How To Acclimatise To Thailand?

[HalfSquat]

Did you acclimatize to the heat and humidity in Thailand?

How long did it take you? Is it even possible?

People I have spoken to who have been out here a year or so say they haven't (they are from the UK).

Is there anything you can do to help it along?

What with all the air-con is it likely to happen?

Thanks.

[wamberal]

Depends on your circumstances, whether or not you are still working, etc. If you are stuck in an air-conditioned office during the day, it is probably difficult to acclimatise properly.

I find I can sleep okay just with the overhead fan on, provided there is reasonable cross-flow ventilation as well.

It is important to get enough exercise, eat the right foods (not too much protein, lots of fresh fruit and veges), drink enough water and not too much alcohol.

It is also obviously important to dress appropriately, and avoid too much exertion during the heat of the day.

[DP25]

Depends on the person, but for me never. The country would be unlivable without air con. The climate is one of the things I dislike about Thailand.

[samuibeachcomber]

difficult to aclimatise if you come from europe,maybe easier to live up north,not so humid,although still hot but a drier heat,and cooler during winter months.

[Maigo6]

difficult to aclimatise if you come from europe,maybe easier to live up north,not so humid,although still hot but a drier heat,and cooler during winter months.

Yep, the cooler months are great up North, Loei gets many tourists from Bangkok during the cool season.

Then again, make sure to bring some warm clothes, it gets cold !!!!

[007]

Did you acclimatize to the heat and humidity in Thailand?

How long did it take you? Is it even possible?

I'm an asthmatic; the first time I went through the airport door into Bangkok's open I almost suffocated, because of the heat and the air-pollution. It was my first visit to the tropics, and I sweat like a pig. But after only a few days I was completely acclimatized. (But yes, being fond of heat does help.)

Nowadays it's rather difficult for me to cope with the cold weather and low humidity when travelling to the old world. (Any advice how to withstand cold and windy 'temperate' climate after years in the tropics highly appreciated.)

[Huey]

I'm from Philadelphia Originally but I found the temperature to be to my liking. I only really had issues acclimating to the food. That took a couple weeks or so but I love the weather.

[JR Texas]

I'm from Philadelphia Originally but I found the temperature to be to my liking. I only really had issues acclimating to the food. That took a couple weeks or so but I love the weather.

No........I have never acclimated to the extreme heat (and it seems to get hotter each year).

It is like living in a mosquito infested hot house.........people from the West don't realize this (the tourists brochures and real estate agents don't point it out).

Unless you are living on top of a condo on a windy beach, it is normally just plain too hot for Westerners.

You have to spend a lot of time inside any place that has an AC turned on.......and many expats do.

Three seasons: hot, hotter, hottest.

This is Southeast Asia..........the tropics..........goes with the territory.

People from cold countries come here and think, at first, it is great. Then they finally start to miss the seasonal changes.........know that before you retire here.

Others just love the hot weather and want it hotter..........strange people if you ask me.

[egg]

l dont think l will ever aclimatise to Thailand ,,coming from southern Australia ,,, l thought to have more than 2 months of warm weather would be great ,, but after 5 years l still go into a full blown sweat when l fart ,,,l just get used to sweating a lot ,,

cheers

egg

[yabaaaa]

Sometimes I find it too hot but really only notice when doing something physical and suddenly find sweat dripping off my eyelids and nose something I havent had happen before.

[jombom]

I have acclimatised to the heat, but not the humidity. An American friend of mine, who has been here 20 years, says it requires large quantities of red hot chili peppers.

Changing your diet does help. Some posters have already given advice on this.

Also reducing dependence on aircon helps. Try increasing the temperature a little each month until you can get by with fans.

Now I have reached a position of acceptance ----- this is the way it is ------ just grin and bear it!

At least we will be getting some relief shortly, when the monsoon reverses (usually between mid Oct and mid Nov).

[Patong Bob]

I agree with last post. Try to work and live without aircon, seen too many people live in their rooms during really hot weather with the aircon on.

Get rid of it, take lots of showers, change your clothes often -laundry is cheap - drink some gatorade on really hot or oppressive days.

Enjoy.

