My Lonely Planet guide to Central America refers to Guatemala as 'the land of the eternal Spring'. Right now, that line feels like a cruel joke. Four solid days of rain has given me a whole new appreciation for Irish weather. Of course, all of us foreigners have been plotting our escape to sunnier Central American climes (of which more in the next blog entry). The locals, however, are incredily zen about the sudden change in climate. Their constant response to complaints from disenchanted visitors is: 'Es el tiempo de la lluvia' ('it's the season of rain'). They mouth the words slowly ('Es ... el ... tiempo...), which is uncharacteristic of Guatemaltecas, who normally speak at a thousand miles an hour. You can tell that they're just waiting for the words to sink in, in the vain hope that - once we dumb gringos finally get the message - we'll quit our darn whining.
My last week in beautiful Antigua. Despite the rain, it's quite possibly been my most fun week in the city. Climbing the Volcan Pacaya was a real highlight of the trip. I was literally standing next to a river of molten lava (sorry mum!). It was exhilarating. I can't imagine that this trip is going to survive much longer in its current incarnation (i.e. no safety requirements whatsoever), so I'm particularly glad to have had the opportunity to see the Volcana up close and personal. After a very fun night in local Antiguan discoteca, I bade farewell to my Antiguan friends and entered the next phase of my Central American adventure - a two-week whirlwind tour of Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica (of which more anon).
