There’s a curiously powerful lure that surrounds Costa Rica. There’s its natural environment—forests and beaches that unfurl in rugged and untamable tendrils under your feet as you walk along them; there’s the lifestyle—the sacred, unbreakable code of an easygoing, relaxed, yet full and exciting life. And then there’s the combined urge to let yourself be consumed by the pura vida and disappear into the mountains, adopting a life of surfing, gardening, and simply soaking in life. From the anecdotes and stories I’ve heard from those who have visited Costa Rica, it seems unbelievable that such a small country could have such a profound impact on so many lives. As I pack my bug spray, sunscreen, and sunglasses into my rucksack, I feel a surge of anticipation welling up inside me, both in eagerness to finally experience Costa Rica and with a strange foreknowledge that I’ll be extremely reluctant to leave it.