Chiang mai vlog ,yey or nay,

[Liverpudlian]

 

[Liverpudlian]

For me this is very much the reason i would never go back to live there.

[BMW Overlander]

What an awful and boring video.

[Just1Voice]

Been here 10+ years. Love it, with no desire to live any where else.

[1FinickyOne]

thanks for sharing your negativity. 

[orang37]

Excuse us while we necrophiliacs party on ...

 

~o:37;

[strabel23]

("I'm an old guy, young guys with better lungs can take more punishment, carbon monoxide poisoning, no beaches, best time to visit after the burning season and before the high season".)

 

Give me a break, you spent 3/4 of your video talking about air quality as if it is a year-round problem even if stating March through April as being the worst. The best times to visit are Oct. through Feb. as the weather is cooler with plenty of sunshine and fresh air. Those that think it is too touristy should vacation in less popular countries and avoid Thailand as it is the 3rd most visited country in the World. Maybe try Bangladesh or Ethiopia. Chiang Mai is however far less touristy than other popular destinations in Thailand.

[canthai55]

3 hours ago, orang37 said:

Excuse us while we necrophiliacs party on ...

 

~o:37;

 

[lordblackader]

Try doing a little homework - it's not farmers causing the smog at the moment, it's people burning forests.

[Liverpudlian]

2 hours ago, strabel23 said:

("I'm an old guy, young guys with better lungs can take more punishment, carbon monoxide poisoning, no beaches, best time to visit after the burning season and before the high season".)

 

Give me a break, you spent 3/4 of your video talking about air quality as if it is a year-round problem even if stating March through April as being the worst. The best times to visit are Oct. through Feb. as the weather is cooler with plenty of sunshine and fresh air. Those that think it is too touristy should vacation in less popular countries and avoid Thailand as it is the 3rd most visited country in the World. Maybe try Bangladesh or Ethiopia. Chiang Mai is however far less touristy than other popular destinations in Thailand.

Young guys with better lungs ? where do they live ?  iceland ? i knew this topic would be a killer .

[lovechiangmai]

You are living at Chiangmai lodge  :D  I know the manager and his whole family...nice memories...Songhkran 2017  was awesome..I know about the smog problem , in 2017 I had luck..was there from 2 months  April & May and the air was suprisingly  relaively clean. Will be in Chiangmai again at the end of this year.

 

Greeting´s from Germany,  take care.

[connda]

Very touristy
Agreed -- Chiang Mai is a tourist location.  But - your comments seems to be emphasizing the tourist locations in Chiang Mai, which by the way - is where all the tourist are located.
Now - having lived in Chiang Mai for over eight of the twelve years I've lived here and having lived between Thapae and Loi Khroi, let me sort of school ya a little bit.  I lived in the Thai community smack in the middle of what you consider to be 'tourist country.'  Yep, tourists walked by, but they did not live there.  A few would stay for a day or a few, but in the heart of the area south of Thapae Gate, the primary people I personally knew were - Thai.

Air quality and congestion
The air quality is just about the worst in the world.  Hopefully tourist will stop coming here from February until the rain season.  Why?  The government needs a serious wake-up call.  Unrestricted agricultural burning as well or forest arson is so rampant that the air here is literally unbreathable.  Anyone who comes here this time of year is a fool.  The government could implement sanctions as they do in China and other countries.  Burn and commit arson and find yourself in jail for a long, long time.  Here?  Why would a bureaucrat or politician in Bangkok care about choking air in Chiang Mai?  All we hear is - we can't catch the people setting the fires.  BS. My guess is that half the villages know who are setting the fire - but who will 'snitch?'  There was a recent article on Thai Visa where it was stated that the air issues in Northern Thailand where not a problem or an emergency. Thank you BKK government agencies.  We are at a time when AQI 2.5ppm electronic devices cannot even register the level of bad air - it's off the scale.  BKK response?  "No problem."
Congestion.  Yeah.  Welcome to big cities.  It will get worse.  Public transport like buses and light rail are needed.  But don't hold your breath (well, actually, do hold your breath considering the 2.5ppm reading are 400 to 500 mcg or now literally 'off the scale.' 
Fyi.  "High season" is not a problem so I completely disagree with the OP.  High season has cold evenings and nights, comfortably warm/hot days, and the air quality is not that bad.  Actually, this year it was pretty darn good until mid-February.  The air quality as a general rule does goes to hell until the second or third week in February and stays that way until is rains.  That may be April or May or June. None of this is set in stone, but when the air is bad - it's horrible, and this year Chiang Mai has taken First Place for the World's Worst Air - congratulations.
Burning Season
The burning season is mandated by Thai law.  There is agricultural burning that is legal.  And then after the dates set for burning it is not legal.  Now, what happens after those dates is that that Thais begin to set fire to their forests - flat out arson.  The primary reason is to clear undergrowth in the forests to be able to collect mushrooms as a cash crop.  Honestly in Northern Thailand where I live the air is relatively ok during the times of legal burning but then simply goes to complete hell afterwards.  The choking air is from forest fires, a whole lot of forest fires - but many especially on Thai Visa will disagree with me - but I live out where the forest burning is happening - so I know what I'm talking about.
No Beaches
You really have to be kidding me son.  If you want a beach, go to the coast. Really? Are you serious?

