Pura Vida – A Costa Rican way of life

Upon exploring several destinations in Costa Rica, the first thing which stood out to me was the ominous presence of ‘Pura Vida’. Directly translating to ‘Pure Life’, these 2 words seemed to be used in conjunction with almost everything. From restaurant names, corporate beer slogans, t-shirts, door mats, mugs and even license plates. As a result, my first impression was it was nothing more than a commercial farce used to boost tourism — one of the main sources of income for the country.

However, from the locals I’ve met and my experiences thus far it’s become evident these heavily commercialised words epitomise an authentic national philosophy — which I believe consistently drives this nation to the top of the Happy Planet Index.

 

 

In the words of the Tico’s (natives), Pura Vida is primarily about living peacefully and putting life’s enjoyment front and centre. This usually involves the simple things in life, away from distractions such as technology and being completely present in ones surroundings.

Going all in, I fully embraced this ‘happy go lucky’ philosophy and as a result had some incredible experiences. A few of which were completing the highest bungee jump in Latin America, white water rafting down the Sarapiquí River and zip lining through the flora and fauna of the Costa Rican jungle.

 

 

 

As awesome as these experiences were, I wish to share in detail two further experiences which greatly developed my understanding of this philosophy. The first of which came about when I missed a night bus for a jungle walk due to miscommunication of accommodation names. All passengers had to wait 20 minutes for me, as a separate car took me to the parked bus. I recall the strong feeling of trepidation as I walked on, however as I uttered the words ‘Lo Siento’, I was met by the guide who simply smiled and said “Pura Vida!” This immediately made me smile and completely lifted my spirits!

 

 

Absolutely baffled, I later asked the driver why no one was upset, and he explained that Pura Vida allows you to let go of the expectation to always have what you want, when you want it and instead always be grateful and focus on the positives.

The second experience taught me ‘Pura Vida’ is just as appropriate in a ‘sad’ moment as in a happy moment. This came about on the journey to watch the sunset with the local family that owned the hostel I was staying at. Taking their 2 mopeds we headed towards a nearby mountain to bypass the sunset obscuring neighbour island.

Unfortunately on the way, one of the mopeds broke down and it begun to rain in the only way rainforests can — torrentially. This forced us to call it off, and I recall the father looking helplessly at me, shrugging his shoulders and saying “Pura Vida” with a small smile.

This smile was shared by the mother, who instead suggested as we were already wet, we should head out to sea and paddle board past the obscuring island to still watch the full sunset. Without hesitation I agreed and within 20 minutes we had 3 paddle boards courtesy of a friend who owned a water sport rental nearby.

 

 

Doing my best to quickly pick up the new skill, we just managed to make it in time for the sunset. Interestingly due to the series of events, this simple act of nature felt very gratifying as there was a higher level of appreciation.

 

 

This spontaneous experience literally epitomises the core Pura Vida essence of consciously choosing the path of happiness regardless of the situation. Whether it’s surrendering to the pace of nature with content acceptance or taking action to achieve happiness. Both approaches ensure that there is a mind state that secures content.