Winter ~ What is That?

It is November and here in Panama we are now into our last month of the rainy season or in Central America also known as "Winter".  Winter in Panama starts when the rains start in May and ends when they stop in December.  I myself love the rainy season.  We are not talking Seattle or England rains, the rainy season in Panama consists of an epic thunderstorm a few times a week.  The mornings are clear and cooler (78F/24C) and the afternoons often consist of a shower or sometimes just overcast skies.  The breezes come off the ocean and everything is green.

Come December the rains will stop.  When I say stop that means we will not see a drop of rain until April.  The winds change and come out of the north and they become stronger.  The leaves on many trees fall and everything turns brown.  This is what they call Summer and it runs from the day the rains stop and ends when the rains start in May.

My favourite time of year is Winter in Panama (May - November).  I enjoy the cozy afternoons inside and I love the dramatic storms.  I also enjoy not having to water our plants, and the fact that all is green and lush.  The summer does have its advantages.  It usually means family and friends are going to be visiting as we can guarantee them perfect weather and an escape from the harsh Canadian winters.  It also means you can plan your day and we can pretty much fly anytime we want as weather is not a factor.

A rainy season morning

As we head into 2013 this will mark my 6th winter south.  Which means that other than the week we travel to find snow and ski I have not had to endure a Canadian winter in 6 years.  I will say that although I miss autumn and Canada in June, I have not for one minute had the urge to head north to experience a Canadian winter.

There are definitely times when I miss Toronto.  They have become few and far between, as I become more comfortable in my adopted country.  Over the years my Spanish has improved, and we have adapted to the culture and the ways of Panama life.  Today the things I miss from Toronto are family and friends.  The novelty of the tropics has not worn off.  How can it?  I wake up every morning to clean tropical air.  I have the Pacific Ocean 3kms away.  My dogs really don't know what a leash is and bananas are 9 cents each.  Our hammock is our outdoor lounge 365 days a year and we have parrots that fly overhead in seas of green at dusk.  I have coconuts and a papaya in my yard and every year from May to July I am giving away mangoes as there are simply too many for our freezer.

Taken back in 2010..but a nice illustration of the dry season.

Epic, heart stopping storms

There is no perfect destination, there is no perfect reality.  However, with that said my life here in Panama is perfectly suited to our lifestyle today.  Who knows about tomorrow, bananas may go up to 12cents and the rains may never come.  As I always maintain it is part of the adventure and can only be experienced if you give up the life you planned and enjoy the life that is waiting for you.