When it rains

After a month of living in Singapore it finally decides to rain. The anticipation of a large thunderstorm had been building for weeks. Colleagues from all corners were willing to share their stories about the wicked torrential monsoon rains. We had even seen the umbrella vending machines lying in waiting.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/manuel69/ - CC Commons

The actual rain storm wasn't quite so exciting but it was still interesting watching people behave in the rain. I was half way through running home on an urban bash through the roads and overpasses. It began with a few heavy drops and then eventually rose to a crescendo. The massive metre deep road side ditches, which are a danger for any tired runner were full of gushing water. A mass of umbrellas appear from peoples bags, as some kind of insurance policy. The workers stand beside the road waiting for the buses which unleash a depressing splash as they dive through the roadside puddles to wet a bus stop of innocent bystanders. The rain seems to soak the life away from people wandering the street, heads down, trudging off with wet pants and shirts. I was pretty happy running along at least the rain dropped the temperature a bit.

The rain for Singapore is like the wind of Wellington or the smog of Santiago. Just an element of a city which makes it just a little bit quirky.