I was up in Chaing Mai a coupla years or so back - and maaaaan! - the smog was so bad outside - that most people didn't want to leave the hotel - I was staying at - the locals said it was from burning fields in Laos - and the outside temperature was 40C+ at the time -
Chaing Mai is in a big basin - and so much of this SMOG builds up in and around the city - the air is truly toxic -
- I just had to go by van - to a shopping mall and back to the hotel - all air-conditioned - with little time spent breathing outside - because you could feel that breathing the air was very caustic - on your lungs - and it was broiling hot outside the air-conditioned bits - certainly not a very friendly environment - and was glad to leave and fly south to Krabi after a few days - where the air was 10x cleaner - with intermittent rain showers - and cool breezes -
Chaing Mai is in a big basin - and so much of this SMOG builds up in and around the city - the air is truly toxic -
- I just had to go by van - to a shopping mall and back to the hotel - all air-conditioned - with little time spent breathing outside - because you could feel that breathing the air was very caustic - on your lungs - and it was broiling hot outside the air-conditioned bits - certainly not a very friendly environment - and was glad to leave and fly south to Krabi after a few days - where the air was 10x cleaner - with intermittent rain showers - and cool breezes -