Saturday, 3 March 2018

Cold is not cool

What I read

According to "Europe severe weather: Death toll rises amid freeze", the unusually cold weather affecting Europe has not only closed airports, cut road and rail links, and disrupted other services, but has also killed at least 60 people from Poland to Britain, mainly "rough sleepers," who mistakenly think that alcohol will help them stay warm. 
___________________________________ 

My response 

As I was enjoying my large, hot coffee this morning, the image on the BBC's homepage reminded me why I love living in Thailand, specifically in Bangkok. One reason is that it's never really cold here. It gets cool for a week or two around Christmas, but nothing like Sydney gets for months on end in winter. Cool is OK, even cool, but cold is just miserable. In Sydney's long winter, it's cold and often rainy. You have wear sweaters and coats, and glove and hats. And being cold it not nice. Of course, it does get hot in Bangkok, and I love my air conditioning, but hot is much more bearable for me than cold. When my air conditioner died last year and I was without it for a few days, I didn't die or even suffer too much. 

And then there is the inconvenience caused by seriously cold, snowy weather. When airports, roads and rail links are closed, and even medical services shut down, life is much harder. Bangkok, and even my home area of Silom, is occasionally affected by floods, but these are usually localised and pass relatively quickly. I think there has only been one day in the last few years when I've had to wade to work with my trousers rolled up, and annoying as that was, it was also kind of fun, at least to look back on afterwards. 

And as I was reading the article, I was again reminded that it is alcohol, not yaa baa or marijuana, that is the killer drug. No one has ever overdosed on marijuana, but people do die from alcohol overdoses, and the suppression of bodily functions it causes can combine with the cold to kill people, as it has the homeless of Europe over the past week. Alcohol also kills people in Thailand, but at least not by allying with deadly cold weather, except perhaps in northern provinces for a few days a year. I'm not about to give up my occasional glass of red wine with dinner, but it is a reminder that my own drug of choice is actually more dangerous than most other drugs that people use for fun. 

___________________________________ 

My question

Do you like the weather in Bangkok? 

___________________________________ 

Reference

No comments:

Post a Comment

Before you click the blue "Publish" button for your first comment on a post, check ✔ the "Notify me" box. You want to know when your classmates contribute to a discussion you have joined.

A thoughtful response should normally mean writing for five to ten minutes. After you state your main idea, some details, explanation, examples or other follow up will help your readers.

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.