where else to live if CM too smokey ?

[driedmango]

Hi all, I have been to Thailand 5 times, very much love it and would love to live in Chiang Mai but the last time i was there in Feb last year the smokey season was so bad for me i really didn't enjoy it much.

I would like to try to stay in the country for a year or so and everything is perfect in chiang mai for me but that damn smoke really effects me as i have a sensitive lungs from drywalling without masks and sanding wood, so no i am extra careful...

I found Bangkok air better durning this time, i am not sure if it is but i somehow felt better than, but it's also got bad air.

Is there anyone in the LOS that would compare with Chiang mai as far as the fun it offers and the low prices, high convience but happens to have an ocean breeze ...

seems like the smokey season is more like 4 months or so is this true ?

THanks

[northernjohn]

Going over the records it shows an average of February March and April to be the worst. One year we had a lot of rain but that is rare. March is the very worst of it with a build up in Feb. and a wind down in April. This is generally the way it goes however there is no guarantee to it. We get a little bit as early as December. Some will tell you that it is really bad and others will say they barley noticed it.

Check Cha-am it is on the beach and only two hours south of Bangkok and 15 minutes north of Hui Hin.

[driedmango]

thanks northerndon, never heard of this place, sounds pretty nice to be only 2hrs from BKK too.. not 100% sure that from what a read i could handle the whole boring during the week thing,but who knows, it might be very relaxing and i think i would like the thai holiday makers.. will have to stop by this place one day.

[jackr]

I'd say same as above, Hua Hin between late Feb/late April when smoke is worst. Don't bother with Chiang Rai or other hilly areas in the region as it's the same or worse. One can get to HH direct from CM via Sombat bus.

[Ricardo]

I'd say same as above, Hua Hin between late Feb/late April when smoke is worst. Don't bother with Chiang Rai or other hilly areas in the region as it's the same or worse. One can get to HH direct from CM via Sombat bus.

Once per-day, plus twice over-night, Sombat is OK.

Green-line also do a daily-bus to Phuket, but with Air-Asia & Thai-Smile flying CNX-HKT, Air-Asia doing CNX-HDY twice-daily to get to Koh Lipe & the other small islands, & the new Air-Asia daily CNX-Krabi starting next week, there are also easy/inexpensive air-links to South of Bangkok.

[khwaibah]

I'd say same as above, Hua Hin between late Feb/late April when smoke is worst. Don't bother with Chiang Rai or other hilly areas in the region as it's the same or worse. One can get to HH direct from CM via Sombat bus.

I drove to HH (800km) to Phuket (another 800km) from Chiang Mai. Did not get out of smoke tell we got to Tak. Tak to Ayutthahaya the air quality was OK but from Ayutthahaya to about half way to HH the air quality was the shytes, smog to the maximum. Air quality from HH to Phuket is great. To bad Chiang Mai suffers from this problem as it gives it and northern Thailand a very bad reputation. This is not a new development air pollution has always been a part of northern Thailand and will continue to get worst as northern Thailand population grows.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

thanks northerndon, never heard of this place, sounds pretty nice to be only 2hrs from BKK too.. not 100% sure that from what a read i could handle the whole boring during the week thing,but who knows, it might be very relaxing and i think i would like the thai holiday makers.. will have to stop by this place one day.

If you don't like bornig then don't do Cha-Am. Do Hua Hin or Pattaya instead.

Although, if you go for a longer time then proximity to Chiang Mai / Bangkok is much less of a consideration. So you could consider Phuket too.

BTW you did ask for something similar to Chiang Mai.. Answering that depends on one's viewpoint on which things exemplify Chiang Mai. For me the closest place to Chiang Mai in the South would be Trang. (No need for anyone to agree, it's based on my personal perception of Chiang Mai's vibe.)

Too bad Chiang Mai suffers from this problem as it gives it and northern Thailand a very bad reputation. This is not a new development air pollution has always been a part of northern Thailand and will continue to get worst as northern Thailand population grows.

Not sure reputation is the right word; reputation is often based on incidents which then go on to tarnish an image even though the incident may not have been typical. Severe haze at the end of the dry seasson however is part and parcel of Northern Thailand and the surrounding region.

