Fieldwork and Documentation

Day 5: The Official Last Day of Fun in Chiang Mai

This is a photo of the beautiful lake in Chiang Mai University – the view in this photo remains fascinating despite having the photo rotated 180 degrees. To begin the morning, we headed over to Chiang Mai University (again) to conduct an interview with two professors, one from the Department of Veterinary Science, and the…

Day 4: Road Trip All Day Err Day

In the morning, we headed over to Chiang Mai University to attend a lecture on Globalization, and how it would affect the opportunities and challenges posed to Chiang Mai. It was thought-provoking, since the issue of globalization is ultimately linked to my group’s topic on sustainability – the sustainability of the society as a whole,…

Day 3: A Chance at Self-Discovery

As a Buddhist, I have never been a devoted fellowship of my religion. Since I was born, I would follow my parents to temples to pray for the safety and happiness of my loved ones. Questions like “Why am I a Buddhist?” and “What is so good about Buddhism?” have rarely ran through my head….

Day 2: The Elephant Nature Park

Ever since young, we rely on our parents to care for us, to guide us what to do, to teach us what not to do. Similar to us, the baby and parent elephants all have a nanny elephant that they can rely on – to tell them where to go, to show them what to…

Day 1: The Sad Truth Behind the Smiles

4th January 2016 marked the official start of our research and data collection. Our first stop was the Elephant Nature Park (ENP). Unlike other elephant camps in Chiang Mai where owners will buy elephants and train them to become entertainers for visitors, ENP chooses to rescue, and if not, purchase abused elephants. By providing them…

Post-trip Reflections

In my pre-trip projection, I started with a quote by Jack Canfield. “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” I feel that I have tried my utmost to step away from my fears and do things I normally would not do. Case study one: I splurged on food. In Singapore, I usually…

Day 5: Engendered Gender

I was greeted by one of the loveliest mornings I had ever witnessed. One thing I will always remember about Chiang Mai is its spectacular sunrises and sunsets. The meeting we had with the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand was nothing short of fruitful. Although slightly longwinded, the director was brimming with information…

Day 4: Amazing Anxiety

Today, we visited the Chiang Mai University to sit for a lecture on globalization and its effects on Chiang Mai. Tourism and Chinese tourists cropped up more than once, although everything the professor said had already been covered in the news. Upon interviewing the professor, I learnt that the things she had covered about Chinese…

Day 3: Commercialised Culture

To my horror, the day began with a few hundred steps climb up a mountain. Nonetheless, the Doi Suthep temple proved to be as grandiosely imposing as the journey up. Golden streaks of light sparkled off golden domes, and it seemed as though the temple was aflame. Once again, I was slightly disconcerted to see…

Day 2: Tiger Time

To be totally honest, I thought the White Temple looked nice only from afar. Up close, in the the throng of noisy tourists and cameras, it was almost impossible to appreciate the architecture. Later, I learnt that the White Temple was built as an art exhibit. It made me reflect on how far the Chiang Mai…