Running hot not cold

I want to mention this before it cools down too much more.

Of course, "cooling down" is a relative term. Low 100s now feel utterly livable, especially when there is no humidity. I step out of the building at 6:45 or 7 a.m. to catch a cab to work and have lately been cheered by a noticeable drop in morning temps. Mind you, it is already well into the 90s at 7 a.m., but recently it's been dry and the air has been moving (to call it a breeze would be going way too far, even now).

So, in light of the signs of changing seasons, I wanted to let you in on something everyone in Abu Dhabi knows, and everyone in the northern climes may find hard to believe. There is absolutely no need for hot-water heaters in this place from June to October. It's not a question of not wanting to take a hot shower; it's a question of not being able to take anything else. There is no cold water to be had. In fact, when one wants to take a hot shower, one jumps in and turns the faucet all the way to cold. Out pours deliciously warm water that steams the mirror and gets the job done. Putting the faucet on cold simply means the water will come in straight through the pipes and not via the water heater (which is the European kind you have to turn on and wait for 20 minutes for it to heat up). This water, straight from the pipes, is warm enough to fill your Jacuzzi. Every time.

As many of you know, I lived in Cameroon, a country in central Africa for two years. Never, even in the hottest, most tropical parts of the country or in the driest Sahel region up north was it ever hot enough to get hot water running out of the pipes. Assuming one had pipes that water ran through. The Arabian Peninsula is a whole new level of sustained heat. I'll be sure to let you know when I have to use my hot water heater again. Anyone care to guess the date?