Similar city as alternative to Chang Mai to avoid air problems?

[JimmyJ]

Planning to visit Thailand for the 1st time in a few months to explore an area to move to from the USA.

 

Thought that Chang Mai seemed like the place - cooler temperatures, hiking, nature, etc., but the air condition seems out of control and almost year round (as per the thread in this forum about it).

 

What alternatives can you suggest please?

 

(Chang Rai better)?

 

 

[Happy Grumpy]

Kanchanaburi. 

[1FinickyOne]

The air pollution is only a problem for about a 6 week period and in Chiang Rai too... 

 

It is very difficult to compare another city/area to CM - - as anywhere, I guess - all places are going to have their plusses and minuses...

 

Take a room somewhere near the Thapae Gate area and explore from there. Plenty of restaurants and a good place to start. And you can get a better idea of what you might want here... it is difficult to pinpoint spots for you. You might like Pai which is near CM or not. Some of where you might want to locate will depend on how quickly you make adjustments away from Western habits, like food and movies etc... 

 

Let it all be an adventure - enjoy. 

[JimmyJ]

24 minutes ago, kenk24 said:

The air pollution is only a problem for about a 6 week period and in Chiang Rai too... 

 

 

 

Are you currently living in Chang Mai?

 

Is the thread below incorrect?

 

Numerous posts discussing serious air problems almost year round.

 

 

 

 

" Some of where you might want to locate will depend on how quickly you make adjustments away from Western habits, like food and movies etc... "

 

I've always loved Thai food (vegetarian).

Download movies from the net - haven't been inside a movie theater in a decade.

 

 

`

[4MyEgo]

http://tielandtothailand.com/chiang-mai-smoky-season/

[daveAustin]

Escaping the Don are we? 

 

Lived there for many years. Outside the smokey season, it is no worse than any big city in Thailand. CRai has the same smoke problem at the same time, just quieter. Have a look at Loei

[1FinickyOne]

51 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

 

Are you currently living in Chang Mai?

 

Is the thread below incorrect?

 

Numerous posts discussing serious air problems almost year round.

 

 

 

 

" Some of where you might want to locate will depend on how quickly you make adjustments away from Western habits, like food and movies etc... "

 

I've always loved Thai food (vegetarian).

Download movies from the net - haven't been inside a movie theater in a decade.

 

 

`

 

Hi Jimmy -- sorry, I don't have the time to read a long thread... there is a smoky season... and it effects most of Northern Thailand. The season can run as long as about 2 months, with much of it being not that bad... it can get really bad for a couple of weeks... with the yellow air and decreased visibility and you feel like you can almost see the particles in the air... but, most of the year, for a city that size, it is fine.

 

when the air gets bad, it makes a nice opportunity for a beach vacation... 

[swissie]

2 hours ago, Happy Grumpy said:

Kanchanaburi. 

 

OP prefers "cooler temperatures". Kancha is not the place then.

A "hot spot" in the true sense of the word.
For some topographical/meteorological reasons, a refreshing "breeze" to make the heat more bearable is extremely rare.
No place for the OP.
Cheers.

[jonwilly]

Some years are worse than others for the Industrial Smog.

I am sensitive and on 4 occasions have gone down the coast Cha Am or Pratchup Kiri Khan.

Lovely sea breeze , marvellous holiday for the month of March.

 

john

[chiang mai]

The pollution in Chiang Rai is arguably worse during the burning season than it is in Chiang Mai, winds bring in cross border smoke from neighbouring countries which has little chance to disperse.

[dotpoom]

12 hours ago, Happy Grumpy said:

Kanchanaburi. 

Seriously......you took the words right out of my mouth.

 

Sorry...I just realized it was ...Kamphangphet I was thinking of.

[Trujillo]

Not to be rude, but the OP should do some actual research, not just look at a few ThaiVisa threads. Your understanding of the situation here and in the region is seriously flawed to begin with. I'm not even sure why you would pick Thailand, but that's off topic. 

[amexpat]

36 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

Not to be rude, but the OP should do some actual research, not just look at a few ThaiVisa threads. Your understanding of the situation here and in the region is seriously flawed to begin with. I'm not even sure why you would pick Thailand, but that's off topic. 

 

Research has to begin somewhere.  Why not start by asking friendly, helpful, Thailand residents such as you.

[AGLV0121]

I'd suggest Mukdahan. Pollution close to nil. Cooler climate. Few mountains though, but one south east overlooking the Mekong river.

