Thursday 8 November 2018

On holiday in the world's happiest country.

Sloths, monkeys and cheerful people – what's not to like?
CREDIT: GETTY

It took until the penultimate day of my Costa Rican adventure before I witnessed what passes for a Tico having a tantrum. Crawling at a snail’s pace in a long line of traffic behind a trucker who refused to move aside, my softly-spoken driver calmly said: “This lorry should pull over – it’s not very nice to make us all wait.” He sighed gently, before adding: “I’m sorry for losing my temper.”  

I chuckled about it then, and again 48 hours later when - enjoying the sun on a bank holiday bike ride back in Blighty - a red-faced van driver, forced to pause momentarily before overtaking me, screamed out the window: “Get out of the ****ing way!”

Welcome home.

The only thing Costa Rica shouts about, as I discovered during my fortnight there, is its easy-going ethos. “Pura vida”, which translates as “pure life”, is the national motto, and you’ll find it plastered on countless posters and holiday brochures. But it is far more than a marketing gimmick. People use the phrase when greeting friends, or bidding them farewell, and proclaim it to strangers in the street. Moreover, they live their lives by it. Don’t sweat the small stuff, stay positive, appreciate simple pleasures – and definitely steer clear of road rage.



By Oliver Smith.
Full story at Telegraph.

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