Down under or Thai? Aussie mum trades Oz for Land of Smiles

[iyah]

Hi,

I was initially thinking about relocating to CM but after reading the alarming reports on the pollution levels there, i am now looking for alternatives. I've been to CM a few times before and really liked it. I never realised that the pollution there was that big of an issue.

If i were to live lets say 10-20km outside of the city, would i be experiencing the same problems/similar pollution levels?

Would be great to get some feedback from members living on the outskirts of CM to know how they are getting along there and wether or not they are suffering from the same pollution induced symptomes that many CM residents seem to suffer from during peak pollution periods.

Thanks

Edited August 24, 2007 by iyah

[lannarebirth]

Hi,

I was initially thinking about relocating to CM but after reading the alarming reports on the pollution levels there, i am now looking for alternatives. I've been to CM a few times before and really liked it. I never realised that the pollution there was that big of an issue.

If i were to live lets say 10-20km outside of the city, would i be experiencing the same problems/similar pollution levels?

Would be great to get some feedback from members living on the outskirts of CM to know how they are getting along there and wether or not they are suffering from the same pollution induced symptomes that many CM residents seem to suffer from during peak pollution periods.

Thanks

Chiang Mai has a "seasonal" pollution problem caused by intentional agricultural and forest burning practices carried out in the dry season. This occurs generally from late February till early April. THIS year, increased levels of burning and a very rare atmospheric phenomenon (I think an inversion layer), caused the smoke from these fires to linger, causing many days of what would be considered as unhealthful air. This was experienced all over the north of Thailand, Laos and Burma. When orders to stop burning locally were announced, the pollution dropped dramatically, and when the first rains came it disappeared. It was unfortunate that this beautiful region, which has womderful air, MOST OF THE TIME, was branded as a city that is highly polluted. That just isn't so. Possible good may come of this however, as citizen awareness has increased dramatically, and I believe (I hope) greater measures to ensure we don't suffer a season like that again, will come into being. If you like it here, I wouldn't let "the pollution" you've heard about put you off.

As for out of town. I have quite a lot of land about 20km north of town in the foothills. It definitely was less of a problem there (higher up), but lower ruice valleys had lingering smoke. This is the ONLY year I have ever seen any evidence of air pollution in that area. I'd very much like to think it was a one off occurrence, but only time will tell.

[iyah]

Thanks a lot for your input..'gives me some hope .

Read of quiet a few people leaving CM because of the pollution and others having relocated to CM and regretting it because of it (the pollution). I'm trying to get an accurate picture/idea of the situation there in order to avoid making a wrong move. I've also read that CM has the second highest rate of lung cancer in the world!! Is that true? Who is suffering from those symptoms? Are tuk tuk drivers and such the only one afflicted or just about anybody? I guess that would implie that the major pollution problem is more than just a few weeks/year.

Would anybody currently living in CM advise me NOT to move there?

Edited August 24, 2007 by iyah

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Thanks a lot for your input..'gives me some hope .

Read of quiet a few people leaving CM because of the pollution and others having relocated to CM and regretting it because of it (the pollution). I'm trying to get an accurate picture/idea of the situation there in order to avoid making a wrong move. I've also read that CM has the second highest rate of lung cancer in the world!! Is that true? Who is suffering from those symptoms? Are tuk tuk drivers and such the only one afflicted or just about anybody? I guess that would implie that the major pollution problem is more than just a few weeks/year.

Would anybody currently living in CM advise me NOT to move there?

you just need to come and experience it.. Its true it varies but all year there is lots of open burning from restaurants, temples, car exhaust etc. Its almost comical to see big exhaust plumes from the various vehicles on the road. It affects some people more than others. For sure you will notice how many people have damaged and very aged skin in Chiang Mai. Being outside the city does help a lot and using indoor air cleaners and deep skin cleansers, skin moisturizers and eating with protection in mind can limit the damage but no doubt its going to take some toll on a persons health. If you think you can move to CM and drink all the time and smoke and eat fried everything then don't look in the mirror after a few years.