Otherwise Kanchanaburi, much closer to Bangkok ( and all possible meetups - see www.meetup.com)

 

Nice  mountain view: Mae Sot.  Pai. Quality of air in the north: Fang,  and my favorite place: Chiang Dao.

 

HTH

 

 

[ronjomtien]

Lived Chiang Mai for 3 years, burning season is 2 months, horrible. The rest of the year is 100 Fahrenheit, and worst of all, no beachfront. Best place is Jomtien next to pattaya. Do your research.

Sent from my GT-N5100 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[Amplish]

Lived in Chiang Mai for around 15 years, the smog started appearing 10-12 years ago, before that not that much of a problem. Smog season normally starts in Feb, just after the cool season, normally lasts 2-3 months (it comes and goes when there is some wind or rain), it can be really bad for a couple of weeks. The level of smog also depends where you stay, outside of the city it never gets that bad (I live 40 km North of the city), in the city the heat and smoke is a lousy combination. Temperatures get really hot from March to April-May, until the rains come in and the temperatures get fine and the smog is gone.

 

Any alternatives depends on what you are looking for, I heard good things about Loei. As mentioned smog is a problem in the entire Northern part of Thailand. I have been also travelling in Laos and it is as bad there during the same period. The main source is burning of fields across the whole region (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and even China). So any place with a cool season will occasionally have the same problem in Thailand. It hasn't been improving in recent years, despite efforts by local authorities, because it seems to be a regional issue, with smoke coming from outside of Thailand. Never saw any scientific proof where the smoke comes from though.

 

Settling down near the sea is a good option, but it tends to be more crowded and possibly more expensive. Besides if you go down to far south you may get issues with the smoke that seasonally comes up from Indonesia.

[sawadee1947]

any city in developed countries

[chiang mai]

15 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

any city in developed countries

 

Bradford in the North of England perhaps!

[rogeroc]

I am surprised to hear some comments which minimise the discomfort of the Chiang Mai smog and the time it lasts. In the worst scenario you could be looking at 3 months of unpleasant pollution, last year it started at end of January.

 

Some people compare Hua Hin with Chiang Mai and that coastal area and, as someone else has said, Jomtien or Pattaya could well be better between Feb and May. Pattaya /Jomten area is much more like a city than Hua Hin / Cha Am.

 

Personally i escape to Europe  between Feb and May, this year possibly Cyprus.

[Jingthing]

Well, not the type of city you're probably looking for but when I moved to Thailand my top choices were Chiang Mai and Jomtien (Pattaya). 

Unfortunately I had to reject CM for the air issue as I already have long standing lung health issues.

You can find studies of how serious the lung health issue is in CM and that's not only for people that move there with them.

Jomtien doesn't have the cleanest air in the world of course (traffic) but it does have cleansing sea breezes and it's been one of the best places I've ever lived as far as lung health. 

[Mousehound]

The fact is that there is no other city like CM.  Which is why so many put up with the pollution and traffic etc. Kanchanaburi  is a very small town compared to CM and as stated gets very hot.  The drive there from BKK is truly frightening.  Jomtien is an option if you like Pattayaa  but it's not for me.  I did like Phuket for the air and scenery but it is an expensive place to live well. However, I know those that can afford to live there and they live very well indeed and love it there. I think the best compromise is CM with one to two months in Hua Hin area and/or travelling elsewhere. I did touch on living in Pak Chong area but the 2-3 hour drive to BKK put me off.  I liked the town and there are some great houses around there.  It is a lot cooler owing to the altitude I guess.  I liked that Khao Yai was next door and that it was central to a lot of other towns.  But in the end I keep coming back to CM..

[wwest5829]

19 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

 

Are you currently living in Chang Mai?

 

Is the thread below incorrect?

 

Numerous posts discussing serious air problems almost year round.

 

 

 

 

" Some of where you might want to locate will depend on how quickly you make adjustments away from Western habits, like food and movies etc... "

 

I've always loved Thai food (vegetarian).

Download movies from the net - haven't been inside a movie theater in a decade.

 

 

`

 

Pas an educator, I had une,played time to come twice in 2009 and 2010 to travele

 around Thailand to see cities I thought I could retire to. I believe I could live in maybe     3 other cities, butChiangMIfelt right. A lot comes down to personal likes. asaretired Professor, having the universities here was a plus. I found I could have everything I wanted here. Been here5 years. Smoke is an issue but not an overriding one, for me.

[Briggsy]

May I suggest Mukdahan coolly basking in the shade of the Phu Phan Mountains.

