Weather

It is HOT. Today the temperature is 106°F (41°C) but it "feels like" 136°F (58°C).  I'm not really sure how to describe the temperature. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a dry heat. We live right on the coast and so it is very, very, very, very humid.

As soon as you go outside, your glasses fog up and it takes a few minutes to adjust to the heat. Just a few minutes in the heat is unbelieveable. And because of the humidity, everything just feels wet. I tried to go for a swim this morning but with the sun rising at 4:50am, the level of heat by 9am is already unbearable. Even with the utmost attention from the maintenance staff, they cannot keep the pool cool enough from the beating sun. It's like trying to swim in bath water.

R and I were in Dubai two years ago for our honeymoon and we decided to try out a swim in the gulf. After much anticipation, we finally got into the crystal clear water only to find that it was warm and salty. R affectionately referred to it as swimming in piss. Take a look at this picture, don't you just want to take a dip? Think again, you actually don't.  (As an aside, we went to the Maldives after our stay in Dubai and the water there is absolutely perfect - actually, everything about the Maldives is absolutely perfect!).


M & R Honeymoon, Mina A'Salam, Dubai, 2009



So while the United States is suffering from a temporary heat wave, I am living in a permanent heat wave. And the craziest part of it all, it's supposed to get even HOTTER in August.  We'll see how I survive!

-M

Mango Mania!

I admit it, I am ignorant. I am ignorant when it comes to mangoes. Living in the West, I only knew of one type of mango and they came from Mexico. Sometimes they are sweet and other times bitter. I used to hear tales about all the types of mangoes there were in India but it all seem so far-fetched to me. I was never one of those kids who went back to India every summer or even every few years. So when my dad would tell us stories about how he would steal mangoes from the farmers or sit on the porch with his family eating buckets of varied mangoes, it seemed like something out of a Bollywood movie or a National Geographic special.  But alas, the universe found a way to relieve me of my ignorance. Here, in Saudi Arabia where time seems to stand still, it is Mango Mania 2011!!

So many mangoes to choose from! All shapes, sizes, and various degrees of deliciousness! Yummy!

Which one is your favorite?

Cheers!
M