On Tuesday, November, as part of their “Day Out”, the grade 7 students, had an exciting and educational field trip to two iconic destinations in Chiang Mai.
In the morning the students travelled to Chiang Mai’s famous Doi Suthep temple.
The temple is one of northern Thailand’s most sacred temples. Located near the top of Doi Suthep mountain, the temple offers superb, panoramic views of Chiang Mai.
The students had to climb 306 steps flanked by beautiful naga serpents to reach the temple. The climb is intended to help pilgrims achieve merit.
At the temple the students were treated to a “monk chat” by one of the young residing monks. The monk explained the history of the temple and its great significance for practising Buddhists.
During the ‘chat’ the students were able to ask the monk many questions about the Buddhist faith and the typical day-to-day life of a monk. Afterwards, the students were able to wander around the expansive grounds of the temple and marvel at the beautiful golden chedi and the multitude of Buddha statues.
After lunch, the students went to a completely different destination. From the sacred to the down to earth – literally. Elephant Poo Poo Paper park is a novel, eco-friendly outdoor museum park that is devoted to making paper from elephant poop fibres. The park has been described as “playfully outrageous with a serious underlying message of sustainability.” The students were given a lively and entertaining guided tour of the park and were able to participate hands-on in the making of this craft paper.