You've been here four months.
I've been here pushing 13 years and have supported a Thai family for 12 of those years - 8 years in Chiang Mai, the rest in Lamphun province.

You are a tourist with a limited view.  I respect your opinion, but it's stilted and one-sided.  By the way, I'll include a graphic of air quality in Asia from today - yeah, this area completely sucks today - but to be honest, most of the time the worst air is in China, India, and the Middle East, especially the Saudi Peninsula.  Don't believe me - just track it yourself. 
https://www.airvisual.com/earth
Yeah, it's bad here - its worse most of the time elsewhere. 

And one thing this OP missed - road danger.  Thailand has been the world's most dangerous roads as far as fatalities for at least a couple of years.  I think they may have come down from First Place to maybe third, fourth, or fifth.  Don't take my word - Google it.  Average road deaths per day were in excess of 60 souls a day in a country with a population of 69 million.  Drive in buses, cabs, vans, or other transportation and you put you life in the hands of people who drive like manics. We hear "My Brakes Failed" so often here that it's become a joke. Yeah, the air quality sucks - but a van driver. or bus driver, or truck driver passing cars on a blind corner or at the top of a blind hill will kill you - and that insane driving happens a lot. And if you're injured or killed - better have your own insurance.  You're chances of collecting from a Thai driver responsible for your injury or death is pretty slim.  You may find yourself with a multi-million Thai Baht hospital bill due to an accident caused by a Thai driver - and you'll be responsible for the bill, and don't think you'll be allowed to leave until it's paid.  No joke.
My major disagreement with the OP - High Season is fine.  But there are other places other than just Chiang Mai.  Try Lamphun, Lamphang, Nan, Phrae, Sukothai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, and others.  Chiang Mai is a nice visit - use it as your base - then go see Northern Thailand!  This ain't a first world nations, so use common sense.  Make sure you have travel insurance through a very reputable insurer.  And enjoy your stay!

Edited March 31, 2019 by connda

[fantom]

Thank you sir, you are a breath of fresh air.

[Puwa]

nay

[Trujillo]

This video was more exciting than watching paint dry...just kidding. It wasn't. 

 

Hang on...this video is old. The view at 3:46 is of Kad Suan Khao mall and there is the big sign for Sizzler. Sizzler has not been there for at least two years, I'd say. 

 

1. "Too Touristy"
Since then all the Chinese tourists have been asked to leave and never come back. The tuk-tuks are now all air conditioned. All the tourist-oriented shops with brochures have been closed. Ninety percent of the motorbike rental shops have closed and those that remain open are now renting their bikes for free. 

 

2. Air Quality and Traffic Congestion

Our overseas Thai-Canadian is "invisible," but thought he was invincible when it comes to poor air quality. 

Since the video, we have eliminated all carbon monoxide from the air because the government has sprayed the air with water, from real firetrucks. (January and February was "very bad in terms of air quality." Uh... try taking the exhaust pipe out of your mouth.)

 

3. Burning Season

(January-April)

Isn't this supposed to be under Section 2?

You'd have to be an asthmatic newborn with hypersensitivity to notice anything in January. But the video guy is "an old guy." You can tell by the old jet black hair. 

He seems more affected by "carbon monoxide poisoning" than anything else. Is that even a thing here? 

 

4. No Beaches

Since you've made that video, we have many shops that rent beaches. I rented Lamai beach in Samui, myself. They were out of Tong Nai Pans. 

 

5. Lack of Mass Transit

We have Grab, which is better than mass transit. We have Songtao red trucks, which are mini-me mass transit, and a limited number of buses now. In eight years they will start building the monorail and Space Mountain. 

 

Interesting that in four months, this is all our invisible overseas Thai could discover. Youth is indeed wasted on the young....

 

[Ajarnbrian]

Chiang Mai is fine outside of March and April. Move out of the city if it gets too much then. In my experience June through to late Jan is no worse for air quality than other Asian cities, often better. Of course we all want better air quality but remember Chiang Mai is better than Delhi, Beijing, Jakarta by far!

[Liverpudlian]

21 hours ago, lovechiangmai said:

You are living at Chiangmai lodge  ???? I know the manager and his whole family...nice memories...Songhkran 2017  was awesome..I know about the smog problem , in 2017 I had luck..was there from 2 months  April & May and the air was suprisingly  relaively clean. Will be in Chiangmai again at the end of this year.

 

Greeting´s from Germany,  take care.

Money matters when they gather round your table, other than that, up too you..spent a total of 3 years there,you are soon forgotten.

[moontang]

On 3/31/2019 at 6:38 PM, lovechiangmai said:

You are living at Chiangmai lodge  ???? I know the manager and his whole family...nice memories...Songhkran 2017  was awesome..I know about the smog problem , in 2017 I had luck..was there from 2 months  April & May and the air was suprisingly  relaively clean. Will be in Chiangmai again at the end of this year.

 

Greeting´s from Germany,  take care.

That warm Leo on ice looks great....almost looks like a glimpse of Hell.

[connda]

On 3/31/2019 at 11:09 AM, BMW Overlander said:

What an awful and boring video.

Lost me after 15 seconds...