In search of 'pure life' in the interiors of Costa Rica

Travelling in the country is a lesson in being mindful of its flora and fauna, and the local concept of 'pura vida'

- Shoba Narayan

I am not the "outdoor type". I'm your average, middle-aged, serial-watching, samosa-eating, magazine-reading woman. My idea of spending time in the wilderness is driving to south Bengaluru and walking in the sprawling Lalbagh. Yet, about a month ago, I found myself huffing and puffing, trying to steer a raft, on the Balsa river in Costa Rica.

"Paddle, paddle," yelled our instructor as a wall of white water rose.

Drenched in water, my stomach in knots, I did as he said, trying to ignore the looming boulders. With the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, Costa Rica in Central America has many rivers, making it one of the favourite destinations of white-water rafting enthusiasts. The rapids range from the rudimentary Class III and IV rapids, which were negotiating, to the advanced Class VI ones further upstream.

Each raft had a captain and a team of four. In our case, the four paddlers were my two daughters, my husband and myself. Our captain and guide, Jose, shouted instructions: "Forward. Right turn. Paddle, you guys! Hard paddle. Come on, we're going to hit that rock! Left turn! Dig into the water. PADDLE!"

My daughters took the brunt of the water, as they were seated in front. The waves rushed up to meet us every time the raft hit a rapid. By the end, we were screaming and laughing hysterically from the adrenalin rush, which as it turned out, would last just minutes, before the water calmed down.