The rain
The rain here is violent and unforgiving. The heat tempers it a bit, making it not entirely unpleasant – but if you’re soaked through your clothes and your shoes are filled with water, you don’t stop to appreciate the fact that you’re not freezing. Riding the skytrain home through the monsoon afternoon I hear the rain slapping against the side of the train; it sounds like the crumpling of an aluminum can, crunchcrunchcrunch for the 15 minute ride.
Then I get off the train and maybe I’ve forgotten an umbrella, and I have to decide if I feel safer walking or taking a motorcycle taxi through blinding rain. The motosai usually loses, even though that means a 15 minute walk through the hardest rain of my life ending with soggy shoes and dripping clothing, and a knowing laugh from the housekeepers in my building.
Since then I’ve learned to be more prepared. One of my favorite recent acquisitions is a transparent umbrella, something I’ve always wanted but never justified purchasing. Its ~$2 price tag here made it an easy buy. Brett also left me with a bright yellow poncho that has been very useful for walks in the neighborhood – but sometimes it just pays to stay put and wait it out. Friday afternoon I huddled in a dessert café with Emma and Fiona waiting for the rain to stop; today I’m in another café surrounded by windows, the perfect place to watch the rains come and go.
Everyone here wears waterproof shoes. A sidewalk shop down the street sells knockoff Crocs and a version of those jellies I coveted for around 100 baht, which seems like a deal to me. I need to throw away my Teva flipflops after an unfortunate run-in with a sewage drain on the walk home last night, so I might as well invest in something new.
