I Would Like To Leave Bangkok

[Priceless]

First a quick recap for those that don't want to read the whole thread

I live in BKK and am very adversely effected by the pollution and need to move. I had been stuck here due to some annoying paperwork regarding a divorce from my ex wife.

My Fiance is Laos so I need to go where she is permitted in one year we will move to the USA. I am looking for suggestions for areas cleaner than BKK that have English and Thai language schooling as well as decent Internet speeds.

I now have successfully divorced completely from my ex wife and am now ready to move. I am actually in Udon Thani as I type this. I've taken a tour around Issan and while I really enjoy it and the pollution is lower I don't find myself compelled to live here. I also went to Laos and was impressed how clean it is but living in Laos even though my soon to be wife is Laos is not an option as studying Thai is still a top priority.

I am considering Chiang Mai but am concerned about the leaf burning. It seems it's more auto exhaust and emissions that effect me personally but maybe after living in CM this would get to me too? I have a friend in CM and he said it doesn't bother him but some older people are effected. I seem to have the respiratory system of an old man so I am worried. Some suggested Rayong but I've read there is a lot of industrial pollution there and even some problems with Denegue.

Another consideration is Hua Hin but I don't think there are any good Thai language or English language schools there. Am I wrong?

Phuket is also possible but again are there any good Thai and English schools there?

CM residents how does the leaf burning effect you?

Any suggestions are welcome.

I am one of the (luckily) unaffected CM residents, but I would not advise anybody with a respiratory peoblem to stay here during the month of March. To help you make your own decision, here's a graph of 2000-2008 average pollution (solid particles) for some "popular farang locations":

Best of luck with your decision!

/ Priceless

[wasabi]

I've lived in Chiang Mai over 10 years, recently moved to Bangkok. In the neighborhood I live in now in BKK, the air quality is better than the air quality in Chiang Mai's old city, unquestionably. And during the burning season, the air in Chiang Mai is more intolerable than the same three months anywhere in Bangkok. However during that season, all of the upper north has equally bad air quality -- in fact Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son are both worse than Chiang Mai.

The air quality on the islands is much better but then you have the constant humidity. If I were to choose somewhere in Thailand solely on the weather and air quality I'd go for a district in the mountains of western Tak. I couldn't take the boredom though. All in all I'm enjoying Bangkok more than ever -- but I avoid the more polluted areas. Ditto for Chiang Mai.

Try a few domiciles before committing.

Interesting, it seems CM may be off the list. That's a shame because I do like Chiang Mai but health is #1. What area do you live in? I tried in vain to find an area in BKK not close to a major road, and also with access to downtown when needed and couldn't find anywhere.

[NightOwl888]

I am one of the (luckily) unaffected CM residents, but I would not advise anybody with a respiratory peoblem to stay here during the month of March. To help you make your own decision, here's a graph of 2000-2008 average pollution (solid particles) for some "popular farang locations":

Best of luck with your decision!

/ Priceless

Just my two cents on air quality in Phuket. Patong beach has sewer gas escaping from the street. While it didn't seem to affect most people, I was sick for 3 of the 5 days I stayed there and I know other people who got sick there too. That said, the air quality on Kata and Karon beaches was reletively good. I imagine the same will be for other parts of the island as they are not as developed.

Wasabi, just out of curiousity have you looked into moving to Pattaya or Jomtien? Lots of people that speak English, probably can find Thai classes (don't know for sure though), and internet speeds are good (although I have read they are subject to occasional outages). Both are right on the beach, Jomtien has less traffic and the air quality is probably slightly better.

Then again, Chiang Mai is a great place. Maybe you could hold your breath for a couple of months out of the year?

Edited September 1, 2008 by NightOwl888

[zzdocxx]

Thanks for the graph!

[sabaijai]

Thanks for the graph!

Odd that the graph specifies a particular 'hood in BKK (one of the worst, but not the worst) yet does not do the same for Chiang Mai or Phuket.

I described what I thought were the best BKK choices in an earlier post in this thread. I'd rather not say exactly where I live but it's in one of those areas Worst areas are anywhere along most of Sukhumvit, anywhere in Bang Rak (Silom, Charoen Krung, etc), Ramkhamhaeng if near Ram Rd, Chinatown, most of Ko Ratanakosin and Banglamphu, anywhere along Phahonyothin, Din Daeng and pretty much any area with streets of four or more lanes.

[JSixpack]

My Fiance is Laos so I need to go where she is permitted in one year we will move to the USA. I also went to Laos and was impressed how clean it is but living in Laos even though my soon to be wife is Laos is not an option as studying Thai is still a top priority.

An odd "top priority." Amazing how many foreigners, including Laos, survive knowing no Thai whatsoever. If your fiance is Lao, maybe you should switch to studying Lao. Anyway you can study Thai or English anywhere. Besides, you're moving to the USA in one year! The official language there is (cough) English.

Is this a troll thread?

[NightOwl888]

My Fiance is Laos so I need to go where she is permitted in one year we will move to the USA. I also went to Laos and was impressed how clean it is but living in Laos even though my soon to be wife is Laos is not an option as studying Thai is still a top priority.

An odd "top priority." Amazing how many foreigners, including Laos, survive knowing no Thai whatsoever. If your fiance is Lao, maybe you should switch to studying Lao. Anyway you can study Thai or English anywhere. Besides, you're moving to the USA in one year! The official language there is (cough) English.

Is this a troll thread?

If I understand correctly, the Thai lessons are for him and the English lessons are for his Lao fiance.

I speculate that learning Thai is probably just out of his personal interest, and although learning it in the US is possible, it is much easier to learn and then remember a foreign language if you are immersed in an environemnt where it is spoken frequently.