Matt on a hot tin roof

Taipei. Saturday 2^nd July. About 33°C, 70% humidity – feels like 38°C. Tonight, it'll be more humid, and feel like 28°C. It's been like this for about four months.

Now I'm not complaining, I've seen the bum deal London's been getting this year, but it's a fact that the weather here is pretty brutal.

So how do I cope with it? Well, I don't, for the most part. I sweat profusely and mop my brow like a 19^th century missionary. I cower in air-conditioned rooms. I wear as little as is socially acceptable. Hell, if I didn't dislike him so much, I'd peel my skin off like Robbie Williams did in that rubbish “Rock DJ” video. Anything just to get a bit of air...

And how do the Taiwanese cope with it? Well, until very recently, a large proportion wore coats. Yes, full-on coats. North Face puffa jackets stuffed with downy fur, standard issue geography teacher Berghaus waterproofs, long stylish macs (perhaps in honour of the late Peter Falk) – whatever, really, just something to keep out that terrible, sub 40°C cold.

The longer I'm here, the more I can empathise, if not sympathise. The air-conditioning on the buses and MRT is arctic. But while I take it as an opportunity to reach equilibrium, the Taiwanese view it as some sort of icy hell. There are some things this ginge will never adapt to...