Arizona? That’s right, not exactly, but it is true. A few years ago on a trip to Scottsdale, AZ to visit my friend Chad’s father, I had a conversation with his fathers girlfriend. Chad and I had driven down to AZ to purchase a boat and tow it back to Colorado. We were in a Jeep Grand Cherokee and upon stopping at intersections it was possible to watch the temperature gauge on the vehicle rise as the car overheated. On days when the temperature is 115 degrees, the movement of the car is essential to produce enough airflow to keep the engine from overheating. I asked Susan about this and wondered why anyone would ever choose to live here. It is so hot that a trip outside the confines of air conditioning is basically punishment.
She answered, "People just do not leave the house in the afternoon here."
What? A feeling of disgust came over me. Where do these people get off living in a place where AC is not only a luxury, but actually a borderline necessity for survival? That is just the way of life down in Arizona. The large cities of Phoenix and Tucson have really only grown at such a rapid pace because of modern climate control technologies. The retirees down there would not last a summer if they were forced to fend outdoors in the direct heat.
Here in Cambodia, the temperature does not get up to numbers that high, but we still have a tendency to push the mid nineties on a daily basis. This is not that hot of a temp overall, and our vehicles are certainly not overheating. However, when you throw anywhere between 60-90% humidity into the mix, a trip out of the shade will drain the majority of your energy in a matter of minutes. Sweating does not help as there is not much breeze and the smallest amount of exertion will turn a little perspiration into some serious flop sweat.
So on the note of this being like Arizona, doing anything but sitting around in the afternoon is pretty much out of the question. If I am not mistaken the next stop is some remote waterfall with natural vines to achieve my childhood dreams of the coveted Tarzan swing. The water cannot come too soon as our trip north is only getting hotter.
