HOT!!!

Today in Suzhou it was 98 with a real feel temperature of 120. Now that is mighty hot!!! I know you are asking yourself, “What does “real feel” mean? Real feel is the term used here to describe the combination of heat & humidity to arrive at what the temperature really feels like outside. It was 104 this morning when I went down and hopped on the e-bike for the ride to work. There is zero breeze so the heat just bears down on you and with the high level of humidity, you just can’t seem to sweat right to cool down (although you will sweat!). So Summer has finally arrived (when’s Fall get here?).

On the e-bike, there’s no chance to cool down either. By riding through the heat, it’s like being in a convection oven. I guess you could say by the time I get to work, I’m half-baked (or perhaps I started out that way). My shirt has a nice wet streak down the back where I carry my backpack. Oh yeah, looking mighty professional. You just can’t escape the heat while on the bike although many people try to ride in the little shade provided by the trees (and some even use their umbrella to have some transportable shade). It really doesn’t work much since the tree shade is limited and it’s tough to ride the bike fast while holding an umbrella (Mulan Poppins). The only relief comes from rain since it stays hot even at night. On the brighter side, I can dry a pair of jeans outside in little time (and I’m getting a check from the gov’t for having such a small carbon footprint, thanks Uncle Al)! Back to the e-bike story. I have finally figured a way to describe the experience. It must be similar to being in a NASCAR race. You have a fast car (my e-bike tends to be faster than most of the others since I can easily pass them and few pass me) but each time there is a pit stop (which would be a red light here, although those can be optional) everyone you have passed has a chance to catch up to you while you wait. Then you start again in a large pack and once again have to weave your way through to the front, only to be stopped again by another pit stop (wreck, whatever). This happens over and over on the trip, in the morning it is much easier since traffic is thinner but in the afternoon, forget about it. No one is patient and everyone wants to get around everyone else. They ride 2 and 3 astride, sometimes it’s a group riding together that block everyone’s path until the finally decide to get a clue and ride single file to let the mass loose. There are days where I swear it’s a miracle that there aren’t a bunch of e-bike on e-bike crashes since they seem to relish coming as close as they can to your tire as they cut you off. This is why being at the front of the pack makes more sense. You can ride along, looking in the mirror but keeping your focus on what’s ahead (like that bus turning right just…about….now!!!). I’m more comfortable riding the e-bike than I was a month ago but there are days where I feel that it’s just a matter of time. Losing some of that fear is what gets you into trouble, you start to take the risks that you know aren’t really the prudent move. I haven’t had many close calls but it doesn’t take a lot to ruin your day. I’ve driven past some of the carnage but never seen the incident, which is a good thing because I’m not hanging around either way (foreigners standing around could be blamed for the problem). It’s tough to describe exactly how many other e-bikes there are and how they all intertwine into the mass on two wheels headed in your direction (and some on your side of the road headed against the grain). I’m going to get photos one of these days, perhaps I can con the kids into taking them of the kind of traffic that exists in the afternoon (since the afternoon is when the fun begins. I think it would surprise you but maybe not.

So, what do you (meaning me) do in this kind of weather? Stay inside and hope your air conditioner holds out! I went out over the weekend and I started sweating as soon as I walked out the door. It was crazy hot; I think it got to 127 on Sunday. This global warming stuff must be for real; I don’t remember it being this hot in Suzhou when I was a kid (think about it).
Tammy and the boys get back home tomorrow. They had their flight cancelled in Detroit so they had to stay in the Motor City (can it still be called that?) an extra day (again; but that’s another story) and try again tomorrow. I hope they get out this time, They are about to endure the long journey and I hope that they get some sleep on the airplane. On my return flight, I had a complete row to myself so I was able to lay down and get some decent sleepy time (at least for me, I don’t sleep well on a plane especially with the stupid seatbelt sign turning on and off with the announcement). It made the transition back to Suzhou time a little easier although I must admit that this week has been tougher than the first week back. It seems that the jet lag has taken hold more now than before, I don’t know why.

Next time I blog, things should be back to normal with all of the Suzhou Dudley’s once again residing under the same roof and driving each other crazy but what else is new.