That deep breath you take when you arrive back home

[DonniePeverley]

Arrived back in the UK. Took a deep breath with clean fresh air. That first breath really feels good after a year in Thailand unable to properly breathe. 

 

For nearly a year now whenever i have been outside in Bangkok, walking the 'sidewalks', surrounded by some of the worst vehicle pollution i have ever known in the history of any country, black diesel emissions in your face, stationary traffic just blowing weird emissions out, red busses with smoke coming out of them like they on fire - clearly Thailand doesn't enforce emissions on their cars (something even India is very strict about). As a result i have developed a pattern of a bizarre slow breathing so i am not fully inhaling the emissions. 

 

Honestly, arrived back in the UK yesterday and felt i could finally breath again. The air is beautiful. Crisp. Clean. Amazing. 

[CharlieH]

Happy for you, but don't judge an entire country just on one location. Thailand has some lovely areas.

 

A bit like judging the UK just on Scunthorpe!

[Harrisfan]

Bangkok has horrible air year round. Amazing food but it's a giant racetrack.

[JamesPhuket10]

49 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

Arrived back in the UK. Took a deep breath with clean fresh air. That first breath really feels good after a year in Thailand unable to properly breathe. 

 

For nearly a year now whenever i have been outside in Bangkok, walking the 'sidewalks', surrounded by some of the worst vehicle pollution i have ever known in the history of any country, black diesel emissions in your face, stationary traffic just blowing weird emissions out, red busses with smoke coming out of them like they on fire - clearly Thailand doesn't enforce emissions on their cars (something even India is very strict about). As a result i have developed a pattern of a bizarre slow breathing so i am not fully inhaling the emissions. 

 

Honestly, arrived back in the UK yesterday and felt i could finally breath again. The air is beautiful. Crisp. Clean. Amazing. 

 

I have a PM2.5 monitor in my house in Phuket, I live a few hundred meters away from the main road, and the roads in my area are private so barely any traffic, the measurement on the monitor in my room is never above 10, normally around 6. 

 

The problem with big cities here is as you say the cars and pollution.

 

In the UK a car MOT takes 1.5 hours normally, important tests are regarding the car's emissions.

 

I take my car for an "MOT" test here every year, the front wheels are put on a set of rollers, the front brake is applied, and the same thing is done to the rear wheels, total mot time is four minutes, passed, OK for the next year.

 

I have my car serviced every year by Toyota and it is good for emissions etc but I wonder how many millions of cars on the roads do not have such service levels. 

[ukrules]

For brisk fresh air you need to go inside and make sure you set the AC low a few hours before, especially if it's a large room.

You get used to it after a decade or so, I don't even notice the humidity any more. I mean I know it's hot when walking around but the humidity used to feel like breathing steam or something like being in a sauna, the one with water  - not any more though, that sensation disappeared long ago.

[FritsSikkink]

Because the air is so good in London: 

[garygooner]

All that rain in the UK certainly helps. 

[Trakk]

I am young but i felt physically sick in Pattaya this January on a couple of occasions due to the air quality index being in the red.  I could see smog clouds only 50 meters in front of me.  I'd go out for brunch and have to head back to my hotel till AQI lowered in the evening.  It gave a slight headache and nauseating feel.  

[PETERTHEEATER]

15 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Happy for you, but don't judge an entire country just on one location. Thailand has some lovely areas.

 

A bit like judging the UK just on Scunthorpe!

 

[Kinok Farang]

3 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Because the air is so good in London: 

The new Londoners must have brought the pollution with them.

And people say they only ever take.

[RasiMike]

Having just recently arrived back 'home' in Thailand, I agree totally with the first breath feeling. 

[Purdey]

London is so cold, that first breath is like walking into a freezer. Hot good. Cold bad.

[FritsSikkink]

15 minutes ago, RasiMike said:

Having just recently arrived back 'home' in Thailand, I agree totally with the first breath feeling. 

