It turns out that last week I had spoken too soon when mentioning how I escaped the UK's deteriorating weather; apparently October is rainy season in Guatemala too. I was fortunate to arrive in Guatemala City and be greeted by glorious sunshine and temperatures in the mid twenties. This was my first trip to Central America, I'd been invited out to commentate on the Biathle World Championships, and I thought it would be rude not to stay a couple of days longer to explore a little of this colourful country.
One thing that amazed me was how the temperatures can change so dramatically between neighbouring regions. We left the city in pleasant t-shirt weather to head to the competition venue on the Pacific coast and got off the bus just over an hour later to be hit by a wave of intense heat. I know the weather can change when driving from Princetown to Tavistock but this was on another level. I spent the next few days dreaming of the cooler weather at home and suffering, as we Brits do, in the humid conditions.
My wish came true as I flew north to the famous national park of Tikal which is a UNESCO world heritage site. The fact it is in a rainforest should have given some indication of the type of weather I might expect to encounter and by the end of the day our entire group were soaked through to the skin. None of this mattered though as we were guided though the jungle to see the spectacular temples which the Mayan people had built over two thousand years ago - I can assure you it was worth getting wet for.
