‘Pura Vida’ is the quintessential Costa Rican phrase. It’s everywhere.

It means ‘pure life’ but for Costa Ricans it represents a way of life, a simple life, a sense of well-being, positivity and gratitude. It can be used as a greeting or as a thank you, a way to saying everything’s good or an expression of joy.

The barman serves me a cold beer. ‘Pura Vida’ I say.

As you can see I immerse myself in each country we visit. I’m a cultural chameleon.

Let’s start with a photo of a ‘big dog’ on a beach.

We all know ‘big dogs’ love beaches.

And a photo from our hotel balcony. Yes I’ve splashed out again. It’s not all goretex and sweat you know.

We went for lunch nearby after the beach walk.

‘Oh big deal! Cliff took Susan for lunch. We have lunch every day but we don’t bang on about it in a blog’!

Yes, yes I hear you but you should know by now that my lunch is better than your lunch. Still not convinced? Well, my lunch had a C-123 cargo plane!

As we say in Scotland ‘I bet that’s put yer gas at a peep’!

Oh it hasn’t? A genuine C-123 cargo plane isn’t enough? You’re a hard lot to impress.

Well what if I told you a story about this particular C-123? A story that involves the Americans, the Iranians, the Contras, the Sandanistas and the Nicaraguan civil war!

Want a further clue? What if I say Colonel Oliver North? Oh I bet that’s got some alarm bells ringing in some auld heids!

Yes of course I’m talking about the 1986 Iran-Contra affair involving Ronald Reagan’s government. To briefly recap – the Americans sold arms to Iran; the Iranians used influence to release American hostages in Lebanon; profit from arms sales was diverted to the contras (rebels) who were fighting the Sandanistas (Nicaragua Govt).

The whole scheme was run by covert CIA who through a ‘front’ company bought three C-123 cargo aircraft to smuggle arms to the Contras. One of the C-123’s was shot down and another ended up being the backdrop for my beer and lunch.

It was she biggest scandal of its day and they even made a movie starring Tom Cruise. I think I’ve just played the lunch story trump card.

Pura Vida mis amigos.

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