Colorful Costa Rica
/City view from The Church of Our Saviour Spire.
Costa Rica is a small Central American country packed with life. The locals say “Pura Vida!” meaning Pure Life or Simple Life. This exclamation shows an appreciation for the diverse landscape within a small area that provides so much for its people. From its sandy beaches on the Caribbean Sea to the East, to its mountainous Cloud Forests on the Pacific Ocean in the West, Costa Rica comprises an astonishing 4.5% of the worlds’ biodiversity. Its land produces the country’s biggest exports (coffee, tropical fruit, and sugarcane) and provides a tourism economy for travelers who are hungry to explore the country’s exclusive natural beauty. Consequently, Costa Rica, one of the smallest countries, has the best economy in Central America. This fact, its people would say, is due to Pura Vida! The ability to do so much with so little land has inspired the country to protect about 25% of its natural resources though a natural conservation program. It’s difficult to explain the country’s beauty and much easier to understand Pura Vida through firsthand experience, but what follows is one attempt at a collage of the colorful life Costa Rica has to offer.
Red
Love, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes in Grecia, roosters, flowers, excitement, coffee berries, passion, rooftops, war, and the painted oxcarts in Sarchi
Yellow
Happiness, coffee samples, San Juan architecture, imagination, piggy banks, friendship and flowers.
Green
Monte Verde, nature, trees, fertility, murals, patinaed statues, growth, Templo Católico de Sarchí Norte in Sarchi, and a coati on the lawn
Blue
The ocean, peace, Sarchi Park, harmony, loyalty, calm, peacocks and the sky.
Orange
The Central Market, vibrance, fried chicken, energy, the National Theater of Costa Rica, mushrooms, street dogs, the sunset, flamboyant, and a restaurant in a tree!
Interested in Pura Vida? Thinking of going to Costa Rica? Have you been to Central America? What were your favorite places? Leave a comment; we’d love to hear from you.
Places and Perspectives is a blog devoted to exploring topics and images that inspire the sense of place. We always welcome suggestions of places readers want to learn about and see featured on our blog.