[noahvail]

I think as you get older your body is happier to acclimatize to heat rather than cold. I spent a lot of years in Maine, where 40 below for several days at a clip was somewhat unusual, but happened every year. The North Island of New Zealand isn't really *that* cold, but it was quite humid where I was, and the cold seemed to go through me. Walked off the plane in BKK, on the jetway, felt the blast of heat, and smiled. I also love Thai food, bring on the village chilis, the ones the Thai keep for themselves - that'll rev your motors! The good thing is I've lost about 10 kgs in a year without trying.

Best tip I can give you is if you've got anything to do outside, like lawn mowing, washing the car, painting - do it early in the morning, then sit and enjoy the afternoon heat with a frosty iced tea :-)

Now, acclimatizing to the traffic...haven't figured out how to do that :-O

[Huey]

Actually I think there are 2 seasons. Hot and Hot & Wet. But still, its nothing really. I mean have any of you ever lived in the middle east? I lived in Kuwait for a couple years, that place makes Thailand look like Siberia...or how about Dubai in August.. That sh*t is just on another level.

[lioness]

Some folks have their air conditioning on all the time, and can't stand to be without. Very hard for these people to acclimatise. Now we are in the cooler months try managing with fans, and wean yourself off the air conditioning, assuming you have it.

Feeling a bit warm take a cool shower, you will get used to it eventually.

[thaihome]

I want to know how a poster with the name JR Texas can say westerners can never acclimatize to the weather in Thailand. There are 4 months a year where most parts of Texas have an average temperature of over 90 F, which is about the same average temperature for Bangkok (though admittedly all year).

Living in the US Deep South for most of my life prepared me for living in SEA, I do the same thing here I did there, when indoors use the AC, and avoid exertion outside, except for golf.

TH

[OxfordWill]

You mean the heat? Dont turn on the air con during the day. Sit with a fan.

The number one tip is: stop letting things bother you. Something which would normally annoy you happens- dismiss it as unimportant. Get used to doing this and your heartbeat never rises enough to bring your body temp up. People think the Thais have a nevermind attitude for some cultural reason but its actually just that they have mastered how to avoid getting hot and bothered in this climate.

Edited October 7, 2009 by OxfordWill

[eek]

Im from Scotland, and i grew up CONSTANTLY numb and cold, so i love the heat. Humidity is my downfall. Even in the hot season im comfortable. I rarely use the air con. Last winter here in Chiang Mai I had to wrap up a lot in the mornings and evenings. Really loathed the cold mornings! No idea why i seem to feel the cold more than most people, maybe poor circulation? I exercise and i dont have much body fat, maybe thats a contributing factor. Not sure.

[toptuan]

I agree with last post. Try to work and live without aircon, seen too many people live in their rooms during really hot weather with the aircon on.

Get rid of it, take lots of showers, change your clothes often -laundry is cheap - drink some gatorade on really hot or oppressive days.

Enjoy.

I spent the entire first year without A/C in Isaan (a bit hotter than most of the rest of Thailand). Acclimatized in about 3 months, provided I had a couple of fans and a cross-breeze in the apartment. And that was coming from one of the mildest climates on earth--Seattle.

[Jingthing]

I am almost fully acclimatized. Being cheap helps. I just couldn't bear paying for aircon electricity, so I didn't. I think that is the number one thing you have to do if you want to try this: forget the aircon. I live in Pattaya with the cool ocean breezes but of course we get hot weather and very humid weather. It took me perhaps 2 years to fully acclimatize. I am at the point where I do not enjoy or want hot showers, I like them COLD. There are a few days of the year where it is really cold here so during those days I use hot water for the shower. For me, that is acid test, whether you prefer cold showers. I still sweat in the hot heat, but about at 1/3 to 1/2 as much as before. I do eat lots of hot peppers but I always have and don't know how that makes much difference. I did come from California where I didn't use aircon either (probably makes a difference).

Edited October 7, 2009 by Jingthing

[pokerkid]

Living in a house that is designed for the thai climate is one of the most important things to me. i don't even have aircon in the house.

[a99az]

Did you acclimatize to the heat and humidity in Thailand?

How long did it take you? Is it even possible?

People I have spoken to who have been out here a year or so say they haven't (they are from the UK).

Is there anything you can do to help it along?

What with all the air-con is it likely to happen?

Thanks.

