Burning Season: The Hardest Quarter of the Year
- When it happens: Usually late February through early April, peaking in March. It overlaps with the driest months, when farmers burn crop residue and forest fires spread in the hills.
- How bad it gets:
- AQI (Air Quality Index) routinely hits 200–300 (very unhealthy) and often spikes into the 400–500 range (hazardous). For reference, Los Angeles smog rarely passes 150 nowadays.
- The air smells like campfire and metal. Your eyes sting, your throat feels raw, and headaches are common. Long walks become impossible. Breathing smoke is extremely unhealthy. Avoid if you can.
- Masks (N95) are mandatory outdoors, and indoors you need air purifiers running full time.
- What people do:
- Wealthier locals and many expats leave Chiang Mai for the south (Phuket, Koh Samui, Hua Hin) or abroad (Vietnam, Japan).
- Those who stay seal apartments, run multiple HEPA purifiers, and reduce outdoor activity to quick errands.
- Hospitals see more cases of respiratory distress, especially in children and older adults.
Mobility and Aging in Chiang Mai
- Sidewalks: Often broken, narrow, or blocked by motorbikes. A cane catches easily. Wheelchairs are difficult unless someone pushes.
- Songthaews (red trucks): The cheapest shared transport, but steps are tall and handholds minimal. Hard on bad knees or hips.
- Grab cars (ride-hailing): Most older locals and expats with mobility issues switch to Grab. It’s super affordable compared to Western taxis (~100–150 baht, or $3–5, across town).
- Scooters: Common but unforgiving. With joint problems, balancing becomes dangerous. Many locals in their 60s still ride, but expats often give up earlier.
- Workarounds:
- Private drivers (available by the day for $30–50).
- Living near essentials: markets, hospitals, and cafés within a short radius.
- Shopping apps (GrabMart, Lazada, Shopee) deliver groceries and household goods, avoiding heavy lifting.
Air Travel and DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) Risk
Long-haul flights to Thailand from the US are 12–20 hours with connections. At 40+, especially with supplemental estrogen, the risk of DVT—blood clots in the legs—rises.
On the plane:
- Compression socks: Graduated compression stockings reduce blood pooling.
- Movement: Walk the aisle every 1–2 hours. If stuck in a window seat, flex and extend your ankles and toes at least every 30 minutes.
- Hydration: Drink water consistently. Alcohol and sleeping pills dehydrate and increase clot risk.
- Clothing: Loose waistbands and comfortable shoes.
- Medical prep: If you already have circulatory issues, ask a doctor about taking a blood thinner (e.g., aspirin or prescribed anticoagulant) before flight.
On arrival:
- Avoid collapsing into bed for 12 hours. Light movement helps flush your system.
- If you notice swelling, warmth, or pain in your calf, seek medical care immediately. Chiang Mai hospitals can do ultrasounds and treat clots quickly.
In Conclusion
Chiang Mai is not paradise, and it is not ruin. It is a place where aging carries a different set of trade-offs than in the West. You will trade broken sidewalks for affordable doctors. You will trade burning season for the ability to hire help when your body no longer cooperates. You will trade bureaucratic loops for the comfort of a healthcare system that treats you quickly and without financial terror.
If you are over 40 and thinking about moving, the real question is not “is Chiang Mai perfect?” It is “is this version of compromise better or worse than the compromises I already live with at home?”
The answer is personal. Some will find the relief of accessible care and cultural patience outweighs the smoke, the traffic, and the visa grind. Others will decide the physical environment is too hard on their bodies. What matters is making that decision with eyes open, not on fantasy or marketing, but on the actual conditions of living and aging here.
Chiang Mai can carry you through middle age and beyond. Whether it should is up to you.
