Term in Asia 2009 - Week 3

Term in Asia 2009
Ian Butters, Tajhia Cartwright, Bart De Jong, Annika Duveneck,
Natasha Elder, Brett Granger, Tyler Krueger, Edgar Macias

Can you believe we’ve been traveling for three weeks already?! Time definitely does fly when you’re having fun! This week, we spent quite a bit of time in Bangkok, as well as a few days in Cambodia.

For our first day in Bangkok, we took a river boat ride through the city and stopped at a local zoo. There we saw different species of snakes, monkeys, a humongous alligator, and a tiger. Afterwards, we went back to the beautiful Century Park Hotel before heading out for a nice Chinese dinner with Mrs. Jonjit Thapanangkan, a Northwood University Distinguished Women, and her husband, Savat. We tried a variety of delicious foods, ranging from lobster and a glazed shrimp salad, to crab fried rice and sweet and sour pork. Talk about tasty!

The next day, we took a tour of the Grand Palace. The architecture is absolutely amazing! So much precision and detail went into the design and construction of this marvelous palace. We had an excellent tour guide who helped make the tour even more enjoyable. Sustainability was definitely present here, as the Grand Palace serves many different functions that help a variety of people. It was quite a site to see.

(The Grand Palace in Bangkok)

Up next on our agenda was a trip to Treasure Express, a jewelry company that designs, manufactures, and sells beautiful rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces, most of which are sold on television. Our host was extremely hospitable and gracious with our tour. It was a fantastic learning experience! We also had the opportunity to visit and take a tour of TKT Industries, a company that manufactures various parts and pieces for automobiles and electronic products. Northwood University’s Term in Asia program is one of the very few groups allowed to take a tour of the factory, so we felt extremely honored and lucky for this experience. Both Treasure Express and TKT are excellent examples of companies striving to attain and maintain sustainability. Both companies work very hard to ensure not only that their employees are well taken care of, but that they can also continue to make a profit in an environmentally-friendly way.

(Students exploring at the Ancient city of Ayuttahaya)

Also while we were in Bangkok, we were able to get a taste of the culture through a variety of different activities. We visited the ancient city of Ayuttahaya, the Jim Thompson House, several of us sat ringside at a Thai boxing match one evening , visited a night bazaar and practiced our bargaining skills, and visited the different shopping malls in the area. We even ate lunch at the Hard Rock Café!

(Eating lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe after meeting with TKT)

Our next stop was Cambodia. We were only here for three days, but we sure did a lot! After arriving mid-morning, our wonderful tour guide took us to some of the smaller ancient temples and cities on the Angkor area, including Angkor Thom. The structures are amazing - and this was only an appetizer for our next day’s tour of Angkor Wat! The structure and design of these pyramid-like buildings is breathtaking, as is the size of them. It wouldn’t be difficult to get a bit lost through one of the ancient cities. It was easy to see why Angkor Wat is one of the Wonders of the Ancient World.

(Angkor Wat)

In addition to seeing these marvelous buildings, we also had the chance to play with and feed some monkeys, shop among the local children, visit a night market, and experience different parts of Cambodian culture. Prof. Harris and a few of us even received a foot massage from a some fish! That was quite an experience! If you’re ticklish, beware!

(Ian Butters and Brett Granger climbing a temple at Angkor Wat)

So as you can see, we’ve been quite busy! Our next destination is Hanoi, Vietnam, followed by Ho Chi Minh City, and finally Hawaii. Stay tuned for next weeks blog!