Can't see the mountains in Chiang Mai anymore...

It's burning season in Chiang Mai (February til April), where the air tends to get really polluted, as the farmers burn the rice fields to prepare them for the next season (or something like that... ;))

Today was the worst day so far, you could literally stare into the sun, that's how foggy it was, and the lush green mountains were barely visible anymore.

Most nomads escape for a couple of months to the Thai islands or even further (bordering countries might not be far enough and also affected) and only the toughest stay here :) Or the ones who can't be bothered making travel plans, booking flights, finding a good location, new friends and a place to stay, etc. etc... i.e. me.

I'm not too bothered, I have to admit, though it is worse than last year.

I only started noticing it a couple of days ago, when I really started to smell the traffic very strongly. It's like there's a thick cloud pushing the air down. If that becomes worse, I will cave and get a protective mask to wear outside.

Might be time to take that trip to Pai finally. There definitely seems to be better air there! :)