Air quality?

The worst of it is behind us, but you'd still notice it coming from somewhere with clean air. What changed things was the BTS skytrain and the MRT subway opening up in the late 90s and early 2000s, which got a lot of people out of cars and onto public transit. The old blue and white public buses were a huge source of black smoke too, and they've mostly been replaced with air conditioned ones that run on natural gas. You'll still get those days in February where the sky looks like soup and your throat gets scratchy, but it's not the constant assault it used to be.

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honestly it's way better than the 90s but still not great. the big change was moving factories out of the city and switching buses to natural gas back in the 2000s. these days you'll get maybe 50-80 bad days a year instead of basically every day being hazardous. the burning season from january to march is still rough though, that's when farmers burn fields upcountry and the smoke drifts down. if you're sensitive to it, best to avoid being outside too much during those months or wear an n95 when the aqi hits 150+

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It's definitely improved since the 90s. The government pushed a bunch of old diesel taxis and tuk tuks onto cleaner LPG and CNG back then, and they started enforcing stricter emissions on the big trucks. You still get haze, especially around December to February when the air gets trapped, but it's nothing like the constant brown sky you remember. If you're visiting, check the IQAir app and plan outdoor stuff for the late afternoon when the traffic settles down a bit.

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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