I have to laugh every time another American politician says global warming is a scam. These fools should come to Thailand. A country that never gets more than a couple of days a year of less than 75 degrees in Bangkok, or 65 degrees upcountry, is suddenly in the midst of our second cold snap in a month, with temperatures seemingly falling every day.
It is now 3am and my feet are so cold I couldn’t sleep. I finally had to get up and put on socks, a thing unheard of in Thailand until recently.
According to the Bangkok weather sites, in northern Bangkok where I am it is currently 62 degrees, a temperature I have only experienced once before in Thailand – one Christmas in Chiang Mai. It is also so cold in my apartment, I am now snuggled under a blanket with my aching feet encased in thick woolly socks.
People who don’t spend much time in Thailand don’t realize what happens if it gets cold either, or why some Thais die in the cold.
This is because Thai houses and apartments are not equipped with heating of any kind so, if a chill sets in, there’s nothing to do but start adding layers as there is absolutely no way to heat a room. In northern Thailand, where the temperatures are much colder, when it begins to hit 60 degrees or colder, people start to die.
Add onto this second cold snap in two weeks, southern Thailand is now experiencing floods with more than 15,000 tourists trapped on Thai islands after ferries to the mainland were canceled because of the rising water. Fifteen people, so far, have drowned.
And some US politicians still don’t believe in global warming. Amazing.
