We are currently experiencing a dry period here in Ipoh. The sky is a hazy white and the hills around the city are barely visible, as in the photo above. There is no mid-afternoon downpour to bring a little relief. The day starts at temperatures in the high 20s and gets steadily hotter, so that at 7pm when it starts to get dark, the temperature is still in the mid 30s. For people like us used to the temperate climate of the south Pacific, these days are frazzling. I feel bad complaining when people have been dying in their thousands from the heat in Pakistan and India. They and many people here in Malaysia do not have the advantage of switching on a ceiling fan or air conditioner. As I write this at 8.30am, I have the fan whirring overhead and the air conditioners cooling down the whole apartment. Looks like I’ll be spending the whole day indoors. Good news is that there is a 50 percent chance of rain this weekend.