As I have traveled south from Honduras to Costa Rica, I have hit rainy season over and over. I am not sure if I had any 100% rain-free days since mid-May. (Until yesterday.)
I was in Guatemala, in the rains, when I told my friend I would arrive in his country in days. Loving Guatemala (specifically my friend Terre and her family), but tired of the rain, I asked how the weather was in San Salvador. The answer — sunny and dry. The day before I arrived it rained there for the first time that season. Then, just as my bus pulled into the bus stop to let us off in San Salvador, the rain came pouring down. We all had to make mad dashes to get our luggage from under the bus and into the small doorway with minimal damages. (Wet boxes, luggage and backpacks are not fun.)
I wasn’t typically bothered by the rains. They came and went. It was a part of life. Only a couple of times did the rain ruin plans. I thought I had lived out the rainy season in El Salvador. Not so bad. In fact, the cloud dances were always magnificent in San Salvador. And there is a lot to be said for traveling off season. Then I arrived in Costa Rica and found it was rainy season here, and I must admit some frustration.
Unlike people who take a short vacation or plan around the weather, I have no schedule and take things as they come. If I had stayed less time in any one county, would I have had better weather? Maybe. But I would have missed put on experiences, on meeting people and making friends, on learning and discovery. So the weather is what it is.
But that said, after torrential rains my few days so far on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast, I am very happy that I was able to go out and get to synagogue, then to explore San Jose yesterday without rain. And I am thrilled that I was able to sit outside all day today to work and enjoy a rainless day.
Update: it went into 4 days without real rain.