27 July 2009 11:23am
Let it rain: enjoying Southeast Asia’s wet season
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It’s the rainy season in Southeast Asia. Don’t worry, it probably won’t rain all the time – probably just in the afternoon (admittedly, rather a lot). Even though the rainy season gets a bad reputation, chances are you’ll get sunny, dry mornings and some unexpected bonuses:
Cooler temperatures: in a lot of Asia, the rain drops the mercury and provides some sweet relief from the heat. You may get wet, but you won’t melt.
Fewer tourists: you don’t often get a chance to feel alone in Asia. If getting a bit of space is what you’re after, the rainy season is your best bet.
Lower prices: more splashing of the water, less splashing of the cash. Fewer travellers and lighter demand on accommodation and services means lower prices.
Greener greenery: every cliché you’ve ever heard about the lush greens of the tropics is true. You really haven’t seen green till you’ve seen green in the tropical wet season.
Easier storm-chasing: There’s actually no chasing to be done. Just hunker down somewhere dry with a view (bars are good for this) and watch nature work her magic. Watching tropical storms roll in is pretty spectacular.
Better photos: lightning, dramatic colour changes, dark storm clouds - these are the ingredients of photos way cooler than the blue-skies-and-fluffy-white-clouds kind.
Great excuses: there’s nothing like a bit of torrential rain for an excuse to just do nothing. Lie in bed and listen to the rain. Sit under a deck and watch it. Read. Play cards. Be on holiday. Don’t feel guilty about not exploring that cave or climbing that mountain.
Funnier sights: sit back and watch those who don’t let the rain ruin their parade – plastic-poncho-clad school kids balancing umbrellas on bicycles; hundreds of brollie-wielding pedestrians passing one another in the street without causing injury (more photo opps).
More excuses: if you get caught out, and get stuck at a shelter or a bar (oops) while the storm hits, chances are you won’t be alone, and if ever there were a legitimate time to engage in a conversation with a stranger (maybe start with the weather)…
Try out a trip in the wet season. You’ll be in for a treat.
So, where will you watch the rain from?
Read up on Asia, pick a destination, grab our Southeast Asia on a shoestring guide and go!
Comments
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31 July 2009 4:56PM
beatnikgal
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Love this and couldn't agree more...nothing has made me feel more welcome in SEA than locals sharing their umbrellas with me (and standing on tip toes to do so) or the kind shop owner in Saigon who ushered me into the shop and brought out a chair so I could watch the thunder and lightning in comfort!
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31 July 2009 11:22PM
bassalegboy
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I was in Hanoi during one hell of a storm, so strong was the wind that it snapped palm trees branches up near Ho tay (West Lake). I was soaked through within seconds of the rain starting. The rain bounced up to almost knee height. I was on the back of my friend's moto at the time. The weather reduced the traffic onlt slightly and the workers in the area carried on regardless. Far from being a real er, dampener, it was a real highlight to my trip.
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1 August 2009 7:14AM
borntorover
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I cant speak for the rainy season but I have been caught in the torrential rain in both Saigon and Hanoi. On the first occasion in January earlier this year, I sat huddled with my wife in the Rex Hotel's rooftop bar. We watched on mesmirized by the way the locals jumped off their scooters, donned the multi-coloured rainmacs and then just continued on their way ... whilst the rain just kept falling. Extraordinary sight.
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22 August 2009 7:45AM
janainab
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i had been in thailand and even with the rain is an amazing place to visit, in fact, the rain gives bangkok an special sense that makes the visit even better, and also in cambodia, in angkor wat, when i went it rains a lot and the scene was more amazing...[url=http://www.thebestbeaches.org]BEST BEACHES IN THE WORLD[/url]
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7 September 2009 7:36PM
diyantouchable
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i was in kokas west papua last year, when the rain falls the environment change drastically. the cows sitting around the street corner, the children suddenly change into street soccer performer, share cheer and joy, the elder light their cigarette and share it with me, a cup of coffee from the house host completed the day...
'i only happy when it rains, i only happy when it complicated' -shirley manson, garbage-
