1:21’s Trip to ChiangMai

The trip to Chiang Mai made me realise several things during the 11 days.

1. We should appreciate everything we have in Singapore. People in the village we visited didn’t even have the basic necessities of an average teen in Singapore, such as air-con, a comfy bed, a feast to eat everyday, etc. But they’re some of the happiest people I’ve ever met. They’re so easily contented with everything in life, while here we are wondering whether another handphone will make us happier, when we already have everything that one really needs to be happy.

2. Singaporeans really do not smile. At. All. It’s amazing how much the people in Chiang Mai smile at you. Even when you walk by their stores and don’t even go in, they still smile at you. Even after bargaining with them for a price so low it would drive shopkeepers in Singapore crazy, they still smile at you and talk to you, asking where you’re from. So nice, the people there. Really. Buying stuff made me happy, for two reasons. One was cause of my buys, of course. The other was for the simple fact that the smiles of the shopkeepers made me smile too, which was a good feeling, knowing I probably made their day and they definitely made mine.                  

3. One definitely needs to have an open mind if one wants to be a traveller. I did so many things that were out of my comfort zone in Chiang Mai. I rode on elephants for the first time, I sat on a raft, I stayed in a village with the bare minimal necessities, I trekked for more than 6 hours in total (something I would have vehemently protested against here in Singapore), I tried food i’ve never tried before (eg, fried worms), etc. It was an enjoyable experience overall, stepping out of my comfort zone and knowing that some of the things i did in Chiang Mai might be only done once in my life, and i was glad i did it there.

Care to try some? We did!     

And last but not least,

4. Damn, Singapore air definitely smells good. No more haze man.

Meeting the students of Chiang Mai University (CMU) was really enjoyable. I followed the students from our group of 21, who were doing radio, and listened as they exchanged information about the culture in Singapore and their way of life, together with the students from CMU. The students from CMU had a really good sense of humour, and they loved to joke with us. Mr Felix HAD said people from Thailand love to joke anyway. Well it was really quite evident from the short session of about 5 hours (:

There was this one time where one of their students asked Cedric, from our group, who’s a little on the plump side, whether he could climb up to the Doi Suthep temple. (Refer to the previous post for more information on Doi Suthep Temple.) Another one of them proceeded to say that Cedric could climb up the mountain but would then roll down instead of walking down. That was then followed by everyone laughing and agreeing. From that moment, everything was much more light hearted, and Cedric was then known as “fat boy” to them. On a light note, it’s not very hard to see why. Haha.

What I felt was really quite heartwarming, was that the students opened up to us really quickly. Topics we talked about with them ranged from talking about which Thailand pop stars we found good looking, to how Singapore and Thailand’s education systems. By lunch time, we were already talking quite abit with them and conversing with them like old friends. We even asked them if they were attached, to which some of them answered willingly and then proceeded to telling us about their boyfriend. Whoever said Thai people were shy and soft-spoken obviously had not met this bunch of students. Soon, we were even talking and asking them about their plans to come over to Singapore in the future, and telling them that we would willingly bring them to all the hot-spots in Singapore.

I’m not in the radio team but would think that the people in the radio team should be looking forward to their assignments now, having met the fantastic students of CMU. I guess now work will seem more like fun. (:

-Grace Yeoh

Off goes the photography team

(Click for bigger picture)

There is a saying, “If you have not tasted the Kao Soi or visited Doi Suthep, you have not been to Chiang Mai”. For something that sounds so amazing, Chiang Mai’s intense culture was indeed evident in the breathtaking architecture of the Doi Suthep Temple that the 21 of us went to on day 2.

The Road to the Temple
The Doi Suthep Temple is situated at the summit of the Suthep mountain. In the olden days, it is said that people who are determined to climb to the top of the mountain despite the road being long and bumpy, were those who were strongly devoted. It’s not hard to see why. The journey up the mountain was really long, and there were uncountable curves on the road.

On the way down, the group saw two cyclists cycling up the mountain, presumably to the temple. They were tourists, but at that moment, I think it was probably they who were the most devoted in getting to the top of the mountain to see the temple. (:

At the temple
Being really fond of beautiful architecture, I was really amazed by the gold designs on the temples. The colours were really vibrant, and the were really picturesque- a photographer’s perfect dream. Going around snapping photos, I came across many shops that sold amazing knick-knacks. But the more amazing thing I came across was Chiang Mai’s culture. I marvelled at the way the temple as built, with elaborate and extremely intricate designs on the walls and roofs. It did not fail to amaze me how these designs reflected how much the citizens of Chiang Mai valued their culture and tradition, putting so much effort into creating a place for worship.

There was a place we could stand at and see the view of the city. It was, to put it simply, really gorgeous. It’s not often that we see such sights like these in Singapore unless one is looking down from a plane that is just taking off from Changi Airport. And so, to see an entire city stretch out beneath me was at that moment, one of the best feelings ever. It was a perfect picture for a postcard.

After going around to see the temple and taking a few photos, the group left with not only a handful of photos each, but also a memory of the strong cultural influence Chiang Mai has, and the feeling of how breath taking Chiang Mai really is.

Reference: http://www.doisuthep.com/english.html (:

Grace Yeoh