For several weeks, it has been oppressively hot here in Lomé. I have never explored the Sahara. But, I’m willing to bet my little fingernail that it’s just as hot there (you’ll notice that my bet isn’t very high :)).
Screenshot of the weather displayed on my phone on Monday April 22, 2024 in Lomé. Note that the temperature felt is 42°
If you’re planning a trip to Lomé at dusk this April, I can’t recommend enough that you at least invest in an umbrella. Especially in case, you plan to visit the city in the manner of the nomads of ancient times, that is to say on foot. It’s so hot that you’re constantly sweating even where you don’t want it. I don’t remember a year when it was as hot as this.since I was old enough to realize these things. Tchoooo!!*.
Heat-resistant wicker umbrella: Image by G.C. of Pixabay
Turn, fan blades, turn
The fans are straining to provide some fresh air. But it is in vain that they try. Because they can only move the air that is made available to them. Very unfortunately, this air is on the verge of volcanic.
Blessed are those to whom air conditioning devices offer the favor of bundling up! Oh yes. I’m forgetting a detail. Not so happy after all. It being understood that the devastating heat wave coincides very fittingly with a period of intensive power outage.
Unless they are equipped with a generator, or run on solar energy, everyone is more or less in the same boat.
Like butter in the oven
So is this what butter feels like when you melt it in a bain-marie? Horrible feeling of all things! By nature, I am a person who does not sweat the masses. But these days, how can I explain to you that that’s all I do? I went into non-stop sweating mode.
I’m sweating if I even think about going from one room to another. I have sweat right down to my eyeballs (by the way, it stings horribly). I literally melt. This excessive sweating, bordering on the grotesque, quickly quenched the unquenchable thirst for the sun.
A thought for street vendors
And to think that in this bitter heat, some people are forced to crisscross the city, goods on their heads or burdening their arms, sometimes with babies on their backs, in order to earn their pittance! It is obvious that if they had the choice, they would not. I would have liked to have had the ability to improve their daily lives. Failing that, I salute them in a low voice.
Endless showers
How many showers do you take in a day in these hot weather? The only possible answer is this: as soon as a shower is over, we only think about the next one, until the day goes out.
The fact that tap water itself is “ heat“, is quite revealing. This is not surprising, given that the piping is exposed to the merciless sun all day long. All we have to do is put ice cubes in the buckets, in order to get a vague feeling of freshness from our showers.
Did you say body lotions?
I don’t know about you, but my august person just can’t find the courage to nourish his skin after a shower. The judgment is yours, the consequences are mine.
I tried once. I found myself taking a second one, 15 minutes after the first. And this spooky episode happened once night fell, when the heat was no longer at its peak. Looking forward to the end of heat waveso that my exterior covering revives.
The chic of the handkerchief or the convenience of the mini-towel?
First of all, I have never adhered to the practice of using a towel in public. Impeccable in clothing, cannot be decently associated with taking out a towel to mop your forehead. Thanks, but no thanks. However, these last few days have made me consider certain actions through the prism of heat.
Woman in the desert heat: Image by Ivana Tomášková of Pixabay
It must be said that when it’s dripping everywhere, a tissue is absolutely useless. Let’s assume that your clothes are damp to the point where sweat runs down your legs. In addition, this sweat ends up in your shoes. You are wondering when you took a dip in a swimming pool without your knowledge. Certainly in these circumstances, a handkerchief is of absolutely no use to you. Ninety-nine handkerchiefs, yes. Only one is a childish prank.
In the end, I didn’t take the napkin step. However, I can now contextualize the customs of those whose daily lives are made up of excessive sweating.
When the bottles melt
A few days ago, I placed an empty water bottle on the dashboard of the cabin of a cargo ship. No air conditioning, but the windows were obviously rolled down. What was my surprise to find that the bottle had partly melted a few hours later! You realize ? I was speechless. Perhaps you have already experienced this. Not me. We are here with heat.
Bottle melted by the heat of Lomé – photo of me
Inferno
It really is hellishly hot. A friend recently told me, I quote: “ But, who forgot to close the gate of hell after entering it?“. It literally made me burst into neighing laughter. Hellish indeed.
Please, if you know this person, tell them that we, the population of Lomé, are begging them on their knees to close this damn door! We are ready to pay whatever price it takes. If nothing is done, this heat will get to our skin.
Do you have any tips for refreshing our days and nights? If so, we are interested.
As for me, I drink astronomical quantities of water. And, as soon as I have published this text, I will pitch a tent by the sea, so that I can take a dip at any time of the day or night. In addition to these precautions, I am circulating a petition to close this damn door. Sign it when it comes to your home.
Hopefully, for those of you who live under other skies, the sun displays a less predatory smile.
PS: This morning, a refreshing rain hit Lomé. May it continue to be fresh!
Deliverance
* Tchoooo : interjection of mina (dialect spoken in Lomé) which can express a whole range of emotions depending on the context. Here, it reflects dismay.