Heat

After 16 days in Malaysia and two in Singapore, we have learned something about handling the heat. It's been around 30 degrees most days here, with humidity pushing the perceived temperature up to 35. Nighttime temperatures fell as low as 22 one night in KL. It was all new to us and we had to adapt.

The first thing that had to change was my body image. Usually I don't like to show my legs, and in Wellington I have the option of going through life in trousers. Not so over here - skirts and even shorts are now comfortable for me, and I don't even care about people seeing the mosquito bites on my calves. Hooray!

The next change was our attitude to distance. In hot climates, distances stretch. It takes longer to get places and do things. You just adapt, leave more time, be less demanding. It's relaxing.

The other thing we had to get used to was air conditioning. It's a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it's amazing being able to duck into a mall any time you want a break from the heat. On the other hand, now you're in a mall. It's noisy and bright and you can't really relax, even if you find a nice coffee shop. It's cold too - if you plan to spend much time inside you have to carry a jacket, which is a ridiculous burden when out in the heat.

Using malls as accessways leads to intense disorientation when you get back outside. And air conditioning can be almost as tiring as heat - the air in malls is dry, and after a few hours inside you start to feel as slow and dehydrated as after a night's drinking.

You dehydrate outside too, of course. It's somehow more noticeable when you're hot and sweaty, so it's easier to deal with. We learned to buy juice or iced tea every few blocks when walking. Carrying a water bottle just isn't enough - especially in Malaysia where the tap water supposedly isn't potable, so you can't refill your bottle. Fortunately, in Malaysia, drinks (and food) are very cheap.

As for being sweaty, that's something else you get used to. You shower as soon as you get in, even if you're going out again. I don't know what office workers do in their hot business clothes. Maybe they stay inside for lunch; certainly those that I saw in bars after work looked comfortable enough, not as though they'd been in sweaty clothes all day.

We got used to the heat and, by the end, we preferred the warm humidity outside to the dry cool inside. Who knows what will happen to us when we return to the cool Spring weather of New Zealand tomorrow.