Pura Vida // A Quick Update

In Costa Rica they say “pura vida” as in “the pure life” for…well, everything. Greetings, farewells, randomly interjected into the conversation…I’ve found myself completely smitten with the idea of pura vida and the lifestyle it embodies.

We’ve been in Costa Rica for over four weeks now–we only have about a week and a half left! Our trip has looked rather different from it did when we first booked our tickets. Our ambitious plan was to fill our six weeks here in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. Then, our wedding planning, a year of extensive travel, and our actual (amazing) wedding happened. We got tired and the thought of traveling around three countries at a fairly quick pace sounded exhausting, rather than exhilarating. I also did more research on Costa Rica and realized how much there is to see here! So, we’ve spent these last four weeks just in Costa Rica, taking turns between adventuring and relaxing (and working). In several days, we will head south to Panama. I’m disappointed we won’t make it to Nicaragua this time around, so we hope to visit again soon! I admit it’s unnatural for me to travel at this slower pace, but it’s really what we need.

The benefit of this is that we’ve got a much more in-depth snapshot of Costa Rica than we might have otherwise. The laid back attitude and the dedication to peace at all times can be an adjustment to someone like me, who likes to know the when and where of things, but everything has worked out for us.

Costa Rica has also been, in many ways, exactly what we wanted. While my love of Europe is well documented (and is staying strong), we wanted to come to region closer to home since we planned to be back for the holidays. We also literally are not allowed in Europe yet! In addition, after a year of exploring some of the world’s greatest cities, we wanted a more adventurous/outdoorsy themed honeymoon, unlike anything we’ve done together. We’ve boogie boarded, gone in search of turtles laying eggs at midnight, spotted monkeys and sloths in the jungle, swam in the ocean at dusk, stayed in a treehouse, ridden horseback to a waterfall, swam in several waterfalls, bathed in volcanic mud, zip lined across a canyon, hiked in a misty cloud forest, relaxed on a Caribbean beach, and tubed on a whitewater river. It’s been fantastic! I’ve also learned that I’m not as brave as I think I am when booking these activities (read: zip lining), and that I’m allergic (and still terrified) of horses.

I’ll be on Instagram sharing some snaps of our time in Costa Rica and Panama over the next week, but we are also really focused on unplugging for the last days of our honeymoon. Pura vida, indeed!