Yishun Town Secondary 3 students and YT Basketball girls

Embarked on a rich cultural trip to the Rose of North - Chiang Rai. 

Our team of teachers and students at Changi Airport as we set off to Chiang Rai on 5th November 2014

The school exchange programme with Damrongratsongkroh School exposed the students to the Thailand education system. Through culinary and cultural sharing, it forges friendships with the foreign students and teachers.

Damrong's Principal and Our Teacher Buddies 

Candid shot in DS Classroom 

Traditional Thai Dinner - Khantoke farewell dinner in school

Friendly match with D.S Basketball Girls 

Friendly match attracted a large group of supporters as they cheered for both teams

As the teacher mentors toured us around the school, the school compound was about 5 times the size of YTSS with approximately 3000 students enrolled. It is considered as one of the smaller school in the area. We were appalled and amazed as the teacher mentors bought us to view some of the Science projects. We also observed many distinctive routines in the school.

Class Test in Progress

Learning Martial Arts during Curriculum Lesson

Science Project: Extracting Oil from Nuts as Bio-fuel

Science Project: Growing Silk Worm 

Science Project: Silk Threads for Making of Other Products

During the school visit, we also had the chance to prepare a hand-made krathong which is made from banana tree trunk and banana leaves held together with pins, and decorated with flowers. The school provided materials to make our own krathong and we had the chance to learn more about the Loi Krathong Festival, why it was celebrated and the song as well. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSkriTLhM7A for the full song!

Sample of a handmade krathong with guided steps from students and teachers in the school

 Subsequently in the evening, we went to a restaurant which had a river bank close to it. If you notice the food closely, it is quite similar to the Chinese cuisine we eat in Singapore! However, unlike the red tom yam seafood we see in Thai dishes in Singapore, the broth is thicker in Chiang Rai and the colour of the soup is green!

 Sumptuous dinner!

After the dinner, we released our handmade krathongs into the river. During the process, we made our wishes and watched as all our krathongs floated away carrying our wishes...

Mr Isaac Ling with his kathrong

On our last day of the school visit, our twinning school arranged a farewell performance and Thai food platter for us. It was indeed a memorable experience for all as we bidded our farewell to our warm welcoming host!

Performance segment done by Thai students

 For our CIP activity we did as part of our objectives of the trip, after the whole activity whereby our students engaged with the Thai orphans, they formed a circle around us and chanted prayers of well wishes for us. This was an indescribable moment where all students and teachers deeply embraced their well wishes and reflected on our own personal life.

After which, the Thai orphans gathered and released the sky lanterns with their well wishes. It was once again a memorable moment for us to watch the lanterns carrying their wishes floating up into the sky. All of us stopped in our tracks and just dwelled in the particular moment. We also managed to release our own sky lanterns, albeit at a different location.

Release of sky lanterns :)

Some of the places of interest we went:

As a predominantly Buddhist country, we could not leave Chiang Rai without visiting a myriad of temples. Each temple had its own unique feature to set it apart from the rest. We also visited interesting museums, farms, an elephant camp and even the former villa of a member of royalty!

Notice the 2 dragons and long flight of stairs!

When work starts, it must be continued...

Our very last day of trip in visiting a farm...

Visiting a flower garden!

Notice the two police guards? They wanted to take a photo with us as well! :)

Crocodile skin art display at the Black Museum

One of the key attractions we visited definitely had to be the iconic White Temple. We were thoroughly amazed by the concept, intricate carvings and artwork at the White Temple. It was truly majestic. We were sad to learn that parts of the temple were destroyed due to an earthquake. Despite this, the beauty of  the White Temple was still very apparent and it was very well preserved.

The White Temple

To simply say that our trip was an educational one would be an understatement. It was really culturally enriching and we truly learnt a lot, be it from our Thai friends from Damrongratsokroh School or the places of interest we visited. While the capital, Bangkok, may be the go-to destination for most travellers, we would recommend a visit to Chiang Rai to learn more about the culture of Thailand! :)