I can't predict the future on it getting worse, but looking at the past 10 years the trend does not show it getting worse. Awareness is greatly on the increase, while the trend is of a gradual improvement. (With peaks and lows, but the trend is an improving one.)

Of course I'm the first to admit that while this is interesting from a pollution analysis point of view, it isn't of much use to the OP either the coming season or during his lifetime. An extended time by the coast is the best way to spend March. (And potentially late Feb and/or early April.)

Edited December 12, 2013 by WinnieTheKhwai

[anonymouse]

I'd say Hua Hin would be a good choice as well, Nether been to Trang but Winnie has me intrigued..with its Chiang Mai vibe.

Noticed that they have started burning already by me in Doi Saket and me and the dog suffered a very smokey walk yesterday evening.

The only way I see it abating it is when they have finished paving over and building on every piece of greenery and field in the North..so probably about two years at current rates

While I'm on a pollution rant, I went to a funeral the other day and the funeral procession was a 15 minute or so walk from the house to the crematorium, half way there a thoughtful person had set up a drink spot with plastic cups of water and fizzy drinks. I noticed that out of the procession of a 100 or so people, I'd estimate half of them threw there plastic cups on the wayside of the nice country lane we were walking down and the rest threw them in the stream running alongside it. I was quiet shocked at the mess that they left.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I'd say Hua Hin would be a good choice as well, Nether been to Trang but Winnie has me intrigued..with its Chiang Mai vibe.

I guess I'll expand on that then.

<rant>

So many cities in Thailand all look alike; the same uninspiring concrete blocks of shophouses and a couple cookie-cutter temples. When you arrive in Chiang Mai however you notice pretty early on that this is a place with history and charm, which the locals take pride in and rightly so. Now, Trang isn't anywhere as big or as old or as visually remarkable as Chiang Mai, but you do get that sense of history, and the laid back vibe from the people there. Not by coincidence Trang is the only place in the far South with a rail connection. I'm not highlighting that to suggest you go by rail, but rather that also 100 or so years ago it was a place noteworthy enough to connect by train. The city itself doesn't get many tourists, which is good because in so many places in the South (esp. Phuket, Samui and the other islands) you're a walking ATM. Trang is relatively affordable, and it's nice that not everyone you meet is trying to sell you something. And the coast is not far away and that part of the Andaman coast is completely stunning (Krabi-Trang). So Trang makes a good place to base yourself, with a couple trips along the coast and to the islands. And they got funny frog-faced tuktuks.

And the postcard stuff off the coast..

The Smoky Season is an opportunity.

</rant>

Edited December 12, 2013 by WinnieTheKhwai

[cardinalblue]

I'd say Hua Hin would be a good choice as well, Nether been to Trang but Winnie has me intrigued..with its Chiang Mai vibe.

Noticed that they have started burning already by me in Doi Saket and me and the dog suffered a very smokey walk yesterday evening.

The only way I see it abating it is when they have finished paving over and building on every piece of greenery and field in the North..so probably about two years at current rates

While I'm on a pollution rant, I went to a funeral the other day and the funeral procession was a 15 minute or so walk from the house to the crematorium, half way there a thoughtful person had set up a drink spot with plastic cups of water and fizzy drinks. I noticed that out of the procession of a 100 or so people, I'd estimate half of them threw there plastic cups on the wayside of the nice country lane we were walking down and the rest threw them in the stream running alongside it. I was quiet shocked at the mess that they left.

Behind road driving, the lack of an effective waste management is second on my list...

Not throwing garbage into the environment is a value westerners learn at a very early age combined that with an effective enforcement program in place..

Both are absent in the Thai society...

CB .

[anonymouse]

I'd say Hua Hin would be a good choice as well, Nether been to Trang but Winnie has me intrigued..with its Chiang Mai vibe.

I guess I'll expand on that then.

