The Heat in Palm Springs

The sun was high in the sky when we left Banning and continued on to Palm Springs. It wasn’t too late when we arrived, so we headed down to Oasis Water Resort, where we were super lucky to get in for free. That meant we saved 21 dollars each! There was a guy standing at the entrance handing out free tickets, and I guess we must have looked pretty nice that day since he chose to give us some. The weather was absolutely perfect for a day at the water park—but then again, it’s like that every day in Palm Springs, where summer temperatures rarely dip below 30 degrees. Today, it was a scorching 47 degrees, which Mette really struggled with. After a dip in one of the pools, we dried off in about a minute. It was seriously hot! I had a cap on, but Mette had nothing to protect her head, so her scalp got scorched. After lounging comfortably by the water’s edge for a few hours, we drove downtown Palm Springs, where we found a hotel, Palm Canyon Inn, to stay at. Luckily, our room had air conditioning, so we avoided sleeping in an oven at night. But we weren’t ready for bed yet; we still wanted to check out the much-talked-about nightlife. Our hotel was a bit away from the main street, where restaurants, bars, and clubs lined both sides, but it was close enough for us to walk. We had heard good things about Village Pub from several people, so that’s where we started. There were three bars: one downstairs, one upstairs, and one outside. Most people preferred the outdoor bar, even though it was still ridiculously hot despite the late hour. In Denmark, happy hour almost never starts before 8 PM, but in the USA, it kicks off at 5 PM, so we missed out on their deals since we prefer to eat before we drink. But no worries, we just had to pay a little extra. Village Pub was super cozy, and we met quite a few other travelers. Some of them had settled here permanently because the town has a truly unique climate. It gets unbelievably hot in the summer, but they also get snow in the winter. Just a two-hour drive from here is a very popular ski area. Later, we found another, more off-the-beaten-path bar where the prices were a bit lower. It was called Saloon and was also a hangout for none other than Keanu Reeves, although he didn’t stop by that night. Saloon had a slightly darker vibe than the other bars along the main street. But don’t get me wrong, the bartenders and other guests were all really friendly, and there was a great relaxed atmosphere. On our way home, we passed a sex shop that was having a late-night sale. We just had to pop in and take a look. We were having a good laugh over their selection and chatting about it in Danish when a girl next to us suddenly spoke to us in Danish and said, “Hey, I think that too.” She was referring to the thing we were talking about. She was also one of those who had settled here permanently. So, be careful if you think you can always speak loudly in Danish; suddenly, the trap snaps, and someone understands what you’ve said. So remember to keep it nice!