air quality, smoke
 

After just returning from India, I just cant sit still....thinking about our next trip
We are looking at Laos and Myanmar anytime between end of Dec and late Feb.
I found that India was fantastic but the air quality was not great. I have lung issues and i spent the last three week coughing terribly, mostly from all the smoke in the smaller cities as everyone cooks by wood fire. I had the same issue in Cambobia a few years ago in Feb as they were doing a lot of burning.
I understand that they do a lot of slash and burn in Laos, sugar cane maybe? I read that the worse time in April May but can be earlier.
Has anyone been to Laos in late December and early Jan and noticed the air quality. If you dont have a breathing problem sometimes you dont notice.
I am hoping my days of travelling to Asia are not over because of this and can just plan my travels around times when there is less smoke in the air.
Thank you.

I have been to Laos several times over December January and whilst there was often the slight smell of smoke due to cooking fires generally the air quality was good. In April 2007 we travelled from Chiang Rai down river to Luang Prabang and the smoke was truly horrendous. It was so bad we decided to get the earliest flight out we could and head for the Thai beaches. In recent years the pollution situation seems to have improved somewhat.

The slashing and and burning of the forests starts at the end of the dry season which of course varies from year to year but I would suggest that the earlier you go the better. The climate in Dec/Jan is great but being high season the prices rise considerably. In feb and March you will probably encounter a greater risk of encountering poor air quality. Here is a link to a website which provides current and historical for Thailand if you look at the data for Chiang Rai this should provide a reasonable guide for Laos and it is also possible to query the database for previous years.

Heard on the radio during the drive home this evening that Chiang Mai airport was under full smoke alert, and two police helicopters on their way there from neighboring provinces had to be sent back. It looks like a bad year.

BUT they did say they expect an early start to the rainy season this year, so the bad smoke won't be around for long.

I've been in Laos in December, no smoke problems. It's really not the time of the year they do slash and burn.

There are no problems in Decemer at all. March and early April are the months when burn offs occur.

thanks everyone. I will start my plans for Myanmar and Laos for December 2010!!!

Ok, now I'm worried. We're going to be in Luang Prabang from April 5-9th, and I have asthma. How likely is it that the smoke and air quality is going to be poor? I'd really appreciate some local knowledge. I don't know why I didn't come across this issue earlier, but I always get critical information from this site. Thanks for your help...my asthma can get pretty severe.

bfb you should be ok at this time.

Sorry, misread your times. Early April can be a bit of a problem. It depends really.
If it is bad, wear a mask as do some of the locals.

Vientianeboy, I was hoping you'd respond. If it's really smoky, besides my health, I think we wouldn't be able to see anything. I'm wondering if I should cancel my trip there and head to a Thai beach like Crellston did.

I am in Siem Reap now and yesterday at dusk there was enough smoke in the air I could smell it. We leave for LP tomorrow, March 6. Have they started the burning yet this year? I'm very sensitive/allergic to smoke and want to have a plan B in case we have to hightail it out of there. We are planning on being there 4 nights, but could leave early for BKK if I could get the flights changed if the smoke is bothering me a lot.
Vientianeboy, how was it today, March 5?

I'm in LP now, March 8, second day of 4. It is very smoky. You can smell it first thing in the morning when you get up before even going out in an air conditioned room. By afternoon and evening it has been bothering my eyes and making me sneeze. I wonder if the smoke is trapping the heat and making it feel hotter than normal because it is so hot here. We took the trip on the Mekong to the caves and you couldn't see far into the distance so no good photos. the sky is gray. I like it here but am glad we leave in 2 days. Next time I come here it will be at a different time of year.

Thanks for your update susiesan....hope the smoke doesn't bother you too much.

thank you Susiesan, we were in Siem Reap mid Feb a few years ago and I found the smoke bad which is why I was wondering about LP.
Good information to have for those of us with breathing problems, and everyone else too