mars 16, 2007

Desert March

You can tell Marie and I have been living in India for quite a while now when I start writing to you about the changes in the weather from one year to the next.

A small recap on Trivandrum weather: from January until April, total bliss, it's 25C, blue sky, warm breeze, tourists buzzing in the city; April and May, hottest months of the year, 40C in the shade, cracked, dirty earth, not a dog or a human in sight between noon and 5 pm; from June until let's say September, summer monsoon, torrents of rain, temperatures drop to 16C sometimes, everybody goes abroad where the sun is (ha); October until November, off and on rains but mainly cool, tranquil weather, about 25C, sometimes winter monsoon will start in November, rains are fewer but impressive thunder and lightening occur often; December, the mild, lovely weather starts again.

This year, the weather starts with last year's summer monsoon. It began precisely on the 3d of June. I remember because on the 2d it was blue sky, cloudless, 35C minimum and on the 3d it was a sheet of rain, low grey clouds, couldn't see a mile away, 16C. The summer monsoon ran all the way from June until end of November. It took on it's friend the winter monsoon for a ride and both gave us, free, big bonuses of rain with thunder and lightening included. Five whole months of it.

Our clothes were damp, our sheets and pillows were damp, we were damp, the tourist season was late and businesses along Kovalam were getting desperate.

Then December came. The first charters filled with white skinned British arrived and on a night we decided to eat out in Kovalam, Marie and I found ourselves surrounded by Club Med.

We got used to the pace again as January and February walked in. Businesses were up and running again, charters flowing in like easy cash.

And now March should be pretty much the same as it's two earlier fellow months. But this year, since everything is upside down because of last year, March has been pushed aside and the heat of April has already landed on our heads. And let me tell you, what heat. Of course, it isn't Arizona desert kind of heat but it's enough to turn your body into putty. I'm sure after a while we will get used to it but, in the meantime, it affects us a lot more than meets the eye.

At first, the heat comes and stagnates over the city. The sky is eternally blue, not a cloud in sight. The crickets buzz day and night. The umbrellas make there appearance. As a foreigner, the first few days you're absolutely delighted. You hear that in France it's 10C and your having 35C in the shade. Living here is too cool. But that sensation of having it easy dwindles out as fast as a flame that eats the last of the wicker.

I've gone out in the middle of the afternoon at the beginning. Five minutes into a rickshaw and I began having a headache. I would stand still in the middle of my relatively cool living room and sweat. My work energy was thankfully still in stimulation.

It's been almost a week now that this heat has started. Not even a week and I take two to three showers per day. I went swimming in our pool in the morning, dried off in the shade and still managed to get a sunburn on my back. My energy level is nearing zero. I want to sleep and sleep and sleep all day. I have to force myself to work. All I want to do is eat ice-cream while walking around with a cold shower above my head. There are none of our stray dogs on the streets. I try not to go out between 11 am and 5:30pm. The worst part is that it is starting to weigh on our minds. Believe it or not, because the heat wraps us all around starting early in the morning into sometimes very late at night, the body gets hardly any break. And therefore the mind neither. It isn't unusual to notice a tendency towards morosity, sadness and even depression.

Not much can be done about it except drinks tons of water, have toilets at hands reach (for after water drinking), a can of water to spray on your face and body and use an umbrella if you must go out.

And of course, stay inside, wondering what suprises this April will bring!

2 Comments:

Blogger martine said...

Juste quelques mots ...
nous nous sommes rencontrees lors de votre nuit a kovalam...je pensais que c'etait une belle rencontre?!
Vous n'etiez alors que deux reflets dans l'eau et je suis desolee de vous avoir parle ,ignorante que j'etais de votre desir de solitude loin de la foule du serpent transforme en ville ...
Pardon de m'etre immiscee dans votre intimite et selon votre commentaire de m'etre prise (plutot meprise)a jouer au club med...J'espere que les photos ,instants voles a present j'en prends conscience,ne vous ferons pas rire de ces moments gaches pour vous...apres tout ce sont aussi une reflexion sur la brievete et la beaute de nos presences ici... une vague ...et tout s'efface.
Je ne pense qu'a mon retour dans cette ville qui grande et mouvante me cachera bien a vos regards ...soyez donc sereines et merci pour votre blog c'est un tel plaisir quelques minutes de la bas...

12:31 PM  
Blogger martine said...

Ce commentaire a été supprimé par l'auteur.

12:31 PM  

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