Day 2 (5th Jan): White temple + Warorot + Bar

Today, we went to the White Temple in Chiang Rai which was an architectural beauty. From far, the temple dazzled like it was made using diamonds. Seeing the temple up close, we realised that the dazzle was a result of the reflective glass pieces covering the whole white temple shone brightly under the sunlight.

The skeletal structure of the temple was very impressive aesthetically. There were sculptures of hands, human faces in the pits surrounding the main building as seen in the photograph above. Suffering for the sins you have committed is a theme preached in Buddhism. As a Buddhist myself, I do believe in retribution for any immoral acts committed in one’s lifetime. I thought that it is very innovative to have interweave this aspect of Buddhism into the architecture of the place. On a side note, It never fails to amaze me how religion is able to transcend geographical boundaries. Unsurprisingly, there are more people with a smartphone in their hands and busying themselves with taking photographs than going into the temple itself to learn about the religion. I don’t disagree with their actions given that the white temple make for such a perfect photo opportunity. There is always the dilemma to take photographs or not during travel. While you want to observe through your own eyes rather than the camera lens, you also want to take a piece of the place with you back home by taking photographs.

Thankfully, there were more smokers at the white temple. We immediately grabbed at the chance to ask for more interviews with them. Only through this trip, did I realise how crucial a role fieldwork plays in the entire research process. Interviews conducted on the ground vastly improved my understanding on the issue of smoking in Chiang Mai. The interviews allowed me to discover how little I knew about smoking. Finding information online which involved reading various literature reviews and surfing through different hyperlinks only gave a sketchy overview of smoking in Chiang Mai.  Fieldwork gave a much needed realistic touch to the statistical figures and numbers.

Moreover, fieldwork is beneficial in helping us refined our research question. Prior to the trip, my group took a rather laissez-faire attitude to our research topic – making the scope of our research topic general. We managed to refined our research topic more after fieldwork. The unexpected bouts of information that we gained from interviews also led to new questions being asked and some older ones made redundant. For example, we realised that e-cigarettes have yet to be introduced to Chiang Mai so our questions about smokers’ preferences for e-cigarettes versus other ways of smoking was redundant. With fieldwork, our research had more direction and was gaining traction. Discernible trends started to surface. For example, there were very little people smoking rolled-up cigarettes.

I am also pleasantly surprised at the fact that people are willing to be interviewed. The experience back in Singapore is the complete opposite. In Singapore, people are pressed for time and in the midst of rushing off to another place most of the time so finding anyone to be interviewed will be a more difficult task. When I was at the White Temple, I was briefly reminded of Singapore’ Haw Par Villa. It must have been because of the similarities between the two places where static displays and building structures form the main bulk of attractions. While the White Temple is able to attract crowds, Singapore’s Haw Par Villa has been lacking in visitors. This could be because of the change in taste for entertainment. In the past, people were easily entertained with static displays and structures. Times have changed. With new forms of multi-modal entertainment, people have higher expectations and will only settle for more stimulating entertainment.

Given that Haw Par Villa is a distinctly Singaporean space with its rich history, there is a strong cause for preservation. Perhaps, Haw Par Villa should integrate more modern elements in order to appeal to the younger masses. There were some structures that seemed at odds with the general White Temple. One of them is this figurine that looked strangely similar to a transformer as seen in the photograph below.

My group did some vlogs while we were at the White Temple. We intend to feature some of the vlogs in our media deliverable for a more refreshing take on our research topic. While it was fun taking the vlogs, it was kind of stressful for me when it was my turn to speak in front of the camera. I tend to find myself at a loss for words and say rather meaningless content, unlike some of my other group mates who are able to speak well and act naturally in front of the camera. I certainly have to work on it as presentation skills is a very valuable asset, more so for a communication student.

 

After this, we went to Warorot market which was a place where sundries were sold. We went out of the market and found more people smoking along the riverside. With Mohn’s help, we manage to get hold of many people to interview. Contrary to what we gathered from the interview with the doctor at the hotel in Chiang Rai, we found that there was stigma against smokers, especially for female smokers. It is interesting to see how different sources gave contradicting information during fieldwork. It is up to our discretion to be selective about the sources to use. We also learn that a larger proportion of smokers are older people. With greater education about the ill effects of smoking, the rise in smoking among young people is slow. Comparatively, there seems to be a lot of young people in Singapore smoking even when people are educated about it as well.

At the end of the day, the healthcare group split into two smaller groups. Some of my other friends and I went to roam the streets at night while the main bulk of the group went for massages. Caucasian older males hanging around with a few Thai girls clad in heavy make-up was a common sight to behold around bars. It is little wonder that shops in Chiang Mai tend to cater to western tastes as they are huge spenders here. For example, the bar that we hanged out at had the option of “American breakfast” along with food such as Pad Thai that were more local.

I realised that a lot of learning takes place when you travel. The differences between the foreign country and your home country becomes more apparent. You take in new sights and gain greater exposure. It would be beneficial if more courses offered in Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are tied to overseas trips because experiential learning is the best form of learning for everyone.