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• 9/3/2008 7:03 PM Malibu wrote:
  Bill; thanks for your lengthly response. I see that you are being very balanced in your commentary are proud of your new home, and you are right, crime is all relative. I totally respect that.
  
  What happened to us, though was not a result of inattention to our safety and surroundings. We tried to make it back to the car agency, but the tires started to come off the rim - no choice but to pull over. The rental agency did not warn us about this apparently common crime, which did not help. Also, I'm sure the officers you cite are honest, it's just too bad I don't know them or knew where to find them when crisis looms.
  
  The cops that pulled us over for speeding ( I swear we were not) were indeed corrupt and threatened to jail me for lack of a passport) - the other option they outlined was an on the spot "payment." This occurred just outside of Tamarindo. Given their poor pay, I guess I do understand.
  
  The issue I had/have is that unlike Mexico or many other third-world destinations Americans travel to, the beauty and safety hype with Costa Rica (Central America's Switzerland, etc.) is so heavily played up by travel groups and websites that I got a little too giddy on their Coolaid, and was surprised to learn otherwise.
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  1. 9/3/2008 7:07 PM Bill Clanton wrote:
     Malibu,
     
     I'm so glad you took the time to read my entire response and took it as it was intended.
     
     Unfortunately too many of the travel groups and websites are presenting a certain Costa Rica so you will buy what they are selling.
     
     I had the luxury of marrying into a Costa Rica family that exposed me to the REAL Costa Rica right from the start ... which made me both love the country as well as know what I was getting into on a measured basis.
     
     When I was deciding to make the move to Costa Rica I found myself regularly discouraged by the lack of honest and complete information available on or off-line. Thus the genesis of my own site: Costa Rica Blogger
     
     It is my true hope that all future visitors to Costa Rica get a chance to enjoy this wonderful country as the Costa Rica government continues to work on all aspects of their deficiencies (many poor roads, juvenile driving behaviors, a culture of litterbugs and a better trained/paid/reformed criminal justice system that actually enforces the laws already on the books.
     
     ¡Pura Vida!
     
     -Bill
     Reply to this
  2. 9/16/2008 8:35 PM Oso Blanco wrote:
     As a frequent visitor to Costa Rica (about 6-8 times each year)- a country that I thoroughly love- I must still attest to the police and their extortions- espcially transit police. There is a spanish word which translates to "the bite" that describes how they extract money from gringos. Also, I know of friends being similarly held up by cops in the parks of San Jose (which has also been chronicled in AM Costa Rica recently). Lastly- petty theft is a civil matter and is NOT a crime in CR-- and so it is fairly rampant. Despite all of this, I love the people, who are happy and friendly and welcoming of North Americans. PURA VIDA!
     Reply to this
• 9/3/2008 8:29 PM scott k wimer wrote:
  Wow Bill! That was a great article you wrote about the crime. I do realize a bad start to a trip can really change mood and perceptions of a place in a hurry. Hope to see around Coronado! P.S. I was walking home in Coronado and some paper money fell out of my pocket to the ground. A tico guy in his late teens ran after me to return my lost fortune! Made my day!
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• 9/4/2008 10:06 PM Georjina wrote:
  Thank you Bill for the reality check. I have been reading and investigating a move to CR for the past six months. All the news wasn't good and I had just about crossed it off my list, until reading this post (after having my apartment ransacked here in the US today!)
  
  I'm not saying CR is some 'out of this world' Paradise, from my reading it's less of a 'danger zone' than some places have become. Am I still considering moving to CR? Yes. Will I take the same precautions I do here? Yes. Can I avoid everything that 'might' happen? No. But, I will live like among my neighbors as a good citizen, neighbor and eventually friend...and rely on my instincts.
  Reply to this
  1. 9/5/2008 10:44 AM Bill Clanton wrote:
     Hola Georjina,
     
     I appreciate your response and understand what you are going through in trying to make an informed decision regarding Costa Rica or any other place in which to relocate.
     
     As you are aware, Costa Rica is certainly not for everybody but it certainly go my attention - and here I am, looking at it honestly as a resident that enjoys certain things and would like improvements in other areas :o)
     
     Hopefully the information I provide will be one of several useful sources in which you can rely for an informed decision.
     
     Please feel free to contact me anytime you have questions. I will try to answer all questions fairly.
     
     -Bill
     Bill@CostaRicaBlogger.com
     Reply to this
• 9/5/2008 1:04 PM Kislay wrote:
  I have lived in Costa Rica for 5-months and have been coming here since 2006. I come from India and thus law-enforcement and petty crime issues are not uncommon there or here - so things do not surprise us that much if something happens.
  
  I think Costa Rica is nice because people are good. They are sufficiently friendly, well educated and family-values driven.
  
  In other parts of the world you will find that there is in fact lot more crime and lot more uncertainty. In Costa Rica, once you know the key issues, you can behave sensibly according to the things to do or not do and lead a normal life.
  
  Yes as a tourist it would be terrible to have experienced what was described. But there is rarely a place in this world where you can today go as a carefree tourist. I have seen people especially tourists being misled, robbed, mugged, put into grave danger in developed world and developing world alike.
  
  There is no paradise!
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• 9/5/2008 2:02 PM Malibu wrote:
  Bill:
  
  We've cooled down over this and would rather have informed/prepared tourists visit than not, or be surprised if/when they do encounter a problem like this.
  
