Feeling the temperature rising...

In a small village in southern Palawan, a missionary got on his motorbike to drive to the boat on the coast. He got partway there before his bike broke down. He sat in the shade of nearby coconut tree, hoping to catch a lift with someone passing by, and finally called his wife on his cell phone. "I'm stuck under a tree and there is no one out!"

Why is that?

Because it is HOT SEASON here and that means it is HOT! and in the middle of the day, no one goes out.

When I moved here, I mistakenly thought that the tropics meant heat, humidity, and rain. I was only partly right. During rainy season, there is rain, which we gladly play in (much to the amazement and consternation of the locals). But during hot season, it is only hot and humid. There is no respite during the day from the heat and humidity, which put together, puts us up to between 110 and 120 degrees every day. And hot season lasts for 6 months.

Any suggestions for staying cool are welcome. I may send you a treat of some sort if it actually works :) (we don't have an air conditioner, so you can't use that one)

On another note, allow me to introduce you to my oven (see picture) It's a big *huge* pot that I put on the stove. It has a brick in it so that my dishes won't burn. It works well. I bake anything I want to in there. and even some things I don't want to.



For the last few months, I have noticed a strange odor and taste in my baked food. I thought maybe the brick was getting old or maybe there was some moisture in there. Couldn't really put my finger in it. But then, the other day, I took the brick out to clean the pot up a bit, and there sat a lego man (see picture). He is completely burned to a crisp. poor guy.

And now, our food tastes much better.