Which is nonsense as it is better than London in most parts of the country at the moment: 

[trainman34014]

18 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Happy for you, but don't judge an entire country just on one location. Thailand has some lovely areas.

 

A bit like judging the UK just on Scunthorpe!

Ah yes; who was it who put the C++t in Scunthorpe ?

[DonniePeverley]

19 hours ago, Trakk said:

I am young but i felt physically sick in Pattaya this January on a couple of occasions due to the air quality index being in the red.  I could see smog clouds only 50 meters in front of me.  I'd go out for brunch and have to head back to my hotel till AQI lowered in the evening.  It gave a slight headache and nauseating feel.  

 

 

I had these headaches too when levels were red. I've never experienced symptoms like that before. 

[hotsun]

I would take thailands air over the UKs problems, personally

[DonniePeverley]

Just now, hotsun said:

I would take thailands air over the UKs problems, personally

 

I am going to assume you are going to make a racist comment ? Go on i'll bite ... what problems? 

[Luuk Chaai]

I take a deep breath and relax as soon as I return to my home after driving on the Thai roads 

 

...I take a deep breath and feel great every morning when I step outside and see the beautiful sunrise....

 love this place !

 

[Lacessit]

I go back to Australia regularly. I find it quite stressful, with the cost of living and nanny state regulations.

 

For example, if there is a police car parked on the side of any road in Victoria, cars must slow down to 40 km/hr. More, it's a fine.

 

The PM2.5 in my condo in Chiang Rai is 36 as I type.

 

I can feel myself relaxing every time my aircraft descends into Chiang Rai. I am home.

[daveAustin]

Chiang Mai gets it bad of course; all those horrible smoke belchers and the burning. They still do it. Aholes. I don’t think the burning and black smoke vehicles will ever change here. They’re killing themselves and don’t know it… rather they focus on ‘more important’ things like getting more visitors and people working without permits 😴😴😴

 

The clean air ‘back home’ is great of course; unfortunately one quickly gets used to it and then there’s only the woke drudgery left. 🙂

[UbonEagle]

I left 3 weeks ago and won't be back until June, even tho our place isn't particularly bad for AQ... But combined with the heat its a no go zone for me. 

Never intend to sell house in home country (Oz).

For those in their 30-40s "living the dream" in Thailand but with few assets or ability to grow their financial situation should bear this in mind for later on (being struck with no options to leave) 

[DonniePeverley]

5 minutes ago, UbonEagle said:

I left 3 weeks ago and won't be back until June, even tho our place isn't particularly bad for AQ... But combined with the heat its a no go zone for me. 

Never intend to sell house in home country (Oz).

For those in their 30-40s "living the dream" in Thailand but with few assets or ability to grow their financial situation should bear this in mind for later on (being struck with no options to leave) 

 

Honestly i am now back a few days in the UK. I really am appreciating being back alot more. I am actually in praise of the order, even though i do enjoy the enjoy chaos in Thailand. But things like pavements, good air quaity, british women !

 

I remember walking around a park in Thialand close to my condo, and the dude was spraying herbicides onto the grass at such mass levels that there was no way it was safe. I was thinking to myself it may well be even hazardous to walk around parks here ! 

 

One of the highlights for me, is just getting into my car and driving around without the hellish Bangkok traffic, driving 10 seconds forward, only to be stopped by 4 minute traffic lights. It's been lovely. 

 

No doubt i'll get the Thai itch soon, but for now i am really enjoying spending time back. 

[NoshowJones]

On 3/5/2025 at 10:12 PM, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

I have a PM2.5 monitor in my house in Phuket, I live a few hundred meters away from the main road, and the roads in my area are private so barely any traffic, the measurement on the monitor in my room is never above 10, normally around 6. 

 

The problem with big cities here is as you say the cars and pollution.

 

In the UK a car MOT takes 1.5 hours normally, important tests are regarding the car's emissions.

 

I take my car for an "MOT" test here every year, the front wheels are put on a set of rollers, the front brake is applied, and the same thing is done to the rear wheels, total mot time is four minutes, passed, OK for the next year.

