2. Daily Postings | Fieldwork and Documentation

University Scholars Programme

Day 1 (4th Jan)

We went to Chiang Rai today, and we passed the Hot Spring town as a rest stop. The place was filled with tourists as expected. But I was surprised that not many people went to try the hot springs. The town has a rustic feel to it like the ones that you see in American…

Day #5: Another Layer Off.

Friday, 2016, 8 January. The day started off with a two hour long interview with the president of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and through this interview, we have gained various new insights from his affirmative disposition towards tourism in Thailand. Instead of focusing all the attention on criticizing the negative behaviors of the…

Day #4: Friends & Impressions.

Thursday, 2016, 8 January. The highlight of the day would be the Leadership Amazing Race. The activity planned for us was truly unlike any other training courses I have attended and it was an immensely introspective one indeed. There was a certain degree of unease even before the race commenced, as we were abandoned in…

Day #3: Locals’ Life.

Wednesday, 2016, 7 January. The day was relatively relaxing and we started off with a mass group visit to Doi Suthep in the morning. Other than that, we had the rest of the day to ourselves, and we embarked on a short exploration of what it’s like to be a local student in Chiang Mai….

Day #2: Humans’ handiwork.

Tuesday, 2016, 6 January. We visited Wat Rong Khun (the White Temple) today, an exquisite creation with pearly white and shiny specks gleaming under the sun. Imagine the amount of devotion and effort invested by Mr Chalermchai (the artist) in this delicate piece of artwork! It is no wonder Mr Chalermchai was so furious as to…

Day 5 – Young and Beautiful

We went to Tourism Authority Thailand (TAT) for an information session with the director. It was a very informative session, learning all about tourism in Thailand. I didn’t know that business meetings, golfers and wellness trips made up quite a portion of the tourism in Chiang Mai. Very enriching experience. We went to chill out at…

Day 4 – Keep Calm and Carry On

Went to CMU for a lecture. It was interesting attending a lecture at CMU and learning the history of Chiang Mai and how globalisation has affected the city. Next up was the Amazing Race where we learned about leadership. It was a truly amazing experience. Fun, laughter, joy and stress. I would say the most…

Day 3 – Meditation

Visit to Doi Suthep Temple. Climbed 306 steps to the top. Followed Peter our tour guide in the temple. He gave us a brief on Buddha, on how he attained enlightenment and the significance of each individual’s day of birth with respect to a Buddha image. Each person’s day of birth corresponds to a certain…

Day 2 – Temple of Art

We left Chiang Rai for Chiang Mai in the morning. Our first destination was the White Temple. It was a very magnificent temple, with the intricate details of the structure and the pure white colour. The temple is a temple of art and not meant for any worship. We interviewed the security guards and taxi…

Day 1 – Tribal Experience

We started off the day with the bus ride to Chiang Rai, stopping midway at a hot spring. It was a great place to warm up for our interviews (pun intended) – not too crowded and everyone looks friendly. We found that having the Chiang Mai University (CMU) student attached to us was extremely critical to…