In this Daily: A Costa Rican Snow Day
Last night it began to rain in town around 11pm, and after a brief break for an hour or so overnight picked back up again and continued into the morning.
The rain started to come down a little more around dawn, and throughout the morning it has remained strong and consistent, no heavier or lighter than the usual morning or afternoon shower, but lasting quite a bit longer
This is a result of two factors: a chain of slow moving storms out in the Pacific, and some winds coming all of the way from Antarctica. As winds coming from the south hit Ecuador, they curve inward towards Panama, hugging the coast. Winds further out in the ocean also curve to the east to fill the space left by this wind, which has pulled pieces of the storm towards northwest coast of Costa Rica. If these winds continue, it may be a partly rainy few days as pieces of the storm are slowly pulled towards Central America and dissipate.
These rains have brought some noticeable changes to trails and town’s streets. On Sugar Beach, the waterfall right at the bottom of the hill is running strong. Some of the trails are seeing downhill water flow that means it’s best to stay off the trails for now, but will lead to smooth and well-packed trails once running water subsides.
The rain has added an extra layer of life to the streets and plazas as well. On Paseo Arbol and parts of Calle Cartagena the drains are flowing like rivers as they carry water down through town towards the ocean. The stream in the Monkey Corridor is full and flowing as well, creating a little estuary out towards Playa Danta. Along the downhill parts of the Calle La Ronda, the water’s running across the cantera stone in a thin smooth layer. The fountains all throughout town are bubbling with fresh water.
There’s another reason for this extra layer of life. During heavier rainfall, schools in the area can often be canceled for various reasons. This morning, with the consistent rain, there was a sense of anticipation among students and their families around town as they prepared for school, keeping an eye on phones for news. It wasn’t decided until the very last minute, just before the school bus left, that the kids would have school off for the day, leading to a joyful rush back out into town as kids celebrated the Costa Rican version of a snow day.
In Costa Rica, rainy days like this one are “pasados por agua”, or “passed by water”, and they always come with a slight shift in the schedule and creative rainy day activities. Some kids in town have already started the day by racing down to the beach to play and searching for puddles and rivers around town, and there are a few special activities going on today to make this día pasado por agua lively and fun.
Cuatro Calle La Ronda is taking orders for Tico Breakfasts at home until noon. At 10:30, Limonada is hosting a tico cooking class to learn how to make picadillo and tortilla palmeada with Chef Christian. At noon, Limonada is also showing “Coco” on the second floor, with a special menu of cozy homestyle lunch options.
Throughout the afternoon, Limonada has soups, coffee, and cakes as a rainy day treat. For a relaxing break, Wake Day Spa is offering a special deal on all massages from 10am to 6pm. Then the last event towards the end of the day will be a cocktail-making session at the bar in Ponciana.
These rainy day activities, as well as the fact that you can still do almost every outdoor activity in town today anyway, are one of the many reasons that rain is a fun part of life around Las Catalinas.