Woke up late today and decided to go for a walk to the lookout on the way to Santa Catarina. I chose to ignore the dark blue clouds on the horizon as I set out.
Didn't huff and puff too badly on the long upward walk to the mirador. I remember the first time I walked up there, six years ago, and I hadn't yet adjusted to the altitude and felt like I had a bad hangover -- dizzy, breathless, and pain in the back of my head. Now it's just regular pain from being out of shape and climbing a big hill for 45 minutes. Totally worth it though, as you can see from this picture.
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| View from the lookout (mirador) near Santa Catarina Palopó, Guatemala |
Just as I arrived at the viewing area, the rain started. I took some video, gazed around a bit, then figured I should start walking back. The thing with rain in Guatemala is that it could stop in 10 minutes or it go on all night, and it's hard to predict which is going to happen. So it's often just best to get it over with, even if you get soaked.
The rain got heavier as I walked downhill at a brisk pace. It's the end of dry season, all the leaves are brown, (hmm, that's a song, isn't it?), so it feels warm like summer but it smells like fall. I was wearing a tank top and shorts, but it wasn't that cold until I entered an open area where the wind blew off the lake. Brrr. I was happy I wore a baseball hat too as it kept the rain off my head. I'm sure I would have been a lot colder if my hair was wet. As it was, the most irritating part of walking in the rain was that my feet slipped around in my sandals.
About halfway home, it actually hailed for a little bit. The hailstones were pretty small, about the size of Nerds candy (weird size reference, sorry) and they pinged off the steamy asphalt and stung my arms as they fell. I figure that's the closest I've been to a snowstorm in six years. Luckily, it didn't last for long. I think I would have taken shelter if I was going to get pelted with hail for more than a few minutes.
Was soaked to the skin by the time I got home. It was nice to warm up with a hot coffee. It's a weird thing here when the weather is so nice all the time. Any change, even a supposed negative one like getting caught in the rain, seems exciting. I always thought that winter makes summer feel better. Here in Guatemala, the rainy season makes you appreciate the dry season.
So here's some video for your enjoyment.
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