Rains Supreme

Costa Rica has 2 distinct yearly seasons the Summer and Rainy Seasons. A few years ago the Costa Rican Travel and Tourism Board cleverly renamed �Rainy Season� to the more tourist-friendly �Green Season�. It not a stretch really, when buckets of tropical rain gets dumped on a mineral rich landscape for 3-5 hours everyday, things will defiantly turn green. What they don�t explain is the effects the constant rain and gloomy weather have on things like traffic, roads, physical fitness regimes and mental well-being. The rainy season lasts from around June- November. This year, the season was extremely mild for the most part, but it seems like it making up for itself these last few weeks. It has been grey and rainy all day for weeks and it�s now starting to affect my psyche. There is actually a medically recognized condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder that directly relates the lack of sunlight to certain forms of depression. I�m sure, like ADD, there are plenty of doctors who would disagree with it, but I can tell you it�s true. Sitting inside my house and starring at the white blurr that has replaced my incredible valley view isn�t exactly an uplifting experience. The days here start at 4:45am and end promptly around 5pm. So everyday, as it rains, it also gets dark at 4:30-45ish in the afternoon. Watching Oprah isn�t even a daytime experience anymore, she comes on at 5pm local now. How depressing is that?