The rains are here! We were out biking today when the showers hit so we got a little wet. It felt so good!
I have never lived in a country before where we celebrated rain with such gusto. Even in India, where the monsoon always came in with a bang, for us in the mountains it wasn't really a cause for celebration as it brought it's challenges too - landslides and mould amongst others. It did have it's own beauty such as the ethereal mist that covered the mountain and the vibrancy of the fern growth. But for me, it was just the beginning of a season where we didn't get to see the sun for two months. Not quite a reason for a party!
But here in Chiang Mai, the Thai people sure know how to celebrate the coming of the rainy season . . . their whole year's calendar is based around it. Thai New Year or Songkran festival is celebrated this week - it's name comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "transformation" or "change". Our celebrations for Songkran will be a whole other post but for now . . .the change is already coming and we are celebrating that!
March and early April are the toughest months to live in Chiang Mai. The land is parched from no significant rain for months, the temperatures are high (mid to high 30s) and the air is dusty, dry and polluted.
This is the season in which farmers burn their rice fields to prepare the land for the next crop . . . it's an illegal practice but the law is not very enforced so the air quality can get pretty bad. It's the particulate matter we watch, especially the PM 2.5 because it can get into your bloodstream and cause longterm damage to lungs and heart.
The levels are monitored pretty closely at the chidren's school, measuring good air quality in green through to really bad pollution in purple. If PM 2.5 is over 150 (red or above), the kids have indoor recess and all after school activities are cancelled. We have air purifiers at school and in the kids' bedrooms at home but even with that, we still get headaches often when the numbers are in the red or even purple. It can be a hard few weeks.
So by the time, mid April rolls around, we are all ready to begin the new rainy season, with it's balmy humidity, lush green vegetation and fresh breathable air. We are yearning for it as the land is thirsty for the rain and we revel in every drop of rain that falls as the season begins to change.
I have always loved green. The lushness of the tree ferns in the monsoon in India.
The unfurling of new life in the tropical plants all around us here in Thailand.
And now there is a new green that I love. This green is really really good!
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| Rhesus monkeys lurking in the mist in the monsoon, Mussoorie, India |
March and early April are the toughest months to live in Chiang Mai. The land is parched from no significant rain for months, the temperatures are high (mid to high 30s) and the air is dusty, dry and polluted.
This is the season in which farmers burn their rice fields to prepare the land for the next crop . . . it's an illegal practice but the law is not very enforced so the air quality can get pretty bad. It's the particulate matter we watch, especially the PM 2.5 because it can get into your bloodstream and cause longterm damage to lungs and heart.
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| Board outside the heath center at school |
The levels are monitored pretty closely at the chidren's school, measuring good air quality in green through to really bad pollution in purple. If PM 2.5 is over 150 (red or above), the kids have indoor recess and all after school activities are cancelled. We have air purifiers at school and in the kids' bedrooms at home but even with that, we still get headaches often when the numbers are in the red or even purple. It can be a hard few weeks.
So by the time, mid April rolls around, we are all ready to begin the new rainy season, with it's balmy humidity, lush green vegetation and fresh breathable air. We are yearning for it as the land is thirsty for the rain and we revel in every drop of rain that falls as the season begins to change.
I have always loved green. The lushness of the tree ferns in the monsoon in India.
The unfurling of new life in the tropical plants all around us here in Thailand.
Update - Turns out that was a false start to the rainy season. We have had no more showers since I wrote this and the pollution level is up to purple again today. Ugggh! Come on rain!
ReplyDeleteWish I could send you some rain from here - huge downpours yesterday!
DeleteAnd you used to love purple things.... Hope for more green in your life!
Your photos are amazing xx