<rant>

So many cities in Thailand all look alike; the same uninspiring concrete blocks of shophouses and a couple cookie-cutter temples. When you arrive in Chiang Mai however you notice pretty early on that this is a place with history and charm, which the locals take pride in and rightly so. Now, Trang isn't anywhere as big or as old or as visually remarkable as Chiang Mai, but you do get that sense of history, and the laid back vibe from the people there. Not by coincidence Trang is the only place in the far South with a rail connection. I'm not highlighting that to suggest you go by rail, but rather that also 100 or so years ago it was a place noteworthy enough to connect by train. The city itself doesn't get many tourists, which is good because in so many places in the South (esp. Phuket, Samui and the other islands) you're a walking ATM. Trang is relatively affordable, and it's nice that not everyone you meet is trying to sell you something. And the coast is not far away and that part of the Andaman coast is completely stunning (Krabi-Trang). So Trang makes a good place to base yourself, with a couple trips along the coast and to the islands. And they got funny frog-faced tuktuks.

And the postcard stuff off the coast..

The Smoky Season is an opportunity.

</rant>

You've sold me Winnie, Trang is now officially on my to do list

[anonymouse]

I'd say Hua Hin would be a good choice as well, Nether been to Trang but Winnie has me intrigued..with its Chiang Mai vibe.

Noticed that they have started burning already by me in Doi Saket and me and the dog suffered a very smokey walk yesterday evening.

The only way I see it abating it is when they have finished paving over and building on every piece of greenery and field in the North..so probably about two years at current rates

While I'm on a pollution rant, I went to a funeral the other day and the funeral procession was a 15 minute or so walk from the house to the crematorium, half way there a thoughtful person had set up a drink spot with plastic cups of water and fizzy drinks. I noticed that out of the procession of a 100 or so people, I'd estimate half of them threw there plastic cups on the wayside of the nice country lane we were walking down and the rest threw them in the stream running alongside it. I was quiet shocked at the mess that they left.

Behind road driving, the lack of an effective waste management is second on my list...

Not throwing garbage into the environment is a value westerners learn at a very early age combined that with an effective enforcement program in place..

Both are absent in the Thai society...

CB .

Yes that's what I was thinking if it had been a bunch of westerners then you might have got a couple of teenagers throwing there plastic cups by the wayside in a moment of teenage rebellion but that would probably be about the extent of it.

[HaleySabai]

Trang does look good, we have been going to PKK, south of Hua Hin in March for the last few years, this year we are going to Nepal.

If you plan to live in CM long term, plan an exit strategy during the 'smoky-season'.

[elektrified]

Trang does look good, we have been going to PKK, south of Hua Hin in March for the last few years, this year we are going to Nepal.

If you plan to live in CM long term, plan an exit strategy during the 'smoky-season'.

I too, like PKK. We went there this year to escape the smokey season. Also the beaches to the South of it. Cha Am is good too. I just can't handle the weekends there with all the students, large tour buses, etc. The amount of garbage left on the beaches during the weekends is shameful.

[northernjohn]

I'd say Hua Hin would be a good choice as well, Nether been to Trang but Winnie has me intrigued..with its Chiang Mai vibe.

I guess I'll expand on that then.

<rant>

So many cities in Thailand all look alike; the same uninspiring concrete blocks of shophouses and a couple cookie-cutter temples. When you arrive in Chiang Mai however you notice pretty early on that this is a place with history and charm, which the locals take pride in and rightly so. Now, Trang isn't anywhere as big or as old or as visually remarkable as Chiang Mai, but you do get that sense of history, and the laid back vibe from the people there. Not by coincidence Trang is the only place in the far South with a rail connection. I'm not highlighting that to suggest you go by rail, but rather that also 100 or so years ago it was a place noteworthy enough to connect by train. The city itself doesn't get many tourists, which is good because in so many places in the South (esp. Phuket, Samui and the other islands) you're a walking ATM. Trang is relatively affordable, and it's nice that not everyone you meet is trying to sell you something. And the coast is not far away and that part of the Andaman coast is completely stunning (Krabi-Trang). So Trang makes a good place to base yourself, with a couple trips along the coast and to the islands. And they got funny frog-faced tuktuks.

And the postcard stuff off the coast..

The Smoky Season is an opportunity.

</rant>

You've sold me Winnie, Trang is now officially on my to do list

He got me with that also. Not sure where Trang is or if it is accessible by air.

I was wondering if it was on the beach or inland like Krabi. I found the Krabi experience to be disappointing.

