La Pura Vida

On this, our last day in Costa Rica, I am reminded of the local expression, la pura vida, which means the pure life, or the good life. We've seen much goodness here like pristine beaches and ocean, colorful tropical flowers, healthy wildlife everywhere, no pollution of any kind and happy, healthy, literate local Costa Ricans, called Ticos. They seem to respect all forms of life and care for them. One taxi driver saw a small, indistinct bird run in front of our car and slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting it. Ouch!

The Ticos are very friendly and helpful with a good sense of humor. I tried to tell a taxi driver that I was waiting for my husband, in Spanish. He chuckled. Then he told me that I had told him that I was waiting for my wife (he considered taking me to the gay hotel!). In France, locals would have humiliated me for misusing their language.

All this goodness does come with a price. A rental car costs $500 for one week, so we have opted for taxis to get from place to place. Almost any taxi trip from one town to another will cost at least $50. Hotels cost the same or more than Portland. We are staying in a Holiday Inn Express (very basic) and paying $140 for one night. We feel fortunate to be able to visit here but it is a shame that more people could not afford it. La Pura Vida is wonderful, but it is also La Expensive Vida. I will miss it all when I head to Portland and gray skies tomorrow.