Surviving the Tropics

Fortunately, it is a cloudy day today. Nonetheless, the humidity in Singapore is nearly unbearable. We are standing at an intersection on our way to Bugis Street & when I look over at Robby he looks as if he has taken a shower with his clothes on. Being outside is like being inside. As we are walking down a sidewalk, I am expecting to walk through a set of double doors into the outdoors, expecting to feel a cool breeze on my skin. But I look around at the tropical foliage along the street & remember that we are outdoors. I look up at the dark sky & think of Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride, where you are made to feel as if you are in the outdoor mugginess of the Bayou, but you are really indoors with small white lights on the ceiling as stars.

It's disconcerting to exit into heat & enter into AC-filled malls & hallways. But it's nice that the AC in communal areas - hotel lobbies, some malls - are turned down a bit so that they conserve a little more energy & we aren't constantly blasted by cold every time we walk indoors. Still, so much energy is used keeping the indoors pleasantly cool.