Baru River – Dominical – Costa Rica – Photo by Daniel Monge
Scotty says: “no, we did not enter a time warp where the clouds of our lovely lush rainy season split, and the sun beams drizzle from the sky instead of the usual rain drops. It’s just our midyear break in the rains, called Veranillo de San Juan (or dog days) in Costa Rica.” Rain slickers are left on the coat rack; convertible tops come down, and the beaches fill up. Don’t look at the calendar for these labeled periods, we never know exactly when or if they are coming, but they usually do come anywhere from end July to late August.
For these brief periods of a dry season like weather, many working folks use up their vacation, and the kids are out of school for several days. It is the perfect time for those of us, who have been sitting out the rainy season (excuses, excuses), for getting to those outside chores we’ve been putting off since the end of April – beginning of May. The earliest this weather respite arrives is usually around Saint John the Baptist Day, June 24 (exactly six months before Christmas).
This delightful time of the year, for some reason, tempts normal folks to let down their guard: doors and windows left open when they ought not to be;unattended valuable items left visible in unlocked vehicles at the beach, and more public dress up time, showing precious assorted items of jewelry. The bad guys also come out at this time of the year, so, be on guard.
During this Indian summer like time of the year, drivers also seem to get a little more “comfortable” and daring on the roadways, which are of course rainwater free. That might be logical, but it’s not smart, especially if everybody is doing it, which is just asking for trouble (accidents). So, let’s enjoy our Veranillo de San Juan, and let’s also be safe.
