monsoooon

now entering wet season. well, personally, i was under the impression that wet season was a given and universal concept here in thailand, owing to the fact that since the day i arrived my body has been perpetually soaked with absurd amounts of perspiration. the only time around here that my body isn’t completely drenched with sweat is when i am actually in the water, either at the pool, at the beach, or in one of my frequent cold showers.



the only moments up to this point that have cooled the air down just slightly enough to avoid the constant perspiration have been the few short, evening thunderstorms that hit as i'm already snug in my bed ready to rest up for an early morning of teaching. that was my idea of the “wet” season. pleasant, warm, short-lived tropical rain showers, with beautiful displays of lightning reflecting off the dark waves on the beach.


but no. i learned, following my adventurous decision to go out into friday night’s lightning storm rather than calling it a good excuse for a quiet night at home, that by “wet” season, they actually mean monsoon. i learned that during monsoon season here, you should probably go out in your waders (why wasn’t this on the packing list?), to avoid wading through the dirty water of downtown pattaya in a short dress and sandals. i learned it’s probably wise to go out earlier rather than later so as to get stuck inside a bar watching the action comfortable and dry with a drink in your hand rather than stuck on the street resembling a saturated dish rag. and don’t even think about driving your motorbike unless it has a hidden duckmobile feature.


though the decision to opt for a baht bus rather than taking the motorbike downtown was motivated by reasons of safety and convenience rather than weather, it became instantly clear that we wouldn’t have made it farther than five minutes down the flooded streets. from the refuge of the roofed baht bus to walking street, i could observe the flash flooding on the streets of downtown pattaya with wonderment. thai girls in clubbing attire up to their knees in dirty street water. boys pushing flooded motorbikes out of the way of the slow moving traffic. shopkeepers in ponchos keeping the creeping water levels at bay with industrial-sized mops and grim expressions of having done this same act countless times before. no one –including us- letting the predicament of being virtually underwater upset a perfectly fine friday night. wet season or not, here in pattaya the show must go on…!