Pura Vida!

August 1, 2010

From the minute we were picked up at the airport, until the minute we were dropped off, "Pura Vida" was an expression we were taught and used on a daily basis several times a day. 

Pura vida literally means "pure life", but the meaning is closer to "full of life", "purified life", "this is living!", "going great", or "cool!" It can be used both as a greeting and a farewell, to express satisfaction, or to politely express indifference when describing something. The phrase has become widely known; this highly flexible statement has been used by many Costa Ricans since 1956. Some foreigners view the phrase as an expression of a leisurely lifestyle, of disregard for time, and of wanton friendliness. However, Costa Ricans use the phrase to express a philosophy of strong community, perseverance, resilience in overcoming difficulties with good spirits, enjoying life slowly, and celebrating good fortune of magnitudes small and large alike. 

As our plane took off from the tiny airport, I looked down with sadness as I left the beauty behind. I thought of this expression and what it meant. As I prepare myself for reality, I know the daily stresses of life will soon rear it's ugly little head again. With perseverance, a positive attitude and learning to relax and enjoy life more, I hope to adopt this phrase and incorporate it into my daily life......

PURA VIDA!

Mags.

And We're Off..........

July 24, 2010

The long awaited day has finally arrived........time to leave on vacation! This shot was taken as we were sitting at the gate watching our plane arriving to take us to Costa Rica! The beginning of the trip started off a bit tumultuous. As we were getting ready to leave, the pilot informed us that one of the engines wasn't working and couldn't be fixed. They towed us back to the gate, unloaded our luggage and sent us to a gate at the opposite end of the terminal to board another flight. After an hour and a half delay, we were on a new plane and on our way!

Just over 5 hours later, we touched down in Liberia, Costa Rica. As we stood in line at customs, we could spot the luggage going around on the carousel. Mine, however, was pulled off the carousel and I noticed that my suitcase was wide open with clothes strewn on the floor. What a fantastic way to start the voyage!

Mags.

Countdown.............

MAY 6, 2010

What started off as a cool, rainy and crappy day turned out to be a decent day as Guy and I went out shopping for camera accessories and priced out some new "toys" to add to our collection. After leaving one store, I heard the roar of an airplane and looked up only to see the underside of a gianormous plane directly overhead of us. Since I had "the good camera" with us, we decided to go to an abandoned parking lot a little closer to the airport directly in the flight path of the incoming flights.

While waiting for the planes to approach, I would wonder where these flights were coming from and what adventures the passangers would have to tell. Traveling has always been one of my favourite pastimes and flying (especially to my destination) has always been one of the highlights of my trips.

Hmmmmmm, 47 days, 18 hours and 30 minutes before we embark on our next far-away adventure.....but hey.....who's counting?!?

Mags.