Forty-five Degrees Celsius

For the last two months (since the first week of March), there has not been one single day under 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In mid March it peaked at 43 degrees Celsius (109 F) for three days straight. Then in April it hit 45C (113F). Sixty kilometers north of Bhuj, at Hodka in the middle of the desert, it hit 47C (117F). It's May 7. It's only going to get hotter. The average high for Kutch in the summer is 46C (115F).

They say that the monsoon (late June to late August) provides some relief. That the rain cools things down. Too bad I was just told it only rains 3-4 days in Bhuj during the entire monsoon season. There will be no relief.

People ask me, what is the weather like over there? Cool, beautiful, it's springtime I say. I think, East Coast. But getting hot. And then they say, but where you're from, aren't you used to this? Well, I say, for a couple weeks in August it hits 100 and over, but not for months at a time! Perhaps I'm lucky it's only dry heat. That Mumbai is melting under 70%+ humidity. Now that I cannot deal with. I realize I hate the heat. I want cold. I want East Coast weather. I want seasons.

So what image do you conjure up, living a life of 100F+ everyday?

1. Sweat. All day, all the time. Especially within 5 minutes of getting out of the shower. Sweat while going to bed. Sweat at 2am and 4am when I wake up in the middle of the night. Sticky from sweat at 8am when I wake up for good. Sweat on the 9:15am 10-minute walk to work.

2. Three bucket showers per day. Morning. After work. Nighttime.

3. Dust. Everywhere.

4. Only go outside between 11pm and 7am. These are the best times. But even with all windows open and fans going strong, no cool air enters my house. It is an oven.

5. The ceiling fans do nothing. They just seem to just push the hot air down upon me.

6. Go to sleep with crystal clear urine. Wake up with bright yellow. I consume several liters of water per day.

7. Daily migraines.

8. A/C is not common around here. It's a luxury. Knowing which local places have it is essential.

Fortunately, the last few days have been cooler than normal. To the tune of 39C (102F) average. In the words of Talia, another fellow in Pune, "I'm straight chillin' - literally it's only 38C (100F)!" Now that's cool.

PS. I'm off to 9 days of travel with the parental units! Peace.