Sitting out in my office (the back lawn) and sweating at 7pm is not unusual. The heat hardly shifts after the sun goes down.
There are two seasons in Samoa. The wet season, it runs November through April and the dry season – May to October. I certainly know it’s the wet season, feeling thick humidity after dark. The rain comes for an hour most nights and we have a break from the thick hot clouds.
During the day, relief comes from cold showers. I shower at least three times a day. I have been using a local coconut oil I bought in the markets. It comes in an old glass Fanta bottle, corked by the husk of a coconut. I smell like a plantation but it has done wonders for me. Just as good as a sauna, the humid air has rejuvenated once dry flaky skin.
Another trick is plenty of fluids. Freezing water bottles overnight gives you cool water all day. I was drinking about six liters to start with. In this weather it is the best thirst quencher. After the initial shock to the system, three liters does the trick.
Beyond all of these remedies, air conditioning takes the cake. I spent five weeks with out it and suffered heat rash and dehydration. With the arrival of the air conditioner, (we have named, the SWAP god) days become a lot more comfortable. It gets turned on after one and gets us through the heat of the afternoon.
If you’re out and about, don’t get caught by the heat. Its common sense to walk in the shade and carry a fan. Yes, all the blokes have a fan!
The heat takes a bit of getting used to. When you learn to manage the humidity, you can get on with whatever you like, just another day in paradise.