These brilliant flame tree (delonix regia, royal poinciana) flowers (maybe they were just brilliant because of the overwhelming sun ;-)) were in one of the many small parks that dot the Diplomatic Quarter. Somebody must water them so there is obviously enough water to tend gardens here, although my understanding is that most people don't have greenery at their houses.

What I did discover while doing the laundry the other day is that we have no cold water! All the water comes from a tank on the roof, and with these temperatures (in the cool season, it's about 100 degrees F during the day; in the hot season, it can go up to 140 degrees) and thus is always hot. People actually turn off their hot water heaters in summer and use just the roof water because it's so incredibly hot. I haven't yet figured out how I'm going to wash my clothes then, all of which require cold water wash and rinse.