Pura Vida

Some countries get it right. Oh so right. Latest example is Costa Rica.

The daily mantra is PURA VIDA. -PURE LIFE.

But it's not just some gimmicky tourism board catch phrase to appeal to mid-life-crisis tourists, it is how Tico's live their life.

They love the sun, the sea, nature and animals. They appreciate the little bit of paradise they happen to call home and want to approvechar.

Any Costa Rican town has only 4 essentials: a school, a soccer pitch, a church, and a bar. ANythiing else is a bonus.

The wealth of beauty here impels you to be happy, to go out there and see it, feel it, breathe it, live it. Tico's want to talk to you, want to make you feel welcome here. Not in a sleazy 'hey sexy girl' Cuban style, but in their 'Hola chica, pura vida' kinda way. It's infectious. After one week here, I'm hooked. I feel the warmth of the sand and the sea run through my sunkissed skin and into my personality.

In one short week we've been woken by monkeys playing in the hotel, saw a toucan fly across a volcanic landscape, rafted class IV- V rapids, loosened our muscles in natural hot springs, surfed, hiked, swam, ate, drank, and loved every minute.

Life is pure, live it purely!