Today's weather forecast

Today’s weather is … unchanged. After morning haze, the weather will be sunny, hot and humid, with just a hint of a breeze. This is the same as it was yesterday, and last week, and last month, and probably the two months before that. Overnight lows are around 80-82°F(26-27°C). Daily highs are 88-90°F (30-32°C). Humidity is steady at 76-78%. There won’t be noticeable wind, and it won’t rain. The sun will rise at 6 a.m. and set at 6 p.m.

After living all my life in temperate climates where atmospheric conditions vary greatly – and sometimes wildly or violently, it is strange living somewhere where you don’t ever have to think about the weather. You know what it is going to be. I wonder to what extent such predictability affects the way people here approach all of life.

As with many tropical areas, Cambodia only has two seasons: wet and dry. Dry season began in November and will continue through May. Then rainy season will start, lasting from June to the end of October. We are now moving to the hottest part of the year in April and May, the end of the dry season. So, our daily temperatures will slowly edge up.

Of course, for us the most discomfort comes from the constant high humidity. Ceiling fans are automatically turned on whenever you go into a room. They are wonderful!!!! We do have air conditioning available in our bedroom and office, but we have adjusted enough that we use it lightly. The thermostat is kept at 80-81°F – just enough to cut the humidity and maintain a pleasant “summertime” temperature. We often opt for the fan rather than any AC at all.

We both like to walk for exercise. It appears that the residents of Phnom Penh do, too. We quickly learned that all such exertion is done between sunrise and 7:30 a.m. There is a large open mall area along one of the main streets near us. Every morning the sidewalks are full of people walking, playing badminton, doing group aerobics, karate, pick-up soccer with small rubber balls, and other activities. It is a pleasant atmosphere and we enjoy going there. I’ll take my camera one of these days and post some pictures. By 7:15 we come back to the apartment dripping with sweat, clean up with a cool shower, and are ready to get some breakfast and start work for the day.

I think I can handle this!