Monsoon Season - Part 1

Bring it ON!

From a distance, this is what I've been hoping for... Typically one short cloudburst each afternoon + evening, precluded by a quick wind so you know it's coming. Though it often stops people in their tracks, there's not so much urgency here to be someplace at a set time, so most people hurry for cover in doorways or coffeeshops and just wait it out.

During the day - Dramatic clouds and the downpour cool things off and make the heat of the day much more bearable. Women in conical hats don plastic ponchos and continue to vend their produce to neighborhood restaurants. Just today, we got caught off-guard in the market of a small town we're visiting and waited out the worst of it over lunch and iced coffee. Vendors moved plastic buckets under holes in the tarps to collect water for dish-washing, others used the overflowing buckets to rinse down the pavement in their work areas. Buckets were continually swapped out as they quickly filled, one after the other.

In the evening - You can actually SEE it coming, then enjoy a fantastic display of lightning + thunder as a torrential wall of water bears down while people continue enjoying their dinner + beers under awnings.

Don't let this time of year keep you away from a tropical destination. We're digging it! Bring an umbrella and be prepared for an occasional day-long downpour (most likely in August - Mid October, though sometimes in June + July at the start of the season too), and for the heat. But that's why our recommended itineraries typically allow for a few days at the beach :)

(Photo: This is an actual, un-photoshoped photo taken from our hotel, just moments before the deluge)