The hottest day of the year

so far.

Yesterday in Cairo it was 42 degrees Celsius, which is 107 Fahrenheit. The poor air quality makes it feel even hotter. But there are warmer places. It gets hotter in upper Egypt (where some friends who are visiting from the US are traveling right now). It gets hotter in the desert where the campus is located. The air conditioning in my office doesn't work either. Something about the electricity. The repairman just left. My classrooms are cool, though.

I generally like the heat, but this is extreme, though it does have some advantages. I made the most of yesterday by doing two loads of laundry which I hang off a balcony clothesline to dry. I did the first load in the morning and it dried so quickly that I was able to wash and dry another load before the sun set. Lots of heavy cottons too and it was all bone dry by the time I brought it inside.