By Supanut Leepaisomboon

LLB07, Faculty of Law, Thammasat University Tha Prachan Campus

Introduction

In Thailand, summers usually run from March to around May, and this is when the weather usually gets very hot; where temperatures can climb to above 40°C in a number of provinces (especially those located further inland). And, naturally, when the weather is super hot like this people try to cool down in any way they could.

For me personally, I hate the summer heat. It’s really uncomfortable, especially with the swet. Thus naturally I try to cool down in any way I could, just like with everyone else during this time of the year. Therefore in this article I will go over the two most favorite activities I do to cool down and escape the Sun’s heat – staying indoors and swimming.

Staying indoors

Staying indoors is obviously an ideal way to escape the heat. After all, nothing is more comfortable than sitting and relaxing under the aircon, and that’s exactly what I like to do to escape the fury of the Sun.

Of course, just sitting under the aircon is pretty boring, so I need something else to do as well; and I can do a lot of things. I can of course work on my laptop (or desktop if I’m at home). Using my phone to read news, chat with people or watch Youtubevideos makes things a lot less boring. Having my favorite inflatable blue swan by my side makes things even better. But of course having people around to chat with would be the best.

Another thing I like to do while staying indoors, under the right circumstance and environment, is to take a nap. I can nap for hours on end under the right conditions and in the right environment, such as if I can lay down on something soft like a sofa or a bed. That would be the best way to past time, especially if I don’t have anything else to do.

In addition to just sitting around and relaxing, going for someshopping is another thing to do to escape the heat of summer. I like to go walking around in shopping malls, especially in the IT section. It’s always fun seeing new laptops on display and trying them out and learning about their specs and my in-person experience contributes quite heavily into my decision whether to buy it or not. Since these are high-value items, I prefer to see the real product in person before deciding whether to spend money on it, and my newest laptop (which is an Asus Zenbook) is no exception. After seeing it in person and using it a bit, I decided that I really like it and so decided to buy it.

Swimming

Ah, the classic activity to do in order to escape the Sun’s heat. It’s pretty much the go to activity when we all want to get away from the fury of the Sun. I always enjoy swimming, especially just floating around with my favorite inflatable toys. It’s so, so satisfying.

But of course, I don’t like loneliness, so I tend to go swimming only when there are people. The best place to go swimming is of course in a water park. The closest one to me is Pororo water park atop Central Bang Nah. I just went there last Saturday (March 25th, 2023).

I usually go there every few weeks during the hotter months, like during this time of the year and I can stay there for like hours. There are lots of people and of course, I get to cool down. The water in the pools is just at the right temperature – not too cold. And from what I can observe last week, the water park seems to be very crowded especially during this time of the year. Of course everyone wants to escape the Sun’s fury but right now it’s also school holiday for children in Thai schools.

In addition to the water park, I also enjoy swimming when going on holiday trips. During hot weather like right now, once I go in the hotel pool I can stay there for like hours (if there are people around of course). This upcoming Songkran, for instance, I’m going to Pran Buri with my parents and, given that it’s a long holiday, there would be lots of people in the pool and so I could expect to sbe spending hours hanging out in the pool, escaping the Sun’s intense heat.

Now, you might be wondering why I don’t go swimming in the ocean. Well, that’s because my feat can get pretty dirty once I go back to the shores. The beach sands usually get into my shoes and, once my feat is wet, the sands tend to stick to my feat, causing my shoes to be quite dirty. And since the ocean is not enclosed, I can only use my inflatable ring, and even then I would have to wear it all the time in order to prevent it from floating away forever. But with a hotel pool I don’t have to wear the ring all the time, and I can bring other kinds of inflatable toys with me too, like a dolphin, a whale or a swan.

Conclusion

During the summer months, everyone has their favorite things to do to escape the Sun’s fury. For me staying indoors and swimming are my two ideal activities to do in order to escape the heat of summer. When indoors, I like to take a nap, work on my laptop or desktop, play with my inflatable blue swan and chat with anyone that are physically around. I also enjoy going for a walk at shopping malls and exploring new laptops in the IT section. When going for a swim, I like going to a water park to cool down and to relax and hang out with strangers that I met. When going on family trips I like to spend time in the hotel pool, again to hang out and talk to strangers that I come across.