The Weather

Yesterday I wrote about the storm that had hit Mindanao earlier this month.  It made me think about the weather in general there, and what it will be like to work there for a couple of weeks.  When I was a young GI, I went off to my first overseas assignment -- some little island called Guam, USA.  Prior to getting that assignment, I admit I had no idea where Guam was at.  Well I found out.  The first thing that struck me about this little island in the Pacific was when I got off the plane.  It was early morning - 6:00 am or so . . . the temperature was about 90 degrees (F) and the humidity . . oh my gosh . . the humidity was about 95 percent.  Then the sun came out. Geesh!

Rice Terraces of Sierra Bullones

Well, the Philippines will be about the same.  Hot and humid.  Now I am used to hot . . . most summer days here in New Mexico easily exceed the normal high in the Philippines.  The humidity will be a different story.  Again, on an average day, we're lucky to have 20 percent humidity -- I doubt that the humidity in the Philippines has ever been that low.

One benefit of being in the high desert is the altitude.  I remember coming here after having been stationed in England -- the road to my children's school was actually below sea level.  When I arrived in New Mexico, the altitude was a real surprise!  The first place we lived was a mere 3,000 feet above sea level.  I remember going for a jog one day shortly after arriving there.  The air was so thin that after 5 minutes of running I was completely wiped out!  Now we are at over 5,000 feet.  So when one is adapted to the higher elevation, going to a lower elevation is rather enjoyable -- there is so much air, one's lungs and heart seem to work more efficiently.  That's why distance runners like to train in high altitude places before they race at a lower elevation venue.    So anyway, our location in the Philippines will be about 580 feet -- making my life there a little more bearable.  We'll see how I deal with the humidity!