sugar and sauce she adds in the food she prepares for her family.

After the interview, I took some time to wander around the vicinity of Warorot Market on my own. Walking through the streets, winding along the back alleys, I noticed an interesting thing: the people of Chiang Mai are generally happier than us Singaporeans. I could feel a sense of contentment. Though Chiang Mai might not be as developed, as well-to-do or as privileged as Singapore, the locals in Chiang Mai never fail to smile. The locals seem contented with what they have, and it taught me to appreciate the little things in life. Life in Singapore is like a continuous rat race, as we are always in constant pursuit of a better lifestyle or well-being. We have become shrouded with with a cloud of materialistic desires, blurring out the little things that we should truly value, like friendship and family.

“Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both,

and you won’t have to hunt for happiness”

-William Edware Gladstone