When temperatures are reaching high, life is getting real slow. Every move requires more energy and is draining.
It is like being in a sauna all day: wet and sticky, dripping forever… 3 showers a day help a little but not that much once you are out. And you can’t shower in the middle of the day as the water is way too hot to stand under…
Catch22 issue: washing dries almost instantly — but have to increase the effort, as I go through 2 or 3 T-shirt a day, so have to wash everyday, sometimes twice!!
But there are ways to cool down….
On a more rational matter, there is also the issue of dehydration and loss of minerals. While I usually increase my salt and sugar intake (not difficult as I normally don’t really use either), being in the heat for such a long period of time, I was worried about being dehydrated.
My minimum fluid intake per day is around 3 litres, and about 5 L when it is hot. But now being at about 6 litres a day, and having my T-shirts nearly white from dried minerals, I have followed advice from locals and have started drinking rehydration salts – 1 L a day… disgusting, but hey, part of the cure/prevention.
On a practical point, while it is cheap (USD 0.5 per sachet), this is a great spend for a lot a people (USD 15/month/person), which is not affordable by many in the area. And so, many people at this time of the year are facing severe dehydration due to the heat and lack of funds…
Working is hard – But hey, the place and the people are beautiful… so it makes it up for it.
