Burning Season

Thais say that Thailand has 3 seasons:  the Hot Season, which runs from late March through June, the Rainy Season, which runs from July to October, and the Cool Season, which starts late October through February.  I'd like to add a fourth season:  Burning Season.  Farmers all over Thailand have started burning their fields, mostly rice fields, to clear the land and get ready for the next planting season.  Unfortunately all this burning creates an ashy haze that lingers in the air, and due to Thailand's geography, it has little chance to escape.  Pair that with the fact that Burning Season coincides with the beginning of Hot Season, and it makes Northern Thailand a stinky, sticky and sweaty place to be.  We can feel it when we run in both our lungs and our muscles, and it's definitely apparent just from looking outside.  The problem has become so bad that it has caused serious health problems and has really affected tourism in this region.  People wear masks around town and many residents leave if possible (since most schools have summer vacation from April to mid-May.)  There are technically burn bans in effect, but there is little enforcement and villagers continue to burn.  Scott and I will be leaving for the rest of the month and into May, so luckily we will miss most of it.  But for now, our beautiful view is gone, you would never know there are mountains surrounding our town, and we will just have to deal with running in the ashy air.  Take a look at the haze in these pictures below.  We'll miss the worst of it, so you can imagine how bad it will get if this is what it looks like now...