Growing up in the States, in the 1950's leaf burning was still allowed. Folks would rake their leafs to curbside -- then set them on fire. What a lovely smell, and I'd always relish when the season turned to Fall. Of course, the end to leaf burning became illegal pretty much nationwide by the end of the 50's. And I then missed the smell of my favorite season.

Ah, but now that I live in Chiang Mai, and for several weeks during the year, I can step outside, take a deep breath, and wax nostalgic. Life is great.

Now, where did I put my Artificial Tears....?

Actually, I would never have moved from CM had the air quality not deteriorated so much. Moving is such a pain & a significant challenge with 6 dogs & a cat! Also, I could barely get out of my Moobaan - traffic had become so bad. I have asthma so the deterioration of the was much more noticeable to me. And yes, since moving to Hua Hin I have rediscovered my love if living near the ocean. And no, it was in no way the primary reason for leaving

It is appalling that some living there describe the burning time lasting just a number of weeks. This can be independently debunked in 2 easy ways:

1. Bad air has been in the news this year as it always is. It's already well longer than these locals would have you believe the burning season lasts. And if the government predictions are right about when the rains will arrive, it's going to be bad air for more than a month to come.

2. Look at some time lapse photos of each month of a year at a viewpoint. It is plain as day that at up to 8 months out of the year the visibility is reduced by smoke pollution. Not talking about fog here, but smoke pollution. Sure, you could quibble that the air quality is not hazardous in every one of those months, but none the less it is still impaired by smoke.