One advantage of living in a desert?

It doesn't rain very much.

Even if you have a car in Thailand, the traffic jams in the rain are horrible.

Walking? Better have raincoat, rainpants and knee high rubber boots.

I remember as a youth hating to ride my bike in the rain. Riding a moto in the rain must be even worse.

Tuk tuks and Taxis? Full.

Even if you ride a bus or songtaew, the traffic is murder.

And this is the Dry season.

Not having spent the rainy season here, how do you guys & gals do it?

A desert is anywhere that gets 25cm (10") per year.

Chiang Rai gets 101cm (40") a year, the same as NYC or Seattle. I'd imagine the south of Thailand to be even worse.

My Thai friend says it can sometimes take 2 hours to go through only two traffic signals in BKK during the rainy season.

OMG

I don't think you have a garden.

If you had one you would be thinking differently.

This rain was forecasted by the weather bureau and posted on Thaivisa a few days ago. I think it is great. No burning of rice fields.

You can have a garden in the desert.

You have something called "gutters" at the bottom of the roof, which is collected in sistern tanks.

You then pump the water out of the sistern to irrigate your garden.

It's called "water cachement".

300+ days of sunshine a year, bro.

This rain is fantastic. I left Chiang Mai 5 days ago and drove over to Doi Inthanon for some snappy weather. Then cut accross to Mae Hong Son, to get my wife's resort in order. Now we are stuck in Pai. Heavy Rain for two days, and just chilling in a cozy cottage by the River. Not so bad. I strung up my hammock on the porch and put my comforter and pillows on it. Candles and porch lights on...and not a peep around. Waiting for the rain to stop before heading back to Chiang Mai.

Ah, so when it rains like this you're stuck inside and can't go outside.

And in the rainy season, you're stuck inside even longer, 555.

That's wonderful? Being homebound like a feeble old person?

Whoa.

Life is all about contrast and change. So we get a couple of moody, cold, grey days to break the monotony of sameness. Soon the weather will change and there will be those who complain about that too. It is nice to slow down and be homebound and a bit romantic from time to time. Today was beautiful in its own way and I had a wonderful day at home with my wife.

I've planted lots of trees, plus the rain is fine for all plants outdoors. At least once each year, I get caught on my motorbike in a strong rain - if the mindset is switched, it can be a blast (in a good way). Admittedly, I like the desert, and see myself spending my sunset years in SW US somewhere within shouting distance of the Grand Canyon. That's how I might wind up, expired in a slot canyon somewhere. Gotta go sometime.

chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son were so dry, that the leaves were turning brown.

The rain brings back life. It will only last a few days, and then it will be dry as a bone...if you like that.

We are quite cozy, enjoying the cool weather, and the sound of the rain in the forest here in Pai.

I slept very nicely for two nights. Weather will dry out today and sun will be blaring for 4 or 5 months.

Nothing wrong with a good rain. The trees need it...and it washes everything clean.

“Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation.”

Our brown, barren, dusty fields have been transformed over the last two days. There is now standing water in the fields and the farmers who had the forethought to do some early field preparation are now planting crops.

Yesterday there was only a very slight breeze from the South but today there is a strong cold wind from the North and it feels much colder.

It finally stopped raining for a while and I was able to take the dog for a walk a little while ago. The air was fresh and cold with beautiful views of low hanging clouds over the mountains.

Some may prefer hot, brown, dry and barren but I kind of like this change in the weather and the way all the green stuff comes back to life.

"Some may prefer hot, brown, dry and barren"

People who have never lived in the desert before mistakenly think all desert is the same.

Barren sand dunes, camels and windstorms. Right.

In America, I live in the "High" Desert near Santa Fe.

Surrounded by huge mountains and Junipter pine forests (pine trees clean the air, similar to ocean breezes)...

Santa Fe has some of the cleanest air in The World (#2).

http://www.care2.com/causes/10-cities-with-the-cleanest-air-in-the-world.html

And unlike the #1 cleanest air city in Canada, SF summer nights are COOL, no A/C needed at night to sleep. NEVER.

I've been to both Montreal and Vancouver in July. Hotter than hell, sheesh. Gross.

Where I live is over 7000 feet, with a 180 degree mountain view.

My home is surrounded by GREEN sage.

And if it gets too hot during the day (85F) in the summer, I just head up into the mountains to 10,000 feet to the Pinderosa Pine forest.

Usually 10-20 degrees F cooler.

Barren? 5555+

To be honest, the #1 advantage of Thailand is SEX. For a old man, the more often you have sex, the longer you will live (stimulates immune system).

Let's be honest: The super-high expectations of western women (including Latinas) who think they are smarter than a man--because they have a pussy--and only want a young, good-looking, rich man have been exceeded by the slim, young, good-looking Thai women, who are perfectly happy to sleep with old, ugly, Not rich men.

555

You are on track according to the sats. Pancho.

Nice job.

Believe it or not some of us have lived in desert areas and prefer lush tropical green most of the time. We don’t hate the rain or think it is horrible, nor do we hate the desert. We are more open minded and find beauty where others see nothing but something to complain about.

There is a beauty to be found in the desert, in places like Bryce, Zion, Capital Reef, Arches and the Grand Canyon to mention a few of my favorites. That does not mean we cannot enjoy a variety of environments or even a cold, windy, rainy day in January.

Then again what does the desert have to do with Thailand or Chiang Rai?

Believe it or not some of us have lived in desert areas and prefer lush tropical green most of the time. We don’t hate the rain or think it is horrible, nor do we hate the desert. We are more open minded and find beauty where others see nothing but something to complain about.

There is a beauty to be found in the desert, in places like Bryce, Zion, Capital Reef, Arches and the Grand Canyon to mention a few of my favorites. That does not mean we cannot enjoy a variety of environments or even a cold, windy, rainy day in January.

Then again what does the desert have to do with Thailand or Chiang Rai?

nothing prettier than a dung beetle rolling one across the sun baked soil.

nothing prettier than a dung beetle rolling one across the sun baked soil.

nothing wetter than a slippery lobster lying in a tide pool.

And here we have it, nothing more beautiful than a morning like this, courtesy of a couple days of rain. Still cold but it is absolutely gorgeous out there this morning.

nothing prettier than a dung beetle rolling one across the sun baked soil.

nothing wetter than a slippery lobster lying in a tide pool.

I do not enjoy lounging by the pool. I prefer, much more mysterious depths, of the seas.