It's Hot

[bobl]

I heard a rumour that it was the weather that was causing it but I think they're trying to divert attention from the real cause. Aliens.

[kjhbigv]

Doi Mae Salong is a nice place to cool off with lots of natural beauty and Chinese food. It is about half way between Chiang Rai and Mai Sai, so a little bit of a trip.

another nice mountain to visit..

have you tried the chinese food?

Went camping there in November last year....bloody cold at night!

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup,

A pleasure to know that Khuns JaideeGuy, HelloDali, and Elektrified are suffering, as is this body, this year, to a greater degree from inclement weather. Of course, that's said without schadenfreude.

Suffering shared is, of course, suffering diluted, when it is evident, to the sufferee, it is not suffering deluded.

Like HelloDali, my experience of this body subjectively appraises a more and more negative hot-weather reaction each of the last several year-cycles. Yes, it could be an artifact of biological aging, sorry to say.

Don't think another year here is possible, without getting out of Chiang Mai to some place in the mountains in Thailand, or outside Thailand, for the months March to June.

The Nagas (phayanaak) appear to have not heard our prayers this year, although you have to give them credit for a decent "mango rains" performance following Songkraan.

~o:37;

[Rasseru]

I find the nights and mornings of late pleasantly cooler. It has been feeling to me as if the hot season has passed.

[Rasseru]

'Don't think another year here is possible, without getting out of Chiang Mai to some place in the mountains in Thailand, or outside Thailand, for the months March to June.'

I recommend Bali as a destination for both of you to consider, Orang37. The clean sea air is always nice, the temperature warm but pleasant, the cost of living not so different and the people mostly friendlier even than the Thais.

[eden8]

Doi Mae Salong is a nice place to cool off with lots of natural beauty and Chinese food. It is about half way between Chiang Rai and Mai Sai, so a little bit of a trip.

another nice mountain to visit..

have you tried the chinese food?

Went camping there in November last year....bloody cold at night!

november is the "winter" period...

to add on, it is already very cool up there..

you went on the wrong time?

lol!!

[mania]

Too damn hot for too damn long this summer. The absolute worse that I've felt in the 12 summers i've been here. The past summers it at least cooled down at night, but not this year. give us a break please!!

The humidity is the highest I can recall in the last 6 years. Been miserable. A/C running day and night, about 20/7.

I am kind of glad to hear this

This being our first full year here.

Hearing that it seems extra hot to the long timers gives me hope of a cooler hot season next year

Edited May 30, 2013 by mania

[orang37]

"I recommend Bali as a destination for both of you to consider, Orang37. The clean sea air is always nice, the temperature warm but pleasant, the cost of living not so different and the people mostly friendlier even than the Thais.

Thanks, Khun Rasseru,

This body is fortunate to rent a house in a neighborhood east of the Ping where, compared to many other parts of Amphur Muang, it's relatively cooler, and the air quality is better. I suspect that where you live, given the altitude you live at, your daily experience is also on the "better" side. Given enough money, in Thailand, one can buy the reality one wishes to some degree

I had a wonderful time in Bali about twelve years ago; I spent all my time in Ubud. The problem with Ubud I experienced was that Ubud is bursting-full of other tourists and expats. North of Ubud, including Singharaja, on the northern coast, I experienced a problem with aggressive begging.

Perhaps the greatest delight in Ubud was meeting a lovely professional Japanese woman around age forty-five, traveling alone in Bali. Yuki and I became very close friends, and, later, I visited her in Tokyo several times, and she visited me for a few months in Cupertino. Ah, the memories !

Of course, two weeks as a tourist in another culture does not an "expat living experience" make, and the Hindi-Urdu I could speak, "left-over" from a year in India in 1975, as expected, did not contribute anything to my social encounters

As fascinatingly unique as Balinese culture's Hinduism has evolved to be, as profoundly beautiful gamelan, and dance, as compelling as are the religious rites to which all dressed appropriately who act respectfully are welcome, as comfortable, indeed, would be the more temperate weather, I am not, for whatever reason, drawn to living in Bali at this time. I am "drawn" to the idea of living in the Kunming area of China, or, perhaps, Ashland, Oregon, or Mendocino, California, in the US, as an alternative to living in Chiang Mai from early March through sometime in June.

