hello from chiangrai

After 2 years, I am sitting here at my favourite internet cafe and blogging, just as I was on another version of MMM - Morphology, Mekong and Me. I guess my fixation with MMMs has already begun back then!

It is such an experience to feel so familiar with a 'foreign' town. So many familiar sights and sounds. People and faces. We went to a chinese restaurant and I remember it from the time I went for dinner with Dr Carl and gang. The waitresses and owner looks really familiar! I actually recognized them.

Of course, unbelivable but true but the guy at the internet cafe is STILL THE SAME! Sigh. Such heartwrenching familiarity. grin.

I won't be able to blog once "hell week" begins when we go up to Mae Salong, Mae Sai and Chiang Kong. Oh but the last place has internet cafes as there are many backpackers there. I am hoping to visit Laos! :)

Ok, hell aside, I am masochistically relishing it.

It has been a very interesting day in more ways than one. I feel the need to reflect on it deeper.

Anyways, off to meet the Rajabaht folks tomorrow. Can't wait to see Narlae and Aoy again! And even ajarn sombat! heh :)

Well that's all from me for now I would think. Cheerios!

Visit to Chiangmai University

You know how Singaporeans love to complain about wearing uniforms but did you know that in Thailand, all university students have to wear uniforms? In fact, all schools wear a same white top dark blue bottom outfit. The only difference is the little silver badge you pin over your heart. Of course for Chiangmai University, they get to wear this spiffy outfit for special occassions. And we complain about having to wear a tie on Mondays. Right.

In fact, even civil servants here have to wear the same spiffy brown uniform on specific days, like Mondays for example, or special ocassions.

As you can see, we had a visit to Chiangmai University today. Did you know they are the best university in Thailand? They think chula is the shit and chula thinks they're northern hicks. Oh well.

We will be leaving for Chiangrai on Wednesday and for other trivial moments, here's a green tea collon I found in the CMU bookshop!



Well Joe has her thing with Kit Kat but I couldn't find anything funky so here's the weirdest thing I found.

More photos on flickr.

Elephant in Bangkok

When I arrived in Bangkok, I read in a guide book that elephants are banned in the city of bangkok by Thaksin in recent years. Apparently it creates traffic congestion in the already congested country.

However, I almost could not believe my eyes when I spotted this surreal sight of seeing an elephant in the redlight district of Bangkok just a few roads down from my hotel! It was unbelievable. For a moment, this city monkey thought it could have been a giant model of a monkey or perhaps even a mechanical elephant.

When I tried to take photos, the keeper came over and tried to sell me sugarcanes. I gave the guy a 20B and then gave the sugarcane back to him. On hindsight, I wish I fed it to the elephant because who knows if the keepers were starving him or not. But being a money tree for the keepers, hopefully they do not starve him.



Unbelievably, on going to the next redlight street, we saw another elephant! This time it was a female with no tusk. They were all rather juvenile elephants, judging by their size.

Anyways, just unbelievable. And in the redlight district no less! Probably because these were the joints catered for tourists and with the large amount of people at night, it was the best time to bring out the illegal street performers.

Of course there are softhearted monkeys like me that would rather die than to see these animals suffer. Sigh. Felt so helpless.

Mixed Signals

Sustainable Thailand harbors Conspicuous Consumers!


Look past the police and you will see sharks fins hanging blatantly in the display window. (Click on image to Enlarge)

I do not know how to respond to such images when there are posters, publicity and propaganda touting a sustainable Thailand. I guess the practised reality is a clearer truth than a scripted one.


This was found on a bridge leading to the major shopping centres downtown.

