How Far South

[bjohn34]

Can you go far enough south and stay in Thailand to escape the smoke for about a month until they finish burning off the rice fields?

How far is far enough?

thanks

[chiang mai]

Phuket is just fine, hot but fine - I can't provide information about anywhere else I'm afraid because I'm content being smoke free here.

[chiang mai]

DP

[gotlost]

Hua Hin about 600 km closer and on the water.

[chiang mai]

Hua Hin about 600 km closer and on the water.

We're on the water too.

[gotlost]

Hua Hin about 600 km closer and on the water.

We're on the water too.

The Ping River?

[whiterussian]

Havent noticed much smoke for the past week, i reckon its over.

[bjohn34]

Havent noticed much smoke for the past week, i reckon its over.

Did you go out today?? I went into CM from the east side and could not even see Doi Suthep mountain.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

This will answer your question:

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

Look for PM-10 numbers under 50. Pattaya looks awesome. (Chonburi reading)

[gotlost]

This morning about 1030AM was the first time this year that I could not see the Wat at Doi Saket. Its only about 1km in a straight line from my house. I don't unfortunately thanks its over.

[whiterussian]

Havent noticed much smoke for the past week, i reckon its over.

Did you go out today?? I went into CM from the east side and could not even see Doi Suthep mountain.

Maybe its just because I couldn't taste it today here in A.Saraphi.

yes, on reflection was rather overcast. Bloody moobaan life, I have to exit the property to see the sky

[IanForbes]

Is Australia far enough south?

[chiang mai]

Hua Hin about 600 km closer and on the water.

We're on the water too.

The Ping River?

But I've lived in Phuket for the past three years!

[gotlost]

Actually your out of the shyt at Tak on Highway 1 about 300 KM south of CM.

[Yunnie]

Mountains?!?!?!?! We ACTUALLY have mountains?!?!

I dunno, I dont notice anything anymore. Maybe slight diesel smell when I'm in a Tuktuk. As long as I dont smell it ( smoke, smog, burning things) I dont care. My lungs are happy sucking it in for now. I can wait till rainy season for the dirt air to wash away.

[BLUEEYEDTHAI]

Mountains?!?!?!?! We ACTUALLY have mountains?!?!

I dunno, I dont notice anything anymore. Maybe slight diesel smell when I'm in a Tuktuk. As long as I dont smell it ( smoke, smog, burning things) I dont care. My lungs are happy sucking it in for now. I can wait till rainy season for the dirt air to wash away.

As a smoker I am highly offended by all this second hand smoke.

[cardinalblue]

Well, rains don't come for another three months. I think the next big issue we will hear about is the lack of water over this time frame...

As to Tak, I hope that comment is true. I remember driving thru sukothai and petchaboon provinces last year this time directly east of Tak and they seem even worst tham CM province...

CB

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Well, rains don't come for another three months.

That's incorrect in two ways:

1. First rain showers start happening on or shortly after Songkran. They kick of in ernest with evening downpoors somewhere mid May. At most that's two months out.

2. It's seems to imply that rain is the only thing that will bring haze levels down. This is also not the case; early April, well before rains kick off, the readings are back to general cool season levels (say, January). (Hit 'Query' on the Regional Air Quality page on the pcd.go.th site, then select Chiang Mai. You'll get all the information ever recorded on Chiang Mai's air.)

I think the next big issue we will hear about is the lack of water over this time frame...

That issue seems to be better under control as well. We'd be hearing about it right now if it was an issue.

As to Tak, I hope that comment is true. I remember driving thru sukothai and petchaboon provinces last year this time directly east of Tak and they seem even worst tham CM province...

Yes, here I share your doubt. Friend of mine drove up from the Bangkok area and reported that it starts getting really hazy from Nakhon Sawan onwards. I was in Bangkok myself last week and that place is pretty hazy right now, definitely not clear skies. Of course it varies a bit; generally I don't doubt that Tak is better than Chiang Mai, but it's not guaranteed to be clear either. So my advice to head to Pattaya or Hua Hin stands.

WTK

[gotlost]

I have been threw Phitsanulok twice in the past 10 days and its nothing like in CM. Now I'm not saying its Pattaya but its paradise compared to CM. Lamphun and Lampang are just as bad as CM. If its a break from second hand smoke you will start to get a major break from Tak-Phitsanulok-Khon Kaen south. When you get to Ayutthaya your back into the Bangkok red I mean brown shyt.

[krakatoa]

This morning it was the worst I recollect having have seen in CM city.

Visibility down to not much more than 500 metres (OK a bit more perhaps but not a lote)

The sun came up as just an orange ball.

[gotlost]

This morning it was the worst I recollect having have seen in CM city.

Visibility down to not much more than 500 metres (OK a bit more perhaps but not a lote)

The sun came up as just an orange ball.

What sun? Still can not see Doi Saket.

[db1tau]

I ran away from the smoke on a holiday trip chiang-mai - mae sot - phitsanulok - bangkok - kanchanaburi - koh chang - pattaya

during the last 2 weeks. To keep it short, only koh chang and pattaya have decent air quality.

Kanchanaburi was disappointing, we ran away after 2 days. Looked exactly same like in chiang mai.

Tak and phitsanolok is definitily not out of the smoke. The big surprise was mae sot. there was a local hole in the haze with clear blue skies for about 20 km between Tak and Mae Sot. Strange...

Going south definitly increases the humidity of the air. This can ease the symptoms the smoke causes. But for clear air pattaya or the far south is the best choice.

[kimincm]

Drove back to C.Mai from Mae Salong this morning,C.Mai is bad but nothing compared with north of Fang.

[harrry]

Havent noticed much smoke for the past week, i reckon its over.

Did you go out today?? I went into CM from the east side and could not even see Doi Suthep mountain.

Thats ok....from Doi SUteph I could not see ChiangMai

[realthaideal]

To the OP - a reasonable question, but unfortunately this is a regional problem involving alot more than local burning; it is a product of man-made fires throughout the SE Asian region. Satellite photos show the haze and smoke extending over much of Northern Thailand, coming in from Laos and Burma for the most part. If you really want to escape, go seaside and to the Southern parts of the country.

And btw.... fire thread #10 by RTD's count.

[ThaiEye]

Get out of the northern region and all you'll find are pefectly clear skies. The smog problem only seems to be hitting Chiang Mai and a couple of other neighbouring provinces and that's it.

[pokerkid]

Get out of the northern region and all you'll find are pefectly clear skies. The smog problem only seems to be hitting Chiang Mai and a couple of other neighbouring provinces and that's it.

so how far south of chiang mai should we go?

[Ulysses G.]

South of Chiang Mai Gate should be more than far enough in January.

[CheGuava]

Get out of the northern region and all you'll find are pefectly clear skies. The smog problem only seems to be hitting Chiang Mai and a couple of other neighbouring provinces and that's it.

so how far south of chiang mai should we go?

The North East of Thailand isn't as badly affected, so you could look at Khon Kaen as well. Other than that, probably the Eastern Seaboard, so Chonburi, Pattaya and so on. Or the South 'proper' of course. Of course you could stay closer by in some central Thai provinces, but I'm taking into account that you would still want to 'live' as well.

Excuses to visit Pattaya don't come much better than this.

[pokerkid]

I was more thinking of how many kilometers south or even a bit east of the city of chiang mai, not in another part of the country