Pura Vida

Pura Vida!
Her name was Vivienne and she was best described as a ball of energy in rain boots. We could have not asked for a better guide to lead us through the Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. My new husband and I had hired her in hopes that she could help us get the most out of the smallest Costa Rican national park.

From the very beginning of our trek, Vivienne was bubbling over with information. As we made our way through winding trails surrounded by dense rainforest foliage we were serenaded by the music of nature. Vivienne excitedly pointed out caterpillars wrapped in their bright yellow cocoons, fuzzy tarantulas hiding from the drizzling rain, and two-toed sloths resting dreamily in the tree tops. I could not help but be drawn into the web of excitement and awe that Vivienne was weaving. Her love for her country and the environment that surrounded us was nothing short of contagious. We watched howler monkeys climb through the canopy in the distance as Vivienne answered their howls, which she told us, can be heard up to twenty miles away. She pointed out bats sleeping in the dark crevasses of a tree, white faced monkeys coaxing hikers to give them food, and pristine beaches.

We parted ways with Vivienne at the park station. With a wink she informed us that the stream is reputed to be home to a crocodile or two so it would be best to take the quick trip across on a boat rather than wade. As we rode across the stream, waving goodbye to Vivienne, I thought about how through Vivienne, we had seen Manuel Antonio as she saw it, a breathtaking national treasure.