I think that in this lifetime I'll never have another experience like my first few years in Chiang Mai, in terms of experiencing another culture and its people as being as truly friendly as Thais were/are in Chiang Mai ! The "smoothness" eclipsed the "rough edges" by a wide margin ... for me.

That a farang in northern Thailand will always be "a stranger in a strange land" seems only poetic justice.

It's highly probable that the problem with the weather is my own, and not Thailand's.

yours, ~o:37;

[dave2]

this should cool it down a bit

rain over doi suthep 10 mins ago : )

dave2

[eyecatcher]

When t's hot in Thailand ,and ya ride A bike,your only getting hot air.And with the hot helmet also.It don't sound good to me.

I had a sister in law die in Eastern Washington in the hot season. She died of heat stroke. She was mountain biking with a helmet on.

I was going to like that......maybe I shouldn't Edited May 30, 2013 by eyecatcher

[hellodolly]

'Don't think another year here is possible, without getting out of Chiang Mai to some place in the mountains in Thailand, or outside Thailand, for the months March to June.'

I recommend Bali as a destination for both of you to consider, Orang37. The clean sea air is always nice, the temperature warm but pleasant, the cost of living not so different and the people mostly friendlier even than the Thais.

Plus English is easier to get around with.

[hellodolly]

"I recommend Bali as a destination for both of you to consider, Orang37. The clean sea air is always nice, the temperature warm but pleasant, the cost of living not so different and the people mostly friendlier even than the Thais.

Thanks, Khun Rasseru,

This body is fortunate to rent a house in a neighborhood east of the Ping where, compared to many other parts of Amphur Muang, it's relatively cooler, and the air quality is better. I suspect that where you live, given the altitude you live at, your daily experience is also on the "better" side. Given enough money, in Thailand, one can buy the reality one wishes to some degree

I had a wonderful time in Bali about twelve years ago; I spent all my time in Ubud. The problem with Ubud I experienced was that Ubud is bursting-full of other tourists and expats. North of Ubud, including Singharaja, on the northern coast, I experienced a problem with aggressive begging.

Perhaps the greatest delight in Ubud was meeting a lovely professional Japanese woman around age forty-five, traveling alone in Bali. Yuki and I became very close friends, and, later, I visited her in Tokyo several times, and she visited me for a few months in Cupertino. Ah, the memories !

Of course, two weeks as a tourist in another culture does not an "expat living experience" make, and the Hindi-Urdu I could speak, "left-over" from a year in India in 1975, as expected, did not contribute anything to my social encounters

As fascinatingly unique as Balinese culture's Hinduism has evolved to be, as profoundly beautiful gamelan, and dance, as compelling as are the religious rites to which all dressed appropriately who act respectfully are welcome, as comfortable, indeed, would be the more temperate weather, I am not, for whatever reason, drawn to living in Bali at this time. I am "drawn" to the idea of living in the Kunming area of China, or, perhaps, Ashland, Oregon, or Mendocino, California, in the US, as an alternative to living in Chiang Mai from early March through sometime in June.

I think that in this lifetime I'll never have another experience like my first few years in Chiang Mai, in terms of experiencing another culture and its people as being as truly friendly as Thais were/are in Chiang Mai ! The "smoothness" eclipsed the "rough edges" by a wide margin ... for me.

That a farang in northern Thailand will always be "a stranger in a strange land" seems only poetic justice.

It's highly probable that the problem with the weather is my own, and not Thailand's.

yours, ~o:37;

I agree I will always be a stranger in a strange land and I love it.

I was in Ubud about 5 years ago. Nothing but tourists there. I was there 20 years ago and it was a fantastic place to be.

[Rasseru]

Yes, when it comes to Bali, I would not encourage anyone to spend more than the briefest of times in Ubud (it does have some great art museums and restaurants). Nor in Kuta, for that matter. Both are unpleasantly full of tourists. Personally, I like Sanur. It has plenty of tourists too, but it does not feel overrun with them, and it has a beautiful beach, several kilometres long, and with only a pedestrian path along it, no vehicular traffic. There are also plenty of more remote locations in Bali, for those who want them.

