Cooling Off in the Park

Yesterday a heat-wave began that also ensured that all conversations would center around how hot it was. And how hot it's going to be all week long. The weather certainly keeps us humans fascinated. Myself included.

The heat was also oppressively in my face. My cute little room in the hostel had no fan and so sitting in there felt like I was hanging out in a sweat lodge. And I'm not exaggerating. For a few hours I retreated to the kitchen because there was a ceiling fan. I made adzuki beans and rice enough to have lunch for the rest of the week. So that was good.

Unfortunately I had some research to do on the internet and I didn't want to take my laptop out into one of the hostel's common areas because I'm just paranoid like that. No point in advertising one's valuables. So, I sat in my room, stripping off items of drenched clothing and gulping down water.

Eventually the sun lowered enough so that I could open my window and faint breezes drifted in. Around 7 PM, I felt that some cold coconut juice might help ameliorate the heat, so I set off a nearby convenience store to buy some. Not as fun as drinking the juice with a straw straight from the coconut, but refreshing all the same.

I took my little boxes of the juice to a tiny park nearby.

On the way, I passed by the same lady outside her house who I often see. She was enjoying chimarrão with about six friends. All in the shade in fold-out chairs on the street corner. 

I sat there with a book in hand that I wasn't reading, just so happy to feel a real breeze and to sit in the shade. I happily watched the cast of characters in the park and sipped on my coconut juice. Thrilled that the heat of the day was subsiding and that so many others were out enjoying that fact too. They included various residents of the neighborhood, families, and homeless folks... [Side note: Upon watching the homeless guy go through his possessions, I found myself thinking about how we often associate being homeless with not having anything. Almost some sort of Buddhist state of non-attachment to things. However, it seems that even when we're without a roof, we still carry our baggage around with us.]

 

  

 

P. S. Luckily, I joined A., the Man-Who-Came-From-Italia and Cipote for some ice cream later that night and A. had an extra little fan that I could borrow for my room. Sweet relief! Sleeping was a blissful experience when not covered in a thin film of sweat.