Houston Weather in Context (Highlands, San Diego: hotels, houses, standard of living)

[worldlyman]

I've been here in the Philippines that past month. It's my 3rd time. Visited from Mindanao (Surigao del Sur province) and back to Bataan here in Luzon.

We Americans talk about "heat and humidity" but man, you talk about hot and humid YEAR ROUND, with little in the way of relief...you ought to spend a month out here.

It is a Houston June out here pretty much every month of the year...the "winter" merely being a rain and monsoon season. (The Luzon Highlands which include areas like Baguio are indeed way up in altitude and the weather is San Diego-like but this is a small part of this myriad island tropical nation.)

Houston is like this for about five months of the year. Plus we have silent, central A/C to moderate it for those times.

I average at least 3 cold baths a day out here in the Philippines. Sometimes 4 days. In Houston, I average one shower a day, two on my work-out days 3x a week. As hot as it is in H-town during summer, we don't necessarily wear the hot summer weather unless we want to.

You cannot escape the tropics out here. Houses are not built for central A/C. There are some privileged rooms with loud window-mounted A/C units and those are generally used at night. Philippine homes are generally made of open concrete, steel and marble with some bamboo touches to last for generations. Those plaster homes of the US wouldn't last out here over time in the Philippines, for sure.

The fabulous malls and high-end hotels do have central A/C. Cafes and businesses are...some do, some don't. Those that do use those large, blasting but ice-cold Iwata units.

Keeping windows open and a constant fan on you is not all that bad here in the Philippines, I must say.

But in the global context, I generally don't have much problem with Houston's weather.

[City Love]

Wow, that would really be a bummer!! Seriously. This Houston heat is also bearable for the mere fact that our fall/winter/spring are great.

[irishlover]

Not being able to look forward to any seasonal relief would drive me crazy. The thought of November - April weather in Houston gets me thorough May-October.

[ShelbyGirl1]

Originally Posted by worldlyman

I've been here in the Philippines that past month. It's my 3rd time. Visited from Mindanao (Surigao del Sur province) and back to Bataan here in Luzon.

We Americans talk about "heat and humidity" but man, you talk about hot and humid YEAR ROUND, with little in the way of relief...you ought to spend a month out here.

It is a Houston June out here pretty much every month of the year...the "winter" merely being a rain and monsoon season. (The Luzon Highlands which include areas like Baguio are indeed way up in altitude and the weather is San Diego-like but this is a small part of this myriad island tropical nation.)

Houston is like this for about five months of the year. Plus we have silent, central A/C to moderate it for those times.

I average at least 3 cold baths a day out here in the Philippines. Sometimes 4 days. In Houston, I average one shower a day, two on my work-out days 3x a week. As hot as it is in H-town during summer, we don't necessarily wear the hot summer weather unless we want to.

You cannot escape the tropics out here. Houses are not built for central A/C. There are some privileged rooms with loud window-mounted A/C units and those are generally used at night. Philippine homes are generally made of open concrete, steel and marble with some bamboo touches to last for generations. Those plaster homes of the US wouldn't last out here over time in the Philippines, for sure.

The fabulous malls and high-end hotels do have central A/C. Cafes and businesses are...some do, some don't. Those that do use those large, blasting but ice-cold Iwata units.

Keeping windows open and a constant fan on you is not all that bad here in the Philippines, I must say.

But in the global context, I generally don't have much problem with Houston's weather.

Thanks for putting it all in perspective for us! Stay cool!

[SteveArmy]

1) you probably got fat
2) I wish people here took baths daily. I know thats part of the religion in the PH
3) remember, it was a spanish colony : grown men are allowed to walk around under the sun with an umbrella. thats also effective at picking up ladies

[hsw]

World's highest standard of living is found in TX or CA suburbia: newer housing w/modern HVAC and spacious garages, drive own climate-controlled cars to newer offices w/modern HVAC and spacious garages; and can easily drive and park nr any dining or shopping, also w/HVAC (or, even better, shop online)

Makes any inclement weather far more bearable than in ThirdWorld places like Manhattan, let alone Asia, where lack of modern HVAC and lack of a car culture means one is far more exposed to any weather (and others' poor hygiene)

[I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA]

Originally Posted by City Love

Wow, that would really be a bummer!! Seriously. This Houston heat is also bearable for the mere fact that our fall/winter/spring are great.

Not for me, nothing is bearable about the heat here. And to me, fall/winter/ spring ain't that great either, although the past winter was almost decent

[SteveArmy]

Originally Posted by I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA

Not for me, nothing is bearable about the heat here. And to me, fall/winter/ spring ain't that great either, although the past winter was almost decent

have you tried putting an ice cube under your armpits?

[EEstudent]

Originally Posted by hsw

World's highest standard of living is found in TX or CA suburbia: newer housing w/modern HVAC and spacious garages, drive own climate-controlled cars to newer offices w/modern HVAC and spacious garages; and can easily drive and park nr any dining or shopping, also w/HVAC (or, even better, shop online)

Makes any inclement weather far more bearable than in ThirdWorld places like Manhattan, let alone Asia, where lack of modern HVAC and lack of a car culture means one is far more exposed to any weather (and others' poor hygiene)

Maybe you should live in an HVAC controlled vessel so that you aren't exposed to the 3rd world out there. And you can do your shopping, sightseing, and living through either a computer or a TV.

[alphajet]

Go Visit Boracay Island over there.....it's perfect 365 days a year - you will forget about everything including Houston after your second cocktail....