to be or not to be....without A/C

Air conditioning.....my love hate relationship with this modern comfort has just been overthrown! I have just realised why I should "never say never".

I've always disliked aricon...mostly cause it dries my skin and throat; sleeping with my gaping mouth open probably doesn't help and I wake up with a cardboard tongue in my mouth! I have also been known to get terribly sick with a cold everytime I've been exposed to it for long periods of time, so I have generally kept away and banned it during sleep. That, ladies and gentlemen (and oh boy will my family love this), has now changed.

The heat in the Philippines is so extreme that last week I woke up in the middle of the night and finally understood what those people mean, who say "it was so hot last night I couldn't sleep!!" ...I mean "really". One of my favourite things in life is for evenings to be so warm and balmy I can lie naked in bed at night, without covers, and doze off..sweat even. But Filipino heat and humidity is a few notches beyond comfort. My best friend is now a pai-pai like fan; a prennial fixture in my bag. Seemingly strong aircon in taxis as you step in seems to fade within minutes. "Going to the mall to get away from the heat" has acquired new meaning and significance for me. I feel like a menopausal woman with hot flashes. I've begun mixing electrolytes into my water as a matter of course cause the sweating is so extreme. I'm surprised I am not half my size by now....then again, baking banana bread on a near daily basis doesn't help in that department. But my skin looks fab. It's like being in a turkish bath 24-7. The other night, attempting to sleep in the same bed with my friend Deb, neither of us could sleep. It was 2 AM, it was HOT and we were hungry too! I offered Deb a frozen slice of toast (not much else around) She made a joke of putting them on her forehead cause it was so hot, and no joke, they thawed in less than 1 minute!! We ended up making popcorn and watching a movie....and vowing to switch on the aircon the following night, come hell or high water!