If you greet someone in
costa rica tourism with “Como estas?” (How are you?), they’ll respond with a smile, “Muy bueno, pura vida!” (Very well, pure life!) Is the pervasive well-being of these citizens, their pura vida, due to their wisdom, or is it “pura suerte” (pure luck)?
We all have heard the parable of the goose that laid the golden eggs, killed by a greedy, short-sighted ignoramus is order to get all the eggs, only to discover that the goose had to be alive in order to keep laying. Duh. We’re just back from a land that has a golden goose, only the people there nurture it, feed it, and take special care of it, and it keeps on laying golden eggs, year after year after year.
Luck (la suerte) played a big role in the Costa Ricans getting the golden goose. The country was largely ignored by the Spanish conquistadors as “not profitable.” Guatemala had better farm land. Colombia, Mexico and Peru had gold and silver. The topography was mountainous and steep, and covered with dense forest, making travel difficult.
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posted by costa rica tourism : 9:30 AM
