Marcus

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province, a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna  and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is located 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok, among the highest mountains in the country. The city is along the Ping River. Chiang Mai means "new city" and was so-named because it was the new capital, founded in 1296. 


Yupparaj School


Languages


ไทย (Thai)

Address

238 Prapoklao Rd, Amphur Muang
Chiangmai 50200 THAILAND

Contact

Yupparaj Wittayalai School
+66 53 419037 9 x211, Fax: +66 53 419037 9 x111

Reclining buddha temple

Wat Pho is named after a monastery in India where Buddha is believed to have lived. Prior to the temple's founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were created showing yoga positions. An enormous Buddha image from Ayuthaya's Wat Phra Si Sanphet was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767; King Rama I incorporated its fragments to build a temple to enlarge and renovate the complex. The complex underwent many changes in the next 260 years. Under King Rama III (1824-1851 A.D.), plaques inscribed with medical texts were placed around the temple. These received recognition in the Memory of the World Programme launched by UNESCO on February 21, 2008. Adjacent to the building housing the Reclining Buddha is in a small raised garden, the centrepiece being a bodhi tree which is propagated from the original tree in India where Buddha sat while awaiting enlightenment. The temple was created as a restoration of an earlier temple on the same site, Wat Phodharam, with the work beginning in 1788. The temple was restored and extended in the reign of King Rama III, and was restored again in 1982.


Inthanon Royal Project

The Doi Inthanon Royal Project is located on the main Doi Inthanon mountain road in the Hmong village of Khun Klang. It was established in 1979 as part of His Majesty's Royal Project Foundation. It is one of many re-education projects conceived to familiarize the hilltribe people with new agricultural techniques. The research station carries out work on developing marketable crops, ranging from fruit trees to flowering plants, to help the surrounding hill tribe villages, composed chiefly of Hmong and Karen tribes. There are many greenhouses where flowering plants such as lilies, roses and many others are grown. There are also greenhouses for ferns and cacti.



I HAVE BEEN TO THAT SCHOOL!





REFLECTIONS OF GCP TRIP


DAY 1
Today, we reached Chiang mai Thailand in the evening after taking a two hours flight from Singapore. Although i missed my family, i am also excited to come to Chiang Mai for a GCP trip. After alighting the plane and coming out of the airport, we then took a bus to THAI restaurant to have dinner. Dinner there was delicious where we we able to savour the dishes of tThailand . For example: Curry squid, tom yam soup and fried eggs. The Thai food was very spicy that most of us at eating had to refill their cups of water a lot of times. I took a camera to snap all the food that we ate as i may be collecting the photo to make a video.  My seniors would try their best to "photobomb " a photo.  Next we went to our hotel and unloaded all our luggages and headed to the shopping mall near to the hotel to get some groceries and SIm cards to enable our phones to access internet and call. I went to the supermarket to get some bottles of minerals water. After that , we headed back to the hotel and received the keys to our room.
We spent quite a bit of time to find our room and opening our door. Next we dropped all our luggages in the room and headed to the 9th storeys. Now this is me doing this reflection. I learnt that having to come to another country , we need to be more responsible and more respectful. WHAT A DAY!!!!
DAY 2

Today , I woke up at about 5.30 am , very early and went to the 1st floor to eat breakfast.
After eating breakfast, we headed to a high mountain through a bus ride that took about two hours. We arrived at the peak of the mountain , it was freezing cold. we then took at group photo. I was astonished by the fact that the peak was 2565.3341 meters above sea level. We were told about the history of Chiang Mai , Thailand. Next we explored the peak of the mountain and found a souvenir and drink stall. SOme of us went to the souvenirs stall while some of us went to the drink stalls. I despite the cold went to buy a ice chocolate latte which was very delicious . Next we continued our exciting journey and went to a flee market where they sold a lot of food and souvenirs. The item there were cheap, so i decided to get some souvenirs for my family members. Next we headed down the to a Thai restaurant where we were served which delicious local delights of Thailand, everybody had a scrumptious meal. What puzzled me was that that was the plant clipped with money and so we asked our guide. He told us that we that was donation given by their costumers to donate to the temple or the charity. 
We then headed to the Inthanon royal project and was astonished by the amount of land taken up to build this project. We travelled down into the project through walking pass muddy ares climbing up rocky hills. Although we were exhausted, we continued on knowing that we will be able to view the magnificent flowers and views. We filled the path and enter a village. The village was full of stray dogs, chicken  and  black pigs. We were lead to a small coffee factory and many of us got to buy coffee , grind the coffee and drink the coffee.
Next we took an hour of van ride to visit the big and magnificent waterfall, it was very misty there due to the powerful water using down. We had a fun time taking photos and playing over there and was all drenched with water after that. But what left me a impactful memory that was that we took a group photo and a jump shot.
After all that eventful events, we went to have the favourite part of the days-- DINNERS! BUT the van ride took about two hours so most of went to sleep due the our tiredness. After dinner, we went to have grocery shopping to get the items we need such as mineral water and cup noodles.
After everything , we headed back to the hotel and out our groceries and was told to come to the lounge to do our reflections and debriefing.  WHAT AN EVENTFUL DAY!!!

