HOT!!!
May 2001
If you haven't experienced
getting out of a cold shower and sweating all over again after 2 minutes,
then you haven't felt what it's like to live in the heat of the Philippine
summer. Wonder how Pinoys actually get through it?
Believe it or not, Filipinos have learned how
to cope with the scorching weather every year. Read on and discover
the Pinoy way of beating the summer heat.
- Swimming
The usual choice is of course, to conquer the beach, or the
 swimming
pool, or any body of COLD water for that matter. Whether in a
nearby village pool, or a lake 2 hours away from Manila, or an
ocean on the other side of the Philippines, Pinoys usually go
out of their way just to get themselves cold and wet, splashing
around and just staying in the water until their fingers and toes
wrinkle.
- Going Up to the Mountains
Whether it be a 1-week trip to Baguio, or a whole day drive in Tagaytay,
 Pinoys savor every
second of the cool weather all the same. Just to feel the fresh breeze, they go to places
of high altitude where they can enjoy the chilly wind blowing on their faces, aside from the
spectacular view it offers.
They can also go for a dip in the cool mountain springs of the
Sagada caves, or in the pools of the various mountain resorts
up North, or down south.
- Malling
Malling (v): the act of going to a mall. Because of the 
Pinoy culture of often going to a
shopping mall for reasons like "to go window shopping" and "to 'make-tambay'" or "to take
advantage of the free air-conditioning," among others, the word "mall" now has its verb
version. With lots of shopping centers now developing in the country's metropolises, more
and more people are lured to just stay there, most especially on extremely hot days.
- Refreshing Foodstuff
Cold thirst-quenchers such as the famous pearl shakes, iced tea, soft drinks and of
 course,
the classic halo-halo are good on-the-spot heat conquerors.
Actually, everything with the word "ice," such as ice cream, ice buko (grated coconut meat
with small black beans in a frozen milk mixture) and ice candy, (frozen ice in flavors like
mango, melon, grapes, chocolate, coffee, etc.) are the most sought-after food during the
peak of the summer heat. Filipinos resort to these brain-freezing foods to cool down
sweltering hotness without having to spend much and travel far. These are typically
available everywhere during the season, sold for about P2.00 to as much as P40.00 per
serving.
- Bath
And of course, when the heat gets to their lazy bones and all of the above methods seem to
be too far-fetched as of the moment, a long, cold bath still is their best option. They
either stay in the shower, letting the water run through their bodies, or simply lay in a
tub filled with cold water until the afternoon heat simmers down a bit. And sometimes, even
a large pail of water will seem enticing to plunge into.
So the next time you happen to be in the
Philippines sometime between March and June, and the heat gets to you, you'll know what to do.
***photos courtesy of Baguio City Photo Album,
SMPrime.com.ph, and "Philippine Hospitality" by O'Boyle and Alejandro,
1988.
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