Pure Life! Unexpected Friends

Pura Vida, is definitely a fitting slogan for the lush country of Costa Rica. The definition of Costa Rica is pure life—pure adventure, pure serenity, and the best time of your life. I recently spent 10 days on the “rich coast.” And as much as I say words cannot describe our experience, I’m definitely going to try J I left with two of my girlfriends—Krista and Wilma. My chosen companions is almost a story of its own. You see, I’ve known Wilma for a while now, we went to the same high school. We hung out some back then, but the true budding of our friendship wasn’t until the summer before I moved to Reno. And I’m very glad our friendship has continued to blossom even a state apart. And my dear friend Krista—I met her through friends in Reno. I had seen her at a few parties, but didn’t really start to get to know her until about a year ago last summer. We almost instantly became friends. Not to get sappy on everyone, I promise the story gets better. I had briefly spoken with Wilma about visiting Costa Rica before, but nothing was ever set in stone. I conducted some research (yes I am that type of girl) but Costa Rica was more of a dream than a reality. I saved my spreadsheet, but didn’t open in for months. One January night in Reno, while hanging out with Krista she mentioned perhaps taking a trip to Peru. I thought that sounded fascinating, so I mentioned the research I’d done on Costa Rica. Even Krista had done some research on Costa Rica. So I told her let’s do this! I have a friend from back home that is always up for travel and I’m sure she’d be down. Sure enough I pulled out my old spreadsheet and the planning began. And yes, for those of you that caught it, Wilma and Krista have never met. We started planning this trip in February, they met once in March, and then we off to a foreign country together in August. I’m glad they were both able to get along with each other. I know at times during our trip they had to bond together while I went through some of my “moods” or “rants” or whatever my mother calls them. But hey it makes for a funny story. All through our trip people asked if we were related (possible but I’m short and white, Krista is tall and blonde, and Wilma is half Mexican). We said no, so they assumed we were just the greatest of friends. I would nod yes, while Krista and Wilma would look at each other and say “um, we’ve pretty much just met.” But with my awesome planning skills and matchmaking abilities I was able to convince two “strangers” to join me for an unforgettable adventure on the rich coast. And boy was it J