Since being a kid, I learned that the seasons are the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere from the Northern Hemisphere. Here in the Sierra of Peru I am sensing that summer is a misnomer however. Our temperatures are in the mid-sixties during the day, falling to high forties at night. Summer is actually the time for rain. January to March are not much warmer than the rest of the year, just wetter. I think the wetness actually makes the climate seem cooler than when I have visited in the summer (ours) months.
When looking at a couple of places to visit, the information said to forget going during the rainy season. The tourism board may not like that advice.
When the sun does shine here in the Sierra–Huancayo and Tarma–the day really warms up. We northerners need hats, sun block and sun glasses, which no one Peruvian seems to be wearing. The trick when going out for all day is to dress in layers and have an umbrella handy.
Given the fact that washing clothes is pretty much done by hand and no one has a clothes dryer, it is challenging to dry clothes during this rainy season. I have been messing for the last couple of days with getting jeans dry. First I hang them outside and then it starts to rain. So, I run out and get them and lay them over the ironing board. I repeat this several times, before giving up and leaving them inside to SLOWLY dry out.
The cool nights call for several warm wool blankets since there is no central heating of any kind. Peruvian homes generally have no water heaters either. So all that hand washing is done in cold water. The shower at Nataly’s house is similar to the one in Costa Rica. There is a kind of water heater rather than a shower head. It’s about the size of a cantaloupe. This functions sort of well depending on the day and time. The showering person has to discover by trial and error just the right point to turn on the water in order to get hot temps.
At Gladys’ house there is warm water until about 10 in the morning. After that, there is often no water at all until the next day. Gladys has a water tank and so has cold water all day for household needs. Given the fact of the rainy season, it’s hard to understand why water isn’t available all day. At least in Tarma, we always have water. Tarma’s water mainly comes from springs. Our handy man says that if you dig about a meter down in the lower part of town, you’ll hit water. Luckily we’re up the hill aways!
Gladys has gone off to visit relatives in Lima. She was complaining to a not-very-sympathetic-me that she is worried it will be too hot. Lima is about 20 degrees warmer than Huancayo and Gladys likes the cool temperatures. No one except the very rich seem to have air conditioning. I’ll be back in Lima for several days at the end of the trip and am looking forward to being warmer!
Oh, well, at least it is not snowing or icing like poor old Iowa.
Paths in Peru 