Today is the winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year. In the tropics (Vapi is at 20°N latitude), the shortest day is not all that much shorter than the longest day: 11 hours and 13 hours, respectively. In Clifton Forge (38°N), the difference is far more dramatic -- 9 hours and 15 hours, and Virginia isn't really all that far north. Anyway, back to Vapi …
The earliest sunset has already passed, but sunrise is still getting later, and won't turn around until mid-January. (That's true for the entire northern hemisphere, not just Vapi.) In October and November, we were able to enjoy the cool mornings with breakfast on our terrace. Right now it's really too dark to eat outside. And with no heat or hot water, 18°C (about 65°F) can seem quite cool.
Back home, everyone is preparing for Christmas. Here, it's merely a one-day holiday. (India acknowledges everyone's Holy Days.) Midnight mass is apparently well-attended -- you don't need to be Christian to enjoy it -- then followed by plenty of "crackers" (the exploding kind, not the eating kind). Why pass up an opportunity to party? While walking along the road today, I could swear that a passing motorcycle was honking a monotone "Bee bee beeeeep, bee bee beeeeep, bee bee bee bee beeeeep" in the Jingle Bells rhythm.
The earliest sunset has already passed, but sunrise is still getting later, and won't turn around until mid-January. (That's true for the entire northern hemisphere, not just Vapi.) In October and November, we were able to enjoy the cool mornings with breakfast on our terrace. Right now it's really too dark to eat outside. And with no heat or hot water, 18°C (about 65°F) can seem quite cool.
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| I've decorated for Christmas with battery-operated LED lights. Pretty minimalist. Next year I'll stock up on lights during Diwali. |
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| Today's photo has nothing to do with the topic -- just wanted to show that it's not only cattle that like to sleep in the street. |
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