Quick comment on the rain.

It rained yesterday for about 10 minutes. It rained today about the same.

We have a drying line in the back of the house, and when it's hot and dry, no problems.

But here's a reminder if you're moving here and love to hang clothes to dry like I do. Watch out for the rain clouds. Most of my line is under an overhang, but some is not and gets direct sun. I hung towels on the exposed lines this morning figuring the sun would dry them faster than plain tropical heat. The only hitch in this plan was that it rained. Not generally a problem in the U.S. if you don't mind a longer drying time. But we haven't had a good storm in a long time, and the pollution haze hanging over the city has been extreme.

I collected the towels to throw them into the dryer (they were more damp, not soaking) and every one of them had a long black strip where they'd hung over the drying line.

Dasmarinas Village may be a haven in this town with its tree-lined streets but nothing says it clearer than newly laundered items turning black from the rain.

We breathe this stuff. When's our trip to Hong Kong? And until then, when are we getting OUT of this city for a break?