One of the things I like best about Costa Rican character is the way they respond to saying thank you. In most Spanish speaking countries, the response is "de nada." Here, almost everyone says "con mucho gusto," literally, "with much pleasure." It seems like such an emphatic, over-the-top response for usually very trivial things, but I really like it. Another typical response to "thank you" is "pura vida," literally "pure life." This translation gets a little lost along the way, but I suppose it's simply a way to remind the thanker that life is good and they are happy to help.
Speaking of the good life, I spent my Saturday on a fairly isolated island called Isla Tortuga. We took an hour and half cruise from the west coast of Costa Rica, past other gorgeous mountainous islands, and arrived at the beach with plenty of time to sit and soak up the sun. My experience made beach bum look like a very enticing career path. Here are some pictures, as if you weren't already jealous enough.
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