Of course, contrastedly, the sharks fin shop was found at an area that was for wholesalers. Hide the ugly truth eh? Of course they are not going out of their way to hide it, it is just not in the main upclass shopping area but just beside. Not even very far away, only 10minutes walk through the busy international trading area. This Watergate Market area where Bangkok Sharks Fin is found is an area that is for international traders. People from all over the whole come here to purchase things wholesale to Europe, America, Asia and even Africa! There are shipping companies concentrated here, ready to ship out at minutes notice. So even if the Sharks Fin is not consumed there, this is the point where it becomes distributed worldwide, feeding into the consumption of Sharks Fin on a global level.



So what is sustainability? Is it from green buildings, better living environment, high standards of living, clean rivers, clean air or high rates of recycling?

Even if people do not consume sharks fin but are part of the global supply chain of feeding the consumption of sharks fin, they are still just as guilty even if their immediate environment is sustainable. Of course there are more examples of this than just mere sharks fins.



Thailand is trying to clean up its rivers which is so polluted I'm afriad I would have ingested parasites just by having its waters splash on my face during a boat trip. It reeks and its colour impossibly dirty. But most of the people in Thailand live in slums along these klongs. A colleague told me today that if he was the city planner of Bangkok, he would clear the whole place and build over. Of course that is not possible but then he is just trying to say how much of a mess the place is.


I'm sure it's not all bad, even if our onboard climatologist informed us that the air pollution in Bangkok is worse than Los Angeles and just a step behind Mexico City.

So they have horrendous water pollution and as we stand by the river we spotted blatant water leakages from the pipes spanning the river. Of course air quality and urban heat island phenomenon is outrageous. There are abandoned buildings all over Thailand. The traffic is ridiculous. Consumption of sharks fins, and possibly other illegal wildlife trade is not uncommon. Of course there are mostly Thai Chinese in Bangkok so nothing curious about the sharks fin bit. Restaurants in Bangkok sell Sharks Fins and Bird Nest ast there prime culinary items. So what is sustainable in Thailand?



I think I feel consoled that there are many NGOs very active in Thailand. On board with us is a Thai lady (well she's my age so that makes this monkey a lady too hah!) who works with the university in Chiangrai with the hill people. She told me she has many friends who were university classmates in Chiangrai who now work with NGOs in bangkok. Over dinner, I also met a girl who just graduated from the top law school here in Bangkok and has applied to go up north to work with the NGO in getting citizenships for displaced hill people. Of course there was robert, an american that gave us a talk in Singapore who works in the NGO here in Bangkok. So NGO is aplenty here as compared to in Singapore. People ARE working hard to improve the environment and quality of life in Bangkok.

This morning, there will be a talk from one such person who works with an NGO here helping sex workers to reduce AIDS in Thailand. Maybe then I will have more insights on how the battle here is faring.

See more photos from Day 3.

Bangkok Day 2

More photos to be seen at my Flickr

Blogging from Bangkok

The congregation awaiting despatch at our lil guest house in Bangkok

I have been in Bangkok for almost 7 hours and am absolutely lucky to have access to free wifi in my room at the guesthouse which we are staying at!

Indeed, I believe I would have much time on my hand this 10 days in Bangkok. Already we have been to the chatuchak market and tomorrow we will begin our intensive tour of Bangkok.

For photo updates, remember to check out my Flickr Account.

Semester at Sea

Good news all, I received word today that I got selected to go for Semester at Sea where I will be flying to Taiwan, travelling to Keelung and then taking a cruise with some hundred other international (mostly angmoh) students down to Singapore! They have also asked me to coordinate transport for the 3 of us going to Taiwan. Originally was just one person but now they decided to sponsor 3 - probably too tough a decision! :) I was looking up the websites just now. It's quite exciting but also a tad scary to be in charge of people. I mean if I get lost so be it but now I'm responsible for the lives of 3 others in a place I've never been to. lol hope they're nice. One of them is from SDE in NUS! Seems like this is the year of Transport for me since I am also transport IC for field studies! whee heh :) Haha what a scary thought but maybe one day I will become a transport advocate lol. eeeeek lol :)

Thailand looms closer everyday and I'm so excited!