I am from the UK and have found Thailands wether nice, but I live in the north Chiang Mai. What helped me to ajust to the weather was living in sothern Spain for 18 years. Keep away from the AC just use a fan on the hot days. Go slow don't rush about like it is your last day on earth.

[Meridian007]

Removing your reliance on aircon is key to acclimatising. I'm from Canada, and I lived in Ottawa for almost a decade. Ottawa gets at least 2 weeks of -40 C weather each year, so you could say I was used to a cold environment.

When I came to Thailand I kept my aircon on all the time, and I was miserable when I went out. After two years I tried lowering my usage, now at three years I'm off it almost completely (I'll use it some nights for an hour before bed to remove some of the humidity, but it goes off before I'm asleep). I still sweat when I'm walking a lot outside, but not as much.

The biggest benefit was to my health. I used to get get sick almost every month in Canada, and spent most of the winter (6 months) in a constant state of illness. I caught a mild case of pneumonia in my undergrad years, and I think that was the beginning of this problem. It was reduced a bit when I first came to Thailand, but now that I rarely use my aircon, I only get sick once or twice a year. I think our bodies require a certain amount of humidity to work properly, and I wasn't getting that in Canada. I have to go home to visit next spring, and I'm worried that I'll get immediately sick!

[BugJackBaron]

Some thoughts:

As a tourist I spent my first week or so in Bangkok and Pattaya and then the rest in the North.

Noticably cooler in Chiang Mai and area where it is only unbearably hot between noon and 5 pm

So as a tourist I would read papers in coffee shops in the afternoon and explore in the morning.

Much less humidity too. At night it is actually cool - at least during the cool season(in the mountains it

can even be really cold at night)

Bangkok is apparently the hottest city in the world. If you are wearing a suit and tie and, say,

teaching English, you may find yourself sweating like a pig by the time you get back to your

home at night. It is hot and humid even in the evening.

Pattaya and Phuket are similar but you get the cooling effect of the sea breeze there which

helps somewhat.

Yes you can acclimatise to a certain extent but be aware that even Thais complain about the

heat - just as Canadians do about the cold and snow.

[syd barrett]

I don't have a problem with the heat, but I would say it probably takes several months to adjust and during that time you must never use air-con night or day.

Once you have adjusted, lets say after six months then only use the aircon at night during the most humid months and make sure that the air-con temperature is high not cool. (That is to sleep with a single sheet unclothed).

[HalfSquat]

Thanks for the replies. When you say you have acclimatised does that mean you don't sweat when walking about in the middle of the day?

I sleep with the air-con on at 26C other wise I wake up in the night covered in sweat! In the day I try to keep it to a minimum where I can.

[mauGR1]

Depends on your circumstances, whether or not you are still working, etc. If you are stuck in an air-conditioned office during the day, it is probably difficult to acclimatise properly.

I find I can sleep okay just with the overhead fan on, provided there is reasonable cross-flow ventilation as well.

It is important to get enough exercise, eat the right foods (not too much protein, lots of fresh fruit and veges), drink enough water and not too much alcohol.

It is also obviously important to dress appropriately, and avoid too much exertion during the heat of the day.

It is really that simple.

Funny how some people come to SEA,eat lots of meat,drink lots of alcohol and turn on the air-con..

Next,when they put their nose outside they moan about global warming..

[chrgrims]

In the beginning i tried to run the ac all day and nite. But it was like fighting against the water in the sea. People walking in and out, creating dips in the cool, very high electricity bill etc. So, i start the day with only a fan now, and turn on the ac after an afternoon shower. This works well for us. trying to fight the heat in the day just doesnt work for me. Some hours in the middle of the day are very hot, but its only a few hours.

[OxfordWill]

You will still sweat on some days, of course.. and if youre overweight you will do so more.. even thais canty avoid that.

[jackr]

Love extreme heat and don't mind the cold, although much prefer to live in the heat... a big plus of being here. Besides, it's good for you, keeps everything supple and sweating is also good. Being in Chiang Mai, it is nice to get the cool winter months for a break though. Only use aircon an hour when hitting the sack when it's hot and never set below 27/28 degrees. Drinking (not gulping) water constantly is a must for keeping everything ticking over properly and not stressing the organs, especially in this heat. Never allow yourself to become thirsty as the body goes into emergency mode and gos haywire, making things more uncomfortable. Also, using electrolytes like Dechamp is a must for replacing salts