[elephant45]

I don't know why Chiang Mai is rated as sucha good place to retire other than being cheap, and the hills around if you want to get out there.  Pollution is now pretty much 365 days a year same as Los Angeles, and much worse from Feb till it starts raining in June.  Noisy as hell, extremely hot most of the time, no sidewalks, terrifying to ride a bicycle or motorcycle, traffic jams from hell, no mass transportation.DELETED

[Sparkles]

There was a TV program aired recently that proposed CM as one of the best retirement places in the world .No mention was made of the infamous "smokey season"

Since then I think many people, who have been living in parts of the world where costs have gone through the roof, eg Sydney or people just looking for a change are looking for alternatives.

I live in CM by necessity ,its cheap and my lovely wife has a large,close family.If I had a choice it would be Dalat, which I guess most people have never heard off  (its in the highlands of Vietnam) 25 degrees pretty well all year round.Most wonderful food and lovely people.

The CM smoky season which can run well ,over 3 months is anywhere the breeze,if any, decides to take it.

Last "smoky"season we took a 1,400 km trip to Petchahabun down Highway 1 and back through Phitsanulok it was truly horrendous all the way.

The coastline is your only alternative if you are happy or can afford to be away from home that long.

The best advice is rent before you buy ,live through it and see how you feel. There will be more talk fests about it being "different' this year,take that with a pinch of salt its been said for as long as I can remember

 

 

[elephant45]

Let me add the good parts of CM are its safe, unless you are on the road, and once you get to meet the locals in your neighborhood and you are polite they treat you quite well. (unless you want a refund)

[thaibeachlovers]

Planning to visit Thailand for the 1st time

 

I strongly advise that you visit as long as possible without cutting any ties with home. IMO you will either love it or get out as soon as possible.

 

Don't stay in a tourist hotel, try to get a condo or a house. The tourist experience is vastly different to living here. Of course you'd need to stay in an hotel while looking for said condo or house.

You should also stay in Pattaya and Hua Hin.

Some people would say Bangkok as well, but I think Bkk would drive most people crazy.

If I had my choice, I'd also stay on Jomptien Beach. Slightly less crazy than Pattaya, but near enough to pop over whenever getting the urge for insane traffic and too many people. Way more expats in Pattaya IMO. Certainly more to do.

If I was going to live in Chiang Mai, I'd live a bit out of town, but you'd need your own transport to do that.

 

Good luck.

[thaibeachlovers]

13 hours ago, elephant45 said:

I don't know why Chiang Mai is rated as sucha good place to retire other than being cheap, and the hills around if you want to get out there.  Pollution is now pretty much 365 days a year same as Los Angeles, and much worse from Feb till it starts raining in June.  Noisy as hell, extremely hot most of the time, no sidewalks, terrifying to ride a bicycle or motorcycle, traffic jams from hell, no mass transportation.DELETED

 

I just don't see why its attractive unless you are here for sex ............... all the time.

LOL. having been up on Loy Kroh a few nights now I have given up any idea of that sort of thing. Forum rules mean I can't go into details, but if you are serious about that sort of thing go to Pattaya.

Getting drunk isn't a problem anywhere in Thailand.

It's not even that cheap. Restaurant meals are more expensive than Pattaya, IMO, and accomodation is not more expensive in Pattaya ( and probably cheaper if looking around ).

For cheap one has to go to a non tourist town like Lamphun.

[evenstevens]

10 hours ago, Amplish said:

Lived in Chiang Mai for around 15 years, the smog started appearing 10-12 years ago, before that not that much of a problem.  The level of smog also depends where you stay, outside of the city it never gets that bad (I live 40 km North of the city),

yes agreed  15 yrs  ago , the smog was just a flash in the pan, but saying ,  by  staying outside the city ,40 k,s north, never gets bad, you have to be joking

E/S resides in Beverly Hills , Maerim, 28 k,s  north,for 11 yrs plus and each burning year since then, it  is a fluffing nightmare,perhaps a shade better then the city limits, primarly reason we have,nt got the belching exhaust fumes

that are running out of all THE   heaps of  crap bombs on the road etc etc,, the   cold hard fact is, the smog virtually covers the whole north of  Thailand,, like it or lump it

its a Cream good evening to all

[HannahD]

If you can't find anything to your liking in Thailand you might try Taunggyi in Myanmar. Approx 4700' above sea level. Capital of Shan State so similar language, culture and cuisine. Many speakers of English.  Another alternative would be Baguio City in Republic of Philippines. 5000' above sea level. Very pleasant weather. English widely spoken. Excellent cuisine. All road signs in Roman characters. A 50km drive down spectacular mountain roads to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.