[MAJIC]

Sounds like you have sensitive lungs through industrial exposure like me,I think you need to be near the sea and maybe on one of the islands,with good sea breezes,unfortunately it doesn't end there,the heat and humidity needs to be considered,which will also have a adverse effect on your breathing,dust can also be a problem,seems like that invisible brown dust in the villages gets everywhere.finding the best place for your health will take some intensive research.

Good Luck.

[amexpat]

After seeing those three pics for the third goddam time, I recall that there are flights from BKK to Trang and reasonable lodging, food, and

general infrastructure to make Trang a decent place to escape from the smoke.

Sent from my refurbished ENIAC using the ARPANET

[WinnieTheKhwai]

He got me with that also. Not sure where Trang is or if it is accessible by air.

I was wondering if it was on the beach or inland like Krabi. I found the Krabi experience to be disappointing.

There are flights there, also on Budget carriers from Bangkok I believe.

It is in-land, but the town is nicer than Krabi. And not being on a beach means it's not Pattayafied.

[Konini]

Trang does look good, we have been going to PKK, south of Hua Hin in March for the last few years, this year we are going to Nepal.

If you plan to live in CM long term, plan an exit strategy during the 'smoky-season'.

We've spent a week once and 5 days another time in Trang and enjoyed both stays. First thing we noticed was how clean the streets were compared with most Thai cities, and there seems to be a fairly large Chinese or Thai-Chinese population. From memory it was less than an hour to the beach at Heng Meng - wasn't set up for Western tourists when we were there, don't know about now - and a couple of good islands not far from the coast. We stayed at Koh Sukkon.

Haven't been for about 5 years, so of course it may have changed.

[T_Dog]

Driedmango.... I would put Trat-Koh Chang-Chantaburi on your radar. Have friends there and they just adore leaving in the area.

[scotinsiam]

I'd say Hua Hin would be a good choice as well, Nether been to Trang but Winnie has me intrigued..with its Chiang Mai vibe.

I guess I'll expand on that then.

<rant>

So many cities in Thailand all look alike; the same uninspiring concrete blocks of shophouses and a couple cookie-cutter temples. When you arrive in Chiang Mai however you notice pretty early on that this is a place with history and charm, which the locals take pride in and rightly so. Now, Trang isn't anywhere as big or as old or as visually remarkable as Chiang Mai, but you do get that sense of history, and the laid back vibe from the people there. Not by coincidence Trang is the only place in the far South with a rail connection. I'm not highlighting that to suggest you go by rail, but rather that also 100 or so years ago it was a place noteworthy enough to connect by train. The city itself doesn't get many tourists, which is good because in so many places in the South (esp. Phuket, Samui and the other islands) you're a walking ATM. Trang is relatively affordable, and it's nice that not everyone you meet is trying to sell you something. And the coast is not far away and that part of the Andaman coast is completely stunning (Krabi-Trang). So Trang makes a good place to base yourself, with a couple trips along the coast and to the islands. And they got funny frog-faced tuktuks.

And the postcard stuff off the coast..

The Smoky Season is an opportunity.

</rant>

You've sold me Winnie, Trang is now officially on my to do list

He got me with that also. Not sure where Trang is or if it is accessible by air.

I was wondering if it was on the beach or inland like Krabi. I found the Krabi experience to be disappointing.

I have to confess to only being in Krabi once but I did enjoy it - Trang looks fantastic - any more info Winnie?

[amexpat]

Thanks for posting those pics for the forth time. They really are lovely.

[jaideeguy]

Here we go again.............

It's a sad fact that we residents of CM have this situation and conversation every year and discuss alternative places to escape the filthy air. Truth is that the only place to escape the polluted air and heat is up in elevation, as most of the smoke settles in the valleys. I know of a few hideaways up in the mountains that we take occasional breaks to beat the heat.

Also, another sad fact is that the haze is continental and covers all the inland areas of SE Asia, so hard to escape...........

Edited December 16, 2013 by jaideeguy

[noikrit]

Sounds like you have sensitive lungs through industrial exposure like me,I think you need to be near the sea and maybe on one of the islands,with good sea breezes,unfortunately it doesn't end there,the heat and humidity needs to be considered,which will also have a adverse effect on your breathing,dust can also be a problem,seems like that invisible brown dust in the villages gets everywhere.finding the best place for your health will take some intensive research.

