‘Pura vida’ is the local expression of their life force. Several countries have an all-purpose word to cover our basic daily forms of interaction. In Hawaii there’s ‘aloha’, in Fiji there’s ‘bula’ and in Costa Rica there’s ‘pura vida’. Literally translating as ‘pure life’ it spans the entire spectrum of greeting and parting incorporating: ‘no worries’, ‘enjoy life’, ‘take it easy’, ‘good luck’ and ‘have a good day’.

From the fishy, to the furry and the feathered. I felt immersed in the natural wonder of the many birds and animals. The cheek of the capuchin monkeys did little to reflect the fashion of monks their name suggests and howler monkeys kept delivering their plangent sounds up in the trees. Huge three-feet long iguanas tried to blend in with the sand on the beach while also hissing at those passing by a little too close. Exotic birds and butterflies filled the skies and brown fireflies flitted: both the ‘candelilla’ variety with its light gleaming on and off and the ‘carbunca’ with its light always on. As to how howler monkeys generate so much noise: they are actually the second loudest animal in the world after the blue whale and release their voluminous, plangent magic by using the wind.

As to how do hummingbirds keep enough fuel to stay in place: they hover in mid-air by flapping their wings (50 to 80 beats per second) visiting 2000 – 5000 flowers a day. The tropical exuberance of animal life was utterly enchanting. I also looked through the index of the definitive book on Costa Rican birds to find exquisite and exotic names like chestnut-mandibled toucan, buffy tuftedcheek, long-tailed tyrant, bare-necked umbrellabird, whip-poor-will, double-striped thick-knee, the oilbird, ovenbird and white-fronted nun bird. Not to mention the wimbrel, the willet and the American wigeon!

One of the wonders of ocean life: the mass nesting of turtles: the so-called ‘arribada’. Mothers drag themselves onto the shore to leave their precious eggs covered with sand in a secret place only to then plod back to the sea never to see their young again. These tiny newly born then make their way out of their cracked eggs onto a sandy mound at the top of a beach. As minute babies they wade fearlessly into the murky waters with thousands of little heads bobbing about on the water waiting for the right time to come out. Tragically few ever make it as they get picked off by predators.

One of the longest running democracies in Latin America, Costa Rica is safe and peaceful. It has had no wars for over a hundred years, and there is no standing army. And possessed with this openhearted spirit, some locals are amazed to see guns when they go abroad. They’re known as ‘ticos’ after their habit of using diminutives in their lingo and I sensed their open humility that doubtless comes with belonging to this wondrous kingdom of animals.

When the conquistadors came in the 16th century in the vain search of gold in Costa Rica (the ‘rich coast’), they found only azure waters and blanched beaches. Brave early farmers went at their task alone, abandoned by their former visitors. They tamed the land, hacked forests, planted coffee and bred cattle. They settled and in their solitude created a tiny model for living, a miniature democracy with no pecking order, no extremes of wealth and poverty, each assisting their neighbour in order to subsist. And thus this unique Costa Rican mentality was forged and the country now ranks as one of the happiest places on the planet.

Costa Rica’s colourful idiosyncrasies include the ox herding and oxcart traditions, the Diquis stone spheres that adorn the south-west, the topiary park at Francisco Alvarado, the sloth rehabilitation centre at Aviarios del Caribe, the neon blue river Rio Celeste, the stray dogs of Territory de Zaguates, the metal church of Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes and the genius River Bridge designed to prevent shark poachers.

The landscape of Costa Rica and her biodiversity is simply magical: thick lush rainforests, with their dense foliage, uncrowded pristine beaches, steep mountains and majestic volcanoes and waterfalls, the perfect backdrop for the sheer wonder of the colourful birds and animals. Mesmeric is the rhythmic natural symphony of the sea, the moon and the clouds. The rainy months are marked by unpredictable sunsets with cloud-filled skies clearing just long enough to offer a glimpse of light, lending both the sky and sea a smattering of incredible hues.

Menus tend to consist of a variety of dishes involving the six most popular local fish: tuna, mahi mahi, snapper, waho, gruppa and snook . Most celebrated, especially at breakfast, is the ‘gallo pinto’ the staple diet of rice and beans with the traditional primary seasoning being ‘salsa lizano’, a mix of tamarind and spices. And what a range of fruits! Literally from a to z with names like anona, caimitos, granadilla, guanabana, loquat, mombin, nanzi, pejibaye, rambutan, sapodilla and zapote!

I took a boat with Tres Ninas Tours www.tresninastours.com . It was a full day trip as I got to look up at the houses in the hills and the varieties of green landscape beyond the beach all competing for light. As the day went on so the light changed affording different hues in the colour of the sea from teal to lime green from aquamarine to emerald green.

My first place to stay was Arenas Del Mar www.arenasdelmar.com. The resort has delectable cuisine, exceptional levels of service and exemplary eco credentials. It’s where buggies go up and down the steep slopes and one took me to my tropical fruit breakfast on a table on the sand of Playitas Beach in toe-touching reach of the ocean.

The three main restaurants at Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica www.fourseasons.com/costarica are all side-by-side. Añejo, the Asian fusion with Costa Rican food is casual and informal both inside and out, with tapas including salmon tostadas and charred tuna wonton tacos, ‘lomo salteado empanadas’ and ‘hamachi tiraditos’. The Bahia Grill offers, along with succulent steaks and fish, interestingly charred eggplant dip, wood-fired roasted cabbage, roasted cauliflower, grilled avocado and asparagus. At Pesce an Italian and Costa Rican fusion offering pastas and risottos and local produce ‘lattuga del giardino’ salad to go with lemon-crusted red snapper.

If only I had had more time for the country is keen to promote her nature, wellness, luxury, rural tourism, chocolate, coffee and, of course, wildlife. I could just as easily have taken the more conventional route, especially it being the height of the rainy season. I could have spent ten nights just as joyfully by visiting the gold museum of San Jose, of seeing a coffee plantation in the Central Valley and the recently reopened Poas Volcano in the Highlands before a visit to the two main tourist attractions: the Arenal Volcano near Fortuna and the Cloud Forest at Monteverde.