Even someone like me who loves to travel gets apprehensive and anxious about heading out. That’s just the introvert in me. I’m one of those people who actually thrived being relatively confined to our homes for 15 months during this pandemic. Staying home is what I do most of the time anyways! So the energy to break that inertia can be considerable.
I was still anxious even as the Amtrak train pulled into Union Station in Los Angeles, half wanting to be home instead. Perhaps an introvert who likes to travel is a bit of an oxymoron. Nevertheless, momentum eventually takes over and I simply get immersed into the experience. I’ll get to go home soon enough.
Besides, it’s nice for the body to leave the natural air-conditioned climate of San Francisco and into something hotter. A sort of training, if you will. Southern California summer weather did not disappoint, as it was well into the 80s during the week we were there. Pro tip if you are prone to sweating: have a towel handy to wipe away perspiration every so often.
One never expects to fly into Seattle from San Diego for it to be significant warmer. The Pacific Northwest conjures up feeling of cold and drizzle, rather than hot temperatures into the triple digits. Well, the latter is precisely what we flew into as the PNW region experience an absolutely historic heatwave. Triple-digit temperatures in consecutive days, and records utterly shattered. Stepping off the plane at SEATAC had the feeling of Texas: a blast of dry heat greeting you just past the door into the gangway.
Good thing we arrived towards the end of the heatwave. On the days we were in Seattle and Portland, temperatures were back down to a more manageable 80s. And good thing our hotel and AirBnB were equipped with air-conditioning. We never turned it off during our stays.
The lesson here is: get air-conditioning for you home, even if you live in a place where traditionally you wouldn’t need it. Intense climate change is here.
Halo.