Right, so I posted the above photo a couple of days ago. Perth has had a week of above 38 degree heat! I nearly died. Quite literally. One because of heat exhaustion and two because of my migraines. It was not a fun week. I spent most of the time in the dark and in our air conditioned living room.
This happens EVERY SINGLE YEAR around Christmas and New Years. I think the highest Christmas day that I have experienced is a 45 degree stinking hot Christmas. I thought the day would never end. It was like we were living in Satan's living room. BAH.
After being here for 12 years, you learn and adapt to the heat. So here are my tips for those of you who are new to Perth or coming to Perth for a visit during our hottest week/month.
- If you are planning to visit Perth during Christmas, DON'T. It is almost always our hottest week of the year. Here you will not get the White Christmas that you think we have. For that you will have to go to Europe or America. Here in Australia, you get either humid hot above 38 degree days OR if you are lucky, a dry one.
- If you are like me, who gets migraine in summer because your eyes can not take how bright it gets or the heat melts your brain, a wide brimmed hat and dark sunnies are your bestest friend! Wear it every where you go, even if you are going outside to water the plants or throw the rubbish. Trust me.
- If you are out and about, carry a bottle of very cold water (preferably icy cold ones) and a small towel. If it gets too much, pour the water on to the towel and wrap the towel around your neck. It will cool your body down quickly.
- For the little ones, go to Bunnings, spend $13 on a clam shell pool, fill it with water and watch them have fun in there for hours and hours. The beauty of a clam shell pool is you can put it anywhere. So make sure it is out of the sun. That way the little ones can stay out of the sun and cool down at the same time.
- If you need to run your errands, try doing it early in the morning (before 9am). That way, the day is still not hot yet.
- Always carry a bottle of cold water with you. What people tend to do here if they are out and about is wrap a small towel around the bottle so that it keeps the bottle cooler for a lot longer.
- If you do not have an air conditioner at home, here is what you do. Go out to Bunnings or the shops and get 2 fans and a spray bottle, sit in front of it and spray water in front of the fan from time to time. The mist will cool the area in front of the fan and you will not have hot air blowing at you.
- Wear Sun Screen. Enough said. It will not stop you from getting tanner (which I know some Asian girls hate) but it will stop you from getting BURNT!
- If you live near a public pool, invest in a summer pass so that if the day gets really hot to stay inside, you can go to the pool and cool down.
- When all the above fail, get to your nearest shopping mall and enjoy their FREE cool air.
Please note that these tips are to be taken lightly and is not for everyone. They work for me but not for everyone.
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