Good Luck.

Good advise !! The coast works for me ...... couldn't be happier ........

[jaideeguy]

I love the beach in LOS, for a few days but the problem is that all the beach areas are not only a day or 2 drive away and further south, making for a few degrees hotter. What about the northern coast of Viet Nam??

Is there haze there and places to spend a month or so near the beaches?? And how much cooler is it?

Edited December 16, 2013 by jaideeguy

[DeeMockMark]

I'd say Hua Hin would be a good choice as well, Nether been to Trang but Winnie has me intrigued..with its Chiang Mai vibe.

Noticed that they have started burning already by me in Doi Saket and me and the dog suffered a very smokey walk yesterday evening.

The only way I see it abating it is when they have finished paving over and building on every piece of greenery and field in the North..so probably about two years at current rates

While I'm on a pollution rant, I went to a funeral the other day and the funeral procession was a 15 minute or so walk from the house to the crematorium, half way there a thoughtful person had set up a drink spot with plastic cups of water and fizzy drinks. I noticed that out of the procession of a 100 or so people, I'd estimate half of them threw there plastic cups on the wayside of the nice country lane we were walking down and the rest threw them in the stream running alongside it. I was quiet shocked at the mess that they left.

They were in grief.

[DeeMockMark]

I'd say Hua Hin would be a good choice as well, Nether been to Trang but Winnie has me intrigued..with its Chiang Mai vibe.

Noticed that they have started burning already by me in Doi Saket and me and the dog suffered a very smokey walk yesterday evening.

The only way I see it abating it is when they have finished paving over and building on every piece of greenery and field in the North..so probably about two years at current rates

While I'm on a pollution rant, I went to a funeral the other day and the funeral procession was a 15 minute or so walk from the house to the crematorium, half way there a thoughtful person had set up a drink spot with plastic cups of water and fizzy drinks. I noticed that out of the procession of a 100 or so people, I'd estimate half of them threw there plastic cups on the wayside of the nice country lane we were walking down and the rest threw them in the stream running alongside it. I was quiet shocked at the mess that they left.

Behind road driving, the lack of an effective waste management is second on my list...

Not throwing garbage into the environment is a value westerners learn at a very early age combined that with an effective enforcement program in place..

Both are absent in the Thai society...

CB .

Also advertising. I still remember seeing the public interest commericial as a child of the Native American Indian and his tears looking at the all the ugly litter on the side of the highways in the U.S. This was during the 60s. It really brought it home to me. I can never litter without thinking about him and how I am breaking his heart. Now that is effective advertising. Edited December 16, 2013 by DeeMockMark

[THAIPHUKET]

Driedmango.... I would put Trat-Koh Chang-Chantaburi on your radar. Have friends there and they just adore leaving in the area.

Anyone that can add to these two places?

[northernjohn]

I'd say Hua Hin would be a good choice as well, Nether been to Trang but Winnie has me intrigued..with its Chiang Mai vibe.

Noticed that they have started burning already by me in Doi Saket and me and the dog suffered a very smokey walk yesterday evening.

The only way I see it abating it is when they have finished paving over and building on every piece of greenery and field in the North..so probably about two years at current rates

While I'm on a pollution rant, I went to a funeral the other day and the funeral procession was a 15 minute or so walk from the house to the crematorium, half way there a thoughtful person had set up a drink spot with plastic cups of water and fizzy drinks. I noticed that out of the procession of a 100 or so people, I'd estimate half of them threw there plastic cups on the wayside of the nice country lane we were walking down and the rest threw them in the stream running alongside it. I was quiet shocked at the mess that they left.

Behind road driving, the lack of an effective waste management is second on my list...

Not throwing garbage into the environment is a value westerners learn at a very early age combined that with an effective enforcement program in place..

Both are absent in the Thai society...

CB .

Also advertising. I still remember seeing the public interest commericial as a child of the Native American Indian and his tears looking at the all the ugly litter on the side of the highways in the U.S. This was during the 60s. It really brought it home to me. I can never litter without thinking about him and how I am breaking his heart. Now that is effective advertising.

I remember the joke about the Americans being on the moon you could tell by the litter.