Days of the Drip

Summer is not my favourite season in Hong Kong.

Following several cool months of winter, the stifling, suffocating heat sneaks up and lands on us like an anvil. I'd be all pruney, but I've been steamed flat by Mother Nature's iron.

Rising temperatures combined with high humidity result in constant perspiration. Couple that with the body's inability to cool as moisture in the air prevents evaporation. In effect, the territory becomes a sauna. I pop a sweat the second I step out of my air-conditioned flat. Walking creates enough sweat that, if run through a turbine, could power a small village for a day.

I have to change clothes a lot. Since perspiration doesn't evaporate, it's subject to the law of gravity. Were I to fail to change, my shoes would fill with fluid. That's unattractive: no one wants to walk behind a man squishing in his own shoes.

High levels on the Heat Index mean I could drop five pounds in one day. That would be great, except the brain requires water, along with the rest of the body. If I don't rehydrate, I could wind up flopping around like a wounded fish on the sidewalk.

The trick to surviving the sticky season is to strike a balance: when I'm not outdoors in the infernal heat, I'm indoors with a glass of cold water, basking in the bliss of my air-conditioned den.

Waiting for winter.

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