 

I have my car serviced every year by Toyota and it is good for emissions etc but I wonder how many millions of cars on the roads do not have such service levels. 

MOT's in the UK is nothing more than a money making exercise. You can take a car out of the garage with a new MOT and something could happen further down the road that could have meant a failure.

All that is needed is a compulsary annual major service done by a qualified garage.

If anyone doubts what I am saying, suppose you could take any car more than 3 years old of the road at random  and give it a full MOT.

How many would pass it? I rest my case.

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, NoshowJones said:

MOT's in the UK is nothing more than a money making exercise. You can take a car out of the garage with a new MOT and something could happen further down the road that could have meant a failure.

 

All that is needed is a compulsary annual major service done by a qualified garage.

 

Its it (nothing more than a money making exercise).... Whether true or not, an awful lot of people are dying on the roads here due to 'brake failure'.... 

 

1 minute ago, NoshowJones said:

If anyone doubts what I am saying, suppose you could take any car more than 3 years old of the road at random  and give it a full MOT.

How many would pass it? I rest my case.

 

You make a valid point there - maybe the regulations for MOT need updating given the reliability of cars these days...    MOT starts at what 6 years now ???? (instead of 3).

 

OR... make the serving of cars non-optional, and have that as the MOT - but then that would increase the service costs.

 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, DonniePeverley said:

 

Honestly i am now back a few days in the UK. I really am appreciating being back alot more. I am actually in praise of the order, even though i do enjoy the enjoy chaos in Thailand. But things like pavements, good air quaity, british women !

 

I remember walking around a park in Thialand close to my condo, and the dude was spraying herbicides onto the grass at such mass levels that there was no way it was safe. I was thinking to myself it may well be even hazardous to walk around parks here ! 

 

One of the highlights for me, is just getting into my car and driving around without the hellish Bangkok traffic, driving 10 seconds forward, only to be stopped by 4 minute traffic lights. It's been lovely. 

 

No doubt i'll get the Thai itch soon, but for now i am really enjoying spending time back. 

 

Its really nice to be able to get back and have reset... remember what we miss, remember what we took for granted, remember the silly stuff that pushes our buttons....  Then come back here and remember the issues we found irritating before...

... both home and here have great positives, they also have their negatives - but its how we handle those that matters.

[CMHomeboy78]

23 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

Ah yes; who was it who put the C++t in Scunthorpe ?

Probably the same town planner who named this one.

 

[DonniePeverley]

57 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

MOT's in the UK is nothing more than a money making exercise. 

 

Utterly ridiculous take. Whilst yes most new cars today don't really need to have one (it's exempt on new cars less than 3 years old), if you have no procedures place like an MOT you will soon get into a situation like Thailand, where you will have black soot coming out of the emissions, brakes failing, and cars with failing safety mechanisms. Cost of an MOT isn't too massive. 

 

Thailand tends to adopt the attitude of 'we got let the people earn' - even if bystanders have to breath in their decrepit vehicles black diesel smoke into their nostrils, that would not even pass an emissions test back in the 1800's. 

[rough diamond]

23 minutes ago, CMHomeboy78 said:

Probably the same town planner who named this one.

 

Which idiot(s);

Thought of it

Proposed it

Approved it

Made it it

Erected it.

 

Finally; why was it not defaced (raped)?

 

Mind you it would be a great address for an escort agency.

[JamesPhuket10]

4 hours ago, NoshowJones said:

MOT's in the UK is nothing more than a money making exercise. You can take a car out of the garage with a new MOT and something could happen further down the road that could have meant a failure.

All that is needed is a compulsary annual major service done by a qualified garage.

If anyone doubts what I am saying, suppose you could take any car more than 3 years old of the road at random  and give it a full MOT.

How many would pass it? I rest my case.

 

Still a thousand times better than the MOT test in Thailand, yet you said nothing about the low level of the MOT there.

 

[Ralf001]

Breathing is fine in Chonburi.