Definitely if you can afford it then leave town from mid to late February to mid to late April and miss the really bad season.

[Rinrada]

Last year was particulary BAD and although I only pay short visits I still ended up helping to put out a couple of fires over at Mae-On that..."got away".....in fact for a couple weeks the whole mountainsides around CM were ablaze.

Might not happen this year however since LOS has a military Gov and the (Ting Song) fireraisers might take notice and decide not to try it.....but wont hold my breath...might not be able to....

Good thing is that its usually only lasts for a matter of weeks and like Song Kran ..Time to Leave ....

...GO anywhere

[ThaiPauly]

If you think you can move to CM and drink all the time and smoke and eat fried everything then don't look in the mirror after a few years.

Bugger

[PeaceBlondie]

Visibility got to a mere fraction of normal last year. It's weird to live at the base of a mountain range that is invisible. If you have respiratory problems, don't live here for those two months or so. Otherwise, it's a great place to live on the edge of the city.

[iyah]

Thanks for your feedback again.

I'm actually pretty health conscious (non smoker, alcohol occasionaly, very little fried food , vegetarian etc) so i won't have too many factors outside of the pollution that should add up to my body's 'toxicity'. But being health conscious and moving to a polluted city is a 'hard decision' to take. It's just that i havn't found in Thailand an area that suits me more than CM.

Is there a specific directions/area (maybe where the air is better) u guys suggest that i look for a house? I believe south of CM is less polluted..is that correct?

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Thanks for your feedback again.

I'm actually pretty health conscious (non smoker, alcohol occasionaly, very little fried food , vegetarian etc) so i won't have too many factors outside of the pollution that should add up to my body's 'toxicity'. But being health conscious and moving to a polluted city is a 'hard decision' to take. It's just that i havn't found in Thailand an area that suits me more than CM.

Is there a specific directions/area (maybe where the air is better) u guys suggest that i look for a house? I believe south of CM is less polluted..is that correct?

the thing about being far away from town is that it can be very boring and isolated. I read your profile about starting a juice bar. Yes that would be good in town especially if you have wheatgrass. There are a number of other juice bars however.

Being fairly close to town is just so much more convenient and interesting. Also from a health perspective the further you are from town then the more time you will spend on the roads and that is hazardous to say the least. If your within 5 to 10 km then its not a whole lot difference in air quality from being 1 -3 km from town. Certainly if your surrounded with trees and plants then its going to help the air situation.

Being closer to town also means your can visit Baan Suon Pak Store which is the only place that tests it produce for pesticides and offers groceries that sort of approach the organic and clean standards of the west. Anywhere else and its totally "caveat emptor".

You can monitor this site for air pollution and look at historical data.

http://www.pcd.go.th/AirQuality/Regional/Default.cfm

[Donnyboy]

the thing about being far away from town is that it can be very boring and isolated. I read your profile about starting a juice bar. Yes that would be good in town especially if you have wheatgrass. There are a number of other juice bars however.

and also a number of juices available, my favourite juice aaaargh....

[iyah]

Thanks Cobrasnake. Yes indeed, you are aware of my project. My idea in the longer run would be to grow my own (organic) fruits and veggies. I understand your concerns about the isolation (even though my girlfriend would be joining me) and you've got a point there. Ideally i would like to find a house/area accesible by tuk tuk or sangteaw (so that i dont necesarilly have to drive a motorbike to get to town) but with cleaner air than downtown. That would probably put me in a 5-10km radius which as u say shouldn't make a great difference in air quality...i'm gonna have to do some extensive research while i'm there to find the best option/solution for me (us).

I have to look into the store you mentioned. I know of one supermarket that sold some 'organic' products across the bridge. Not sure if we are talking about the same place. Anyways , this is a different topic and i hope to find some kind of 'farmers'market' that sells pesticide free products. Of course, no 'organic label' there.

Thanks for your link for monitoring the air pollution. i had already picked it up from the 'pollution archives' on this site.

[iyah]

hehe (Donyboy)....i will be sampling this 'juice' in the next few days since i'm off to Lao tonight.