Thick choking smoke over our house in Rob Wieng today. It's so bad there's a coating of ash on the cars parked in the street. Nice to see they've wasted no time after Songkran to get back to it.

Not Rocket Science 60 day burning ban every body burns like crazy 61 days on

It is absolutely awful out there today and getting worse by the hour. Unbelievable.

Same down here near Phayao. It is the worst this year.

I like visual references.

Today

Two previous days when it wasn't quite as bad.

Today is the worst I've ever seen it. We're forced to stay indoors with the aircon on, and it's a damn shame because my father is over for a visit and now that we can go out and explore without getting icy buckets of water to the face, this happens.

Glad my family is overseas with me and my youngest ones having a one month respite from the smoke. Back early May. VF, we need to catch up for a coffee then after.

I am starting to have wet dreams.

I am starting to have wet dreams.

Please say you saw that today

Excellent clouds, Villagefarang. That's how they should be; dramatic and detailed.

I am starting to have wet dreams.

Please say you saw that today

Sorry just my wet dream of how I want things to be.

Yes you have me dreaming of those type of clouds too. I'm just back up through Waterford road from you closer to town. Visibility is less than half a km here. Judging from how faint the crematorium is and that is exactly one half km.

Bring on the rain let's get this all washed down.

I guess this means your still hanging get out in the man cave lucky bugger.

Latest visible image from satellite.

Smoke doesn't seem to be coming from Myanmar.

http://imgur.com/MEuJMq9.jpg

We had these amazing large black snowflakes filling the sky this evening. Looking in every direction there was no obvious source but it was thick and falling from a great height. My wife tried in vain to get a video of it. On the plus side it was all too large to breath in.

Such a pity! I was considering this general region as a good option for retirement, particularly the Care Resort outside Chiang Mai for when I get frail. Before I get frail, the Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son regions seemed ideal because of their natural beauty and 'less touristy' nature.

Now I'm not so sure. As one gets older, the last thing one wants is an annual event that can exacerbate any health problems one might develop as a result of old age.

Such a pity! I was considering this general region as a good option for retirement, particularly the Care Resort outside Chiang Mai for when I get frail. Before I get frail, the Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son regions seemed ideal because of their natural beauty and 'less touristy' nature.

Now I'm not so sure. As one gets older, the last thing one wants is an annual event that can exacerbate any health problems one might develop as a result of old age.

It is much nicer this morning and I even have the windows open. I’m driving to Chiang Mai today so will get a better look at a broader area.

I wouldn’t rule out northern Thailand completely. If you get frail enough you probably won’t be out running around in the smoke too much. A clean room, great staff, good food, medical care, air-conditioning and an air filter might be all you need. Before you get that frail you could always travel a month or two each year.

Such a pity! I was considering this general region as a good option for retirement, particularly the Care Resort outside Chiang Mai for when I get frail. Before I get frail, the Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son regions seemed ideal because of their natural beauty and 'less touristy' nature.

Now I'm not so sure. As one gets older, the last thing one wants is an annual event that can exacerbate any health problems one might develop as a result of old age.

If you get frail enough you probably won’t be out running around in the smoke too much.

Definitely not! However, the problem is, it's an additional worry and concern which I would want to avoid in my old age. When the haze is really bad, one would definitely stay indoors with windows closed and a filtered air-conditioner in operation. But what about those days when the sky seems fairly clear, but not completely clear, and there is still a reduced pollution hazard which is difficult to calculate?

The best solution is simply to take an annual 2-month break and travel back to one's home country, or some other pollution-free area, but that's not ideal because it's an additional expense and possibly even a burden if one loses interest in travelling to places one has frequently visited in the past.

By the way, do you have any personal information on the Care Resort in Chiang Mai, Villagefarang? When I visited the place a couple of years ago, I was impressed with the spacious gardens, the decorative benches and tables among the trees, the large lake, and the general 4-star-hotel appearance of the foyer and rooms, but I didn't see any guests. Perhaps they were all out on a bus tour to some place.

Sorry my only experience with care facilities has been in Hawaii with my parents. It was a beautiful place but they didn't seem to be interested in their physical surroundings.