For some reason or other, there is a common misconception that all lands south of the U.S. border are hot and dry. Or hot and humid. Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is true where you are going unless you know for sure that it’s true. Because I am here to tell you that there is plenty of chilly in Latin America, and I don’t mean the long, green, spicy things that are used in salsa. The chill I’m referring to happens especially in the higher altitudes and mostly when the sun is down. You need to be prepared for just how chilly these places can get, because they are definitely worth visiting.
Before I went to Guatemala for four months, I asked my friend who had spent time in the same city (Xela) to tell me something I definitely should bring with me. She told me “a sleeping bag.” I said, “Really? A sleeping bag?” And she answered, “Oh yeah, it gets very cold there at night.” I couldn’t believe it, but I took her word for it and bought a sleeping bag at EMS, complete with compression sack so I could hook it to my backpack. Better travel advice I have yet to receive. Yes indeed, it did get cold there at night – often below freezing. I slept in this sleeping bag under the blankets that were on the bed in my host house, in a little cocoon of warmth. I very often wore sweat pants and a long sleeve shirt or two to bed. I sometimes even wore my stocking cap and gloves. I am a northerner who has experienced many a cold, snowy, blizzardy, icy winter in the U.S. But that does not mean I am accustomed to sleeping with a draft that leaves goose bumps on my goose bumps.
“Didn’t your host family have heat?” you ask. No. No one had heat. Additionally, most of the houses I have seen in Latin America, no matter what the climate, are very open. I don’t mean they have an open floor plan with high ceilings, large windows, and a lofty feel. I mean in some parts of the house, there is no ceiling at all or the walls don’t go up to the roof. My Guatemalan guest room was right next to the laundry area on the second floor of the house (very close to the pila I might add). Although my room was enclosed, the laundry area was basically open-air – there was a tin roof to keep out most of the rain, but the walls did not go up all the way, so there was quite a gap that provided all that cold night air a perfect way to enter and potentially turn me into a sleeping icicle. If I hadn’t had that sleeping bag, I would have shivered all night, every night. When my friend was staying in Xela, she first slept in a room that was much like the laundry area in my host house. She was basically sleeping outside. How do you say “bbrrrr” in Spanish?
I do have to say that during the day, Xela’s weather was beautiful. Sunny, nice and warm – but never hot. Once the sun went down, there was one particularly delicious way to warm up: hot chocolate. The hot chocolate in Xela was divine – thick and sweet, like a liquid candy bar (if you’re into that sort of thing, which I totally am). Nothing like a big mug of hot cocoa in a warm cafe to thaw out your insides a bit before walking back to your chilly home.
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| HOT CHOCOLATE ... GUATEMALAN STYLE. You can buy a block of chocolate at the market to make hot cocoa. Just melt it in a pot on the stove, add some water or milk and you are ready for a whole lot of deliciousness! |
It is a good idea to research the climate you’re visiting for typical weather and temperatures. Not all of Latin America is hot. I have also experienced a surprising nighttime chill in parts of Mexico and Ecuador. I’m fairly confident there are many more places that are the same, and I’d hate to be left unawares, with no warm clothes or cozy sleeping bag. If you’re traveling to a higher altitude, be prepared for the chill that comes with it. And if you find yourself in Xela, don’t forget the hot chocolate!
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