I'm in Delhi!! And the last few days have been super hot, like 115 F. I've only been here three days, so it doesn't really bother me too much yet (though the heat does make me very sleepy), but everyone around me has been enduring these temperatures since April and is anxious for the monsoon to begin--which is why yesterday's sudden downpour was cause for celebration.
The rain came very quickly. When I exited Cafe Coffee Day in Khan Market, it was sunny. By the time I negotiated an auto ride home (probably 3 minutes later), it was cloudy. About 30 seconds after stepping foot in the auto it started to drizzle, and by the first traffic light, the rain was coming down in sheets. Thicker than sheets. More like comforters. When we reached the Ring Road (perhaps 10 minutes later), it had flooded to become the Ring River.
At that first traffic light, my autowallah took the stopped-at-a-red-light opportunity to celebrate. He exclaimed in Urdu, "Praise be to Allah! The rains are here!" He did a little dance in his seat and put on a Bollywood song at full blast. Children ran outside to play in the downpour. And of course, being in an auto with open sides, I became drenched in seconds. Even my underwear and bra were soaked through. I don't think I've ever gone from sweating to shivering in such a short time span before (thank you, wind).
The weather certainly felt like the onset of the monsoon. But weather.com says it's going to stay hot and dry with zero precipitation for the next 10 days (actually, it forecasts "haze." Oooohh Delhi pollution, how I missed you. ...Not). So is the Weather Channel wrong (it didn't predict yesterday's storm!), or is Allah just playing with our hearts?
Here's hoping the Weather Channel is wrong.
The rain came very quickly. When I exited Cafe Coffee Day in Khan Market, it was sunny. By the time I negotiated an auto ride home (probably 3 minutes later), it was cloudy. About 30 seconds after stepping foot in the auto it started to drizzle, and by the first traffic light, the rain was coming down in sheets. Thicker than sheets. More like comforters. When we reached the Ring Road (perhaps 10 minutes later), it had flooded to become the Ring River.
At that first traffic light, my autowallah took the stopped-at-a-red-light opportunity to celebrate. He exclaimed in Urdu, "Praise be to Allah! The rains are here!" He did a little dance in his seat and put on a Bollywood song at full blast. Children ran outside to play in the downpour. And of course, being in an auto with open sides, I became drenched in seconds. Even my underwear and bra were soaked through. I don't think I've ever gone from sweating to shivering in such a short time span before (thank you, wind).
The weather certainly felt like the onset of the monsoon. But weather.com says it's going to stay hot and dry with zero precipitation for the next 10 days (actually, it forecasts "haze." Oooohh Delhi pollution, how I missed you. ...Not). So is the Weather Channel wrong (it didn't predict yesterday's storm!), or is Allah just playing with our hearts?
Here's hoping the Weather Channel is wrong.
