How humid *is* it in Panama?
I knew Panama would be hot, and I knew Panama would be rainy. Panama is also humid, very humid. Just how humid is it?
The gray line in the graph below shows the average humidity by month: in March and April, it dips to a low of just above 70%, but for much of the year, it's 80-90% humidity.
It's so humid, that in our air-conditioned bedroom, the humidity is still 68%.
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| Photo evidence: it's moist here. |
It's so humid, that sometimes after I go for a run or a long walk, instead of doing a breath meditation or listening meditation, I do a sweat meditation.
It's so humid that when my husband gets off his bike and starts walking, his Garmin stops working: he's so sweaty it can't read his pulse. If an *exercise watch* can't keep up with the heat and humidity, imagine how hard it is for mere mortals like us!
It's so humid, I bring a complete change of clothes (including undergarments) so I can change out of the clothes that get completely drenched with sweat when I walk the two kilometers to church. That's an early morning walk, too, before the real heat of the day emerges.
It's so humid that it's not uncommon for me to go through three changes of clothing in a single day.
It's so humid that when I work on the porch (in the shade, with fans blowing on me), I sometimes stick to my paper. I can't do drawings or other paperwork that needs to look nice, especially if I've recently been outdoors at all, because the paper gets water spots and the ink runs.
It's so humid that it alters our lifestyle, because small bits of exercise (so small that back home we don't consider it exercise) mean sticky clothes. For example, my husband often walks me to work in Pennsylvania or to the bus stop here, but the other day he decided not to walk two blocks to the bus stop to see me off because he didn't want to have to sit in wet clothes or change before an upcoming zoom call. I would often love to take a break and walk around the block while writing my book, but I usually don't, for the same reasons.
It's so humid that the construction here is mostly concrete and metal: there's no wood, which warps and attracts insects.
It's so humid that the concrete construction here needs nearly yearly repair/cleaning/painting, because of mold.
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There is a lot above that is total whininess, for good reason. Am I looking forward to getting back to Pennsylvania where I can walk miles and miles without becoming a puddle? You bet I am!!
At the same time, I have to point out that there are many people who love it here. They've figured out how to make the most of this beauty while not succumbing to the sweatiness challenges that I haven't figured out how to deal with effectively.
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| This crab (actually underwater) is not crabby about the humidity. |
Even I, as I melt while typing this, am enamored of how the humidity brings with it abundant life. I do love the trees/flowers/birds/animals that are everywhere around here. It's an amazing landscape, truly beautiful, a tropical purgatory (for me) that can manifest as tropical paradise for the species that will remain here and thrive long after I get on that plane that will fly me away.
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