GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala — You may not believe it, but it was a nippy Monday night here.

One weather report put it at about 65 degrees Farenheit. For a Jamaican living on the ‘Rock’, that’s very cold.

To make matters worse, I did not pack any winter gear as I was expecting considerably warmer weather in this Central American city. That’s typical night-time temperatures here, I was told. During the daytime, it’s more pleasant at an average 72 degrees. I can live with that.

As you may, or may not know, I am in this country to cover the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, where our Young Reggae Boyz are seeking to qualify for their age-group global tournament. Our team was due to kick-start their campaign last night against hosts Guatemala.

On a visit to the Estadia National Mateo Flores where Jamaica will play their Group A matches, the chill inside the 26,000-capacity venue was frightening, to say the least, as it was suprising.

I had arrived in the country just hours earlier and two days late at that, so I was anxious for a re-familiarisation sightseeing tour as I have not been here for a while.

Without being invited, I jumped on the team bus for the usual 10-minute ride from the hotel, which on this occasion, took twice that long due to traffic. That can be a problem here, peak hours or not.

When we arrived at the stadium and disembarked, I was tempted to get right back on the bus. But I had to be a man, so I braved the unfriendly ‘climes’ and went on what was really a pitch inspection and familiarisation tour.

It appeared, though, that everyone except myself was prepared for what awaited outside as players, coaches, team manager and doctor, head of delegation and equipment manager, wore sweat tops. They were ready. I wasn’t and nobody bothered to warn me as someone who had just stepped off the plane.

For what’s it worth, I was darn happy that the players and coaches hadn’t gone there for a training session, which could last between an hour and two. Phew!

The reason for Guatemala City’s chills, I am told, even as it is located in the tropics, is due to the elevation (some 5,000 feet above sea level), and the resulting moderating influence of the higher altitude enables it to enjoy a subtropical highland climate.

It is said to be generally mild, almost springlike, throughout the year, occasionally getting warm during the dry season. Occasionally? Give me my Jamaica any day where it’s alluringly warm 12 months a year.

Weather aside, Guatemala City is an interesting melting pot of cultures and home to some 3.5 million inhabitants of the country’s 13 million.

The locals and tourists have access to a wide variety of restaurants, hotels, shops, art galleries, theatres, museums, and, of course, sports facilities.

Not counting the weather, what also scares the hell out of me at this point about Guatemala City is that its major airport is located in the middle of town.

Believe it. I watch with amazement from my hotel window as large passenger jets dive in for landings, seemingly gobbled up by the buildings that make up the modest skyline. When they take off, the aircraft appear to just pop up from the buildings in the distance.

But what’s therapeutic about all of this is the majestic vista of the rolling hills, interspersed with skyward peaks, that seem to cradle the valley below which is Guatemala City — the largest metropolis in Central America.