DAY 3

Today, I woke up at about 5.15am in the morning feeling refresh after having a good night sleep the previous day. We went don to have breakfast so that we have enough energy to spent the entire day at the school visit to Yupparaj Wittayalai.
Next we boarded a big us and headed to the school. When we reached there, there was a lot of students waving to us and welcoming us from the upper storey. I felt very touch and felt like i was a their idol and they were my fans. We entered the conference room, getting prepared for an official welcoming. we were welcomed by the entire pupils of their english stream, their english teacher and their principals. Speeches were exchange and prizes were given. I met a new Thai partner. 

JASMINE
HOBBY : Reading -  lord of the rings
15 years old
I got to learn some of their culture. For example: taking off shoes before entering the building and putting our thumbs touching the chin was greeting. Our first task was to do the testing of nitrate in the water sample we got from the waterfall. We had we a lot of fun teaching and learning together while doing the calibration. After that we finished our task, we exchange with our friends doing ammonium. After completing our given task, we headed for lunch. As usual, we were served with local Thai delicacies , which were mouth- watering. After having lunch, we headed back to school for our second task. Our second tasks was to do and teach the arduino to our Thai friend. I had a great and fantastic time teaching our Thai friends the arduino  and making a lot types of circuits. After the one and a half hours of “ arduino-ing ”
, we headed back to the conference room. There, we were tasked to brainstorm two ideas
  • Science Project 
  • Engineering project

After doing so, we headed to have diner the place we came during the first day. 
We headed back to the hotel after everybody was very full. we were given with one hour of free time before debriefing and reflections. We took a quick shower and heading to the nearby shopping mall to shop for a while before coming to the lounge to the reflections. And so this is me , MÅRCUS, doing my reflections. GOODBYE!

SCIENCE PROJECT

OBJECTIVE - Measure how contact with different types of soil changes the pH of water.

LOCATION - Wachirathan Waterfall

We are going to check how the soil in the mountain affect the water as it flows down the mountain through the waterfall. We can take some water and soil samples  from a few places along the waterfall. From the top all the way down to the bottom of the waterfall. Then we use a pH meter to measure the water from the different areas and compare the difference in the pH level. Then we can find out the whether the soil affects the pH levels of the water.


ENGINEERING PROJECT

OBJECTIVE - Making water at the bottom of the waterfall clean

LOCATION - Wachirathan Waterfall

Install purifier at the waterfall so that the water at the bottom of the waterfall can be used for drinking and agriculture.


DAY 4

Today, I woke up at about 5.30am from the morning call and headed down to to the 1st floor to have breakfast. Today’s breakfast was delicious.
Next we immediately headed to the Yupparaj Wittayalai school for the continued programme from yesterday. Yesterday, it was us teaching them, so for today, it was them teaching us. Today’s activity were Thai cooking lessons, Outdoor programme.
Firstly, they taught us about the Lichens and grouped us according to the colour of our tags. After leader were appointed, we were assigned with tasks. Our tasks was to go around the temple near the school to collect data about the Lichens.
Collecting Data
  • Taking specific photos of the appointed locations
  • Measuring the distance between the statue and the roads

After we came back to school, the activity i was waiting for has arrived- COOKING!
We were leaded to the schools kitchen, and had to take off our shoes before entering the room. In the room, we can able to able to learn to cook Pad Thai and a coconut banana desert. The cooking there was easy to manage and learn. It was a first time cooking a Pad Thai of my own! But an unfortunate event happen , Kai Jie burnt his finger while trying to cook!
After that, we went to the conference room to have lunch. But, i did not take anything except for the fruit because I was very full after eating the  Pad Thai I cooked.
Next, we played some games with our Thailand counterparts. For example, people who had lost their name tags had to perform in front of everyone.
Not long after, we split back to the colour groups and headed to the computer labs to do the analysis.Through the analysis, my partners and I communicate more and our have more bonding time. Our analysis was a success under the leadership of our good group leader “ Pota ”. After the analysis ended a headed down back to the conference room where we are going to to be saying goodbye to each other. Finally, it was the time when we had to bid farewell to our Thai partners. There, many gifts were exchange and many photographs were taken. I gave Jasmine and Mink, the gifts I bought from Singapore. I even received gifts from some Thai students that were not my partners. I loved the paper that Mink gave me. On the paper, the was written “ This is your name in Thai ” followed by a Thai word. It was time to leave and i could not bear to leave them.

For the final activity for the day, we headed for the dinner, where the guide told us that tonight’s dinner would be different. Indeed , it was very different. We were seated like in the Harry Potter movie. After dinner, we went out to have the releasing of hot air lanterns. I made my wishes before letting the lantern go!

FEELINGS OF DAY 4
Today, I learned a lot of things from the Yupparaj Wittayalai school like what are lichens and was surprised by the project they have done which was analysising Lichens to know the pollution in Chiang Mai. We also learned how to analysis the photos through computer use. Finally, I learned how to cook my favourite dish and that is the Pad Thai

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