When will it rain?

Nice clouds, but not what I came for.

I left work yesterday and the air was throbbing with humidity, the wind picking up. I’d been keeping an eye on the various cloud formations out the window all afternoon, assessing their shade of grey and what they could bring. The odd crack of thunder had also kept me hopeful. It’s time, I thought, this reluctant rainy season is finally going to stop teasing us, the sky is going to dump its goodness, and I’m going to be on the 23rd floor of the Sheraton Hotel watching the show while sipping an overpriced cocktail.

Alas, I was wrong, again. I don’t know why I keep getting my hopes up.

Right now, it’s too hot in Vietnam, and it’s really starting to get under my, and a lot of other people’s skin. I think the usual Vietnamese conversation opener of ‘Have you eaten breakfast/lunch/dinner/rice yet?’ has been replaced with the more relevant (if obvious) ‘It’s hot!’, or ‘Nong qua!’ said while fanning or shading oneself from the blasting sun. This is always the hottest time of the year, however usually by May there’s been some rain or at least cloudy days to drop the temperature a little.

I’m sick of being drawn indoors and addicted to my air conditioner. Though I know I shouldn’t complain, as unlike most people in this country I have a wealth of options for cooling down. As compared to, for example, this woman. I have always marvelled at how these wiry women manage to carry these baskets; they have a special way of quickly tottering, which gives momentum to the groaning weight on the ends of their bamboo poles. Like many people, she works and lives most of her life on the street. Imagine doing that in close to 40 degree heat for days on end.