[jonwilly]

Yes IMHO it's been warmer and more Humid then usual for this time of year.

john

[OldChinaHam]

Doi Mae Salong is a nice place to cool off with lots of natural beauty and Chinese food. It is about half way between Chiang Rai and Mai Sai, so a little bit of a trip.

Thank you again, for the info.

Sometimes you really do get tired of the heat, even with all the aircon at full blast, and when you can dial down the temperature to 18 degrees at will,

Air conditioned air all the time is no fun.

So I will get out of this heat and take your good suggestion.

After I leave, if you don't hear from me, you will know I am lost,

Or I have no internet up there.

Probably I will go in August,

When Chiang Mai is hottest, muggiest, and nattiest, and buggiest.

Thank you again for the info!

[elektrified]

Doi Mae Salong is a nice place to cool off with lots of natural beauty and Chinese food. It is about half way between Chiang Rai and Mai Sai, so a little bit of a trip.

Thank you again, for the info.

Sometimes you really do get tired of the heat, even with all the aircon at full blast, and when you can dial down the temperature to 18 degrees at will,

Air conditioned air all the time is no fun.

So I will get out of this heat and take your good suggestion.

After I leave, if you don't hear from me, you will know I am lost,

Or I have no internet up there.

Probably I will go in August,

When Chiang Mai is hottest, muggiest, and nattiest, and buggiest.

Thank you again for the info!

Chiang Mai is not "hottest, muggiest, and nattiest, and buggiest" in August. That would be March through mid June.

[OldChinaHam]

Doi Mae Salong is a nice place to cool off with lots of natural beauty and Chinese food. It is about half way between Chiang Rai and Mai Sai, so a little bit of a trip.

Thank you again, for the info.

Sometimes you really do get tired of the heat, even with all the aircon at full blast, and when you can dial down the temperature to 18 degrees at will,

Air conditioned air all the time is no fun.

So I will get out of this heat and take your good suggestion.

After I leave, if you don't hear from me, you will know I am lost,

Or I have no internet up there.

Probably I will go in August,

When Chiang Mai is hottest, muggiest, and nattiest, and buggiest.

Thank you again for the info!

Chiang Mai is not "hottest, muggiest, and nattiest, and buggiest" in August. That would be March through mid June.

Then the weather here is strange. Because everywhere else in the northern hemisphere I thought end of July and the beginning of August were the hottest days of the year.

But this month, from what I have experienced, does not seem very hot at all, really.

BKK is really hot in the end of March, as I recall.

I almost feinted there 13 years ago, and I have never swooned before.

And also, even if August is not so hot,

Still I am grateful for the mountain info.

I can only go in August, no matter what the temperature.

Thailand is such a beautiful country,

We are so lucky.

We need to protect the natural beauty which still exists in Thailand.

Especially when it is hot.

[Ulysses G.]

August is more comfortable than April and May because it is the rainy season. As soon as it starts raining frequently in Thailand, things cool down.

[worgeordie]

I don't find it oppressively hot,maybe getting used to it,we have no A/cs,don't like them,give me sore throat

and they are too expensive to run, we just sleep with the windows open,no problem,we have plenty trees

around the house,several small ponds,you can feel a sudden drop in temperature when you come in from

outside,but I can understand the heat could but too much if you live in a house without foliage around it,or

worse still in a condo.

We have to learn to live in our environment and adapt to it,the A/Cs switch should not be the first choice,

anyway I would rather be too hot than too cold, a quick shower and you are refreshed,trying to keep warm

is a lot harder, and I thought we British were the only ones who incessantly complain about the weather .

regards Worgeordie

[KRS1]

This year the sun is going through Solar Maximus with heightened solar activity.

Wont be this bad again for a while.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/24/sun-activity-peak-solar-maximum_n_2942099.html

http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/here-comes-solar-maximum-what-we-know-and-dont-know-about-solar-storms-and-their-hazards

[MESmith]

The climate is quite reasonable at the moment. Not too much rain, so can get out and about on my mtb, & not too hot. Mornings & evenings are luverly.