Gordon: This morning it was only 18° C when we set off in the pre-dawn light, rising to 27 degrees in the afternoon. This is the first day we did not experience a high of at least 30 degrees. Today's conditions were excellent for Canadian cyclists, but the cause of great concern for the citizenry of Thailand. The government has advised the young, the old and the infirm to keep warm during the next week. It has been recommended that a state of disaster be declared if a city experiences three consecutive nights with lows less than 15 degrees. The first death attributed to the cold was also reported: a middle-aged man who fell asleep in a tent while drunk.
The state of alarm seems laughable to Canadians, even the soft ones from the west coast, but I suppose we all become concerned when conditions veer too far from normal. In Victoria we would become alarmed if we experienced a week of temperatures over 32 degrees, which would be completely ordinary in Thailand. While I hope no further drunks are lost to hypothermia, Ruth and I will be pleased if the cool spell lasts for weeks.
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