Abrams Family World Travel

Chiang Mai: The Big Smoke

WE couldn't have arrived here at a worse time. The pollution levels are extremely high. It reminds me a lot of Los Angeles, only it's worse. In LA at least the smog tends to burn off by the afternoon and you see some blue sky. Here, we haven't quite seen the sky turn a proper shade of blue. It always looks hazy, even when the sun is out.

The problem is the farmers. This time of year they do a lot of straw and vegetation-burning. But locals tell me it's worse this year than they have seen it for a long time. People walking and driving often wear surgical masks. The high traffic does not help. There are a lot of vehicles on the road, particularly motorcycles and scooters. There isn't much breeze either.

However, in terms of vehicle pollution, it doesn't feel as bad for me here as when I was in towns in India. Often when I was in Varkala and had to walk into town, my nose would begin streaming and not stop until I returned to the beach - almost as if someone had turned a tap on and off. Thankfully, we were mostly by the beach whilst in India.

I'm quite sensitive to pollution and there can be no doubt the air quality overall is worse here from the burning and continual traffic. Chiang Mai is surrounded by mountains. It sits in a bowl. But most days we can't even see the surrounding landscape!

It's supposed to be beautiful - and I am sure it is - but I can't really get past the pollution right now. How long will it last? That depends on who you ask. Some say a few weeks, while others fear it could go through until May. Everyone is praying (not literally) for rain. This will solve the problem - wash away the smoke. It's also a problem, though. That's because there are some activists fighting hard for over a decade to change the farmers' methods and introduce more sustainable methods. But when the rain comes the drive to make changes diminishes - until the next year.

Tourism gets affected as well as the health and lives of those who live in and around the area. Respiratory problems are high here. Chiang Mai does have a lot going for it, though. Many people come here for the excellent hiking opportunities, but no-one can go right now.

There is also the wonderful city life - bustling markets, fabulous restaurants, amazing temples, Thai massage everywhere, outdoor activities etc. We were planning to stay six months or more, but I don't want us, as a family, exposed to the bad air quality any more than we have to. We've decided to move on to Penang, Malaysia. After our stint there, we hope to return to give Chiang Mai another go.  

Air pollution's a widespread problem in Asia. Neighbouring countries like Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar carry out the same land-burning practices, which have been going on for many years. However, nations like China, India, Pakistan and Iran have it the worst when it comes to air quality.

 

World Travel: Next Stop Asia!

WE’RE on the move again. After spending Christmas and the New Year in the UK, it’s time to continue our travels.

Although we came back to Britain to enjoy Christmas with family, to see friends and sort out passports for our kids (Zenchai's needed renewing and Kobra a British), the visit confirmed to us how Britain is too draining on our financial resources (I’m staggered at how easily one can go through £100). So we’re heading where the cost of living is much less.

But that’s not the only reason. When we began our world travel two years ago, Jamie and I each had destinations we wanted to visit. And Asia was high on our lists.

Now we are going to make that dream happen – while we can and our children are young. We leave the UK in a few days for India, where we will stay for around six weeks, and then head to Thailand, where we intend to be based for much longer. We also aim to spend time in Malaysia and visit Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma) and Vietnam.

We know many people who have visited India. We have heard mixed reviews. But there is only one way of knowing if any place suits you or not and that’s to travel there yourself.

We have picked the state of Kerala in the south. It's considered by some to be the most 'socially advanced state' in the country with the highest rate of literacy.

While it's tempting to go all over India, we long ago decided - mainly because we have young children - that the type of travel that suits us best is to be based in one place for a longer period rather than uprooting every few days and moving around.

Although India has a fabulous rail system and its road infrastructure is improving rapidly, we like to follow a less frenetic itinerary and experience countries as though we are living there.

British and American citizens wanting to visit India require a visa. It’s a fairly quick and straightforward process if you have access to a computer. You fill in the form online, print it off, take the required documents to a visa application centre and pay the £42.10 (which includes a fee for processing) per person for the tourist visa (it is slightly more expensive for US passport-holders).

Make sure you get the correct size photos (2”x2” as opposed to what’s needed for British passports) and if travelling with children you will be asked for copies of each parent’s passport and the children’s birth certificates. To save wasting time and money, photocopy only the section of the passport with your document details (ONE FOR EACH CHILD) and a copy of the birth certificates (THE ORIGINALS ARE NOT REQUIRED). This information is not online and I only discovered it after first going to the application centre!

For Thailand the process is much smoother, though costlier. Again you require two 2”X2” photos for each applicant, but the application form, available online, must be printed and filled in by hand. You submit this at a Thai embassy during the specified hours. For a tourist visa there are several options – single or double or triple entry. For each entry a visitor can stay in Thailand 60 days.

Be warned that with a Thai visa you must visit the country within three months of it being issued and the Indian tourist visa, valid for six months, begins from the date of issue.

When applying for the Thai tourist visa, each applicant must indicate which visa he or she is applying for. The fee is dependent on the number of entries - £25 per entry per person.

Processing, as with the Indian visa, usually takes two or three working days.

We’re now all set to leave. We purchased our tickets through Roundtheworldexperts.co.uk. They are professional and their prices competitive. We bought our tickets through them when we travelled to the USA, Trinidad, Argentina and Brazil in 2009/2010. The journey to Asia is much cheaper, though.

Although we survived the English (and Welsh) winter without a problem (more easily than we anticipated after almost two years of sunshine), we are again looking forward to being in warmer climes. I noticed since returning to the UK how, for instance, it has been so much harder to entice Zenchai outdoors whereas in tropical Brazil he needed no encouragement whatsoever.

We are particularly relishing the prospect of Asian food (which we already love), the smells, colour, vibrancy, people, oceans and magnificent scenery, culture and way of life.

And, of course, we shall share our experiences and any knowledge and information we gain that may benefit those who travel along the same path as us.