Phaking in Phnom Penh

Chez Gaston, Phnom Penh

Ou-la-la, lovely food and people here in Cambodia where I am spending a few hot bright days in late November. Bright blue sky radiant temperatures are 15 degrees C, but the sun creates a fiery glare that makes it pretty hot along the tree-short (and watershort)  riverside area. My hotel room was catching it on the outside walls with inside wall temps at 33 deg and the sluggish aicon was not keeping up. I asked for another room at the desk but they showed me a great trick instead. Get a castrated room key card and when you go out leave it in the slot by the door so the power and aircon remains on.

Meanwhile the astrologers (?) are predicting worse to come as per the local English language news this morning.

Phaking in Phnom Penh

Chez Gaston, Phnom Penh

Ou-la-la, lovely food and people here in Cambodia where I am spending a few hot bright days in late November. Bright blue sky radiant temperatures are 15 degrees C, but the sun creates a fiery glare that makes it pretty hot along the tree-short (and watershort)  riverside area. My hotel room was catching it on the outside walls with inside wall temps at 33 deg and the sluggish aicon was not keeping up. I asked for another room at the desk but they showed me a great trick instead. Get a castrated room key card and when you go out leave it in the slot by the door so the power and aircon remains on.

Meanwhile the astrologers (?) are predicting worse to come as per the local English language news this morning.

My modest Bangkok electric bill

At about ten cents US per kilowatt hour the electric bill for our condo was less than forty dollars US last month, a cool one. Our hot June bill (750 kw-hrs) was nearly double; even then our nightly use of aircon for a single shaded bedroom amounted to only about $1 extra a day -- not too bad. On the other hand, this would amount to perhaps ten percent of the income of most Thai workers -- making aircon a threshold luxury for them. 

This is also consistent with the observation that aircon amounts to roughly half the electric power use in Bangkok.

My modest Bangkok electric bill

At about ten cents US per kilowatt hour the electric bill for our condo was less than forty dollars US last month, a cool one. Our hot June bill (750 kw-hrs) was nearly double; even then our nightly use of aircon for a single shaded bedroom amounted to only about $1 extra a day -- not too bad. On the other hand, this would amount to perhaps ten percent of the income of most Thai workers -- making aircon a threshold luxury for them. 

This is also consistent with the observation that aircon amounts to roughly half the electric power use in Bangkok.

Air conditioned tents

At Mecca. Sufficient for 3 million people. Used 5 days a year.

Air conditioned tents

At Mecca. Sufficient for 3 million people. Used 5 days a year.