  Cheers
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• 9/5/2008 5:36 PM Frank wrote:
  Could you please be more specific about how to be more vigilant in regards to ones own safety. When you are telling a victim that the crime is their fault, at least you could be kind enough to enlighten them in how not to be a victim here in CR. PLEASE, don't leave anything out, I for one don't want to cause myself anymore losses due to encouraging the good people here to be tempted to rob me. And please include home invasions & how not to cause yourself to be a victim. I'm sure my friend who recently suffered a home invasion would love to know what he did wrong. & why one of the friendly locals kept hitting him in the mouth with the butt oh a pistol to encourage him to tell where all of the valuables were. Or why a man who had a heart attack at his place of business was robbed of everything of value in his store & on his person while he lay dieing.
  
  We all are aware that there is crime everywhere, but I for one would appreciate it if those of you with a personal interest in the business of crime denial would stop trying to intimidate people with real, true experiences by insuating that if they are the victim of a crime that they are the problem & it's not really the "CATCH & RELEASE" policy here that is the problem. So again, please inform the uninformed on what we are doing wrong. Oh, & don't leave anything
  out.
  
  Frank
  Reply to this
  1. 9/5/2008 6:13 PM Tom wrote:
     As I read your agonizing details, I notice you neglected to enlighten us all as to where your neighborhood is located, so we can all go out of our way to avoid it.
     
     My grandpa always told me that "dogs antagonize those who appear to be weak."  Perhaps the dogs in your neighborhood are tougher than the current residents.
     
     I've always found, that if my neighborhood begins to become undesirable, it's time to find a new location that is more user-friendly for my needs.
     Reply to this
     1. 9/6/2008 12:55 PM Frank wrote:
        First blame it on the victims, then we get down to If you don't like it here, leave.
        Reply to this
  2. 9/5/2008 6:14 PM Bill Clanton wrote:
     Frank,
     
     I completely understand where you are coming from as a former law enforcement officer and court appointed special advocate.
     
     I in no way told the victim it was their fault. What I said was vigilance is the key to avoiding similar situations ... a very distinct difference and common practice in educating the public on avoiding the pitfalls that lead to becoming a victim in the first place or becoming a repeat victim (which happens all too often as criminals profile and prey off fear like all predators).
     
     I will be more than happy to address specific issues off-site so that we do not turn this into a "crime" thread.
     
     Again, my stated goal is to give future visitors a realistic understanding of how best to ensure their time spent in Costa Rica is enjoyable.
     
     Productive comments are welcome from all!
     Reply to this
     1. 9/5/2008 6:27 PM Frank wrote:
        Bill,
        
        Is it possible that crime is on the verge of going out of control & even the most vigilant people risk being victims simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In todays Tico Times, page 2 interview with Kevin Casas: the question was "What are the biggest challenges for Costa Rica right now" His answer # 1 was tax reform. His # 2 answer, which I beleive should be # 1 was (I'm quoting 100%) "Citizen security. My impression is that Costa Rica is at a tipping point, and we really have to take the security agenda very seriously. There is a certain inertial quality about violence that is very ominous. The more you allow violence levels to grow, the faster they grow. Costa Rica is at the point where it can still do a lot of things to bring the situation under control."
        
        This type of thinking regarding the security problem is being brought up more & more by Costa Ricans in positions of power & authority, as well as Costa Ricans at all levels of society. The problem is well known & not denied except by some. Shifting the blame, making excuses & in general ignoring the problem will do nothing to bring the situation under control. If the situation is not brought under control, expats, many people in this group, could well be the main recipients of the growing violence.
        
        Frank
        Reply to this
        1. 9/5/2008 7:06 PM Bill Clanton wrote:
           Vigilance as a practice will only do so much in protecting anybody from happenstance. That is not an argument worth having between two people that appear to be on the same side of an issue looking at it from different perspectives.
           
           I state once again that my call for vigilance on behalf of all travelers [and in-country residents alike] is in no way ignoring existing problems, diverting blame or any of your other assertions.
           
           Personally I subscribe to the "broken window" theory when it comes to crime:
           
           

           "...if the first broken window in a building is not repaired, then people who like breaking windows will assume that no one cares about the building and more windows will be broken. Soon the building will have no windows..."
           

           
           I've enforced "broken window" policies and experienced their effectiveness first hand ... but it does take commitment, resources and a cooperative effort between government, the justice system and residents.
           
           That said, no matter how well things are going on the crime prevention/fighting front ... vigilance is the first line of offense in living without fear and becoming a victim under almost every circumstance.
           
           Those that visit the natural riches of Costa Rica should be educated as to what they need to do to best ensure their vacations are memorable - in a good way!
           
           ¡Pura Vigilancia y Vida!
           Reply to this
           1. 9/6/2008 3:52 PM Frank wrote:
              Bill,
              Congratulations on your good fortune in your travels throughout Costa Rica for 7 months. Many, many, many of us have not been so fortunate. There is a problem here, which many people deny & if you review the posts you will see that some of the builders/realtors get very upset over the crime threads. Some people are very short sighted & the only redneck argument they can seem to come up with is "if you don't like it her just leave".  Sorry for misinterperating your statement "But it should be noted that people don't make good victims if they are vigilant in regards to their own safety." I just took that to mean that if you are the victim of a crime it must be because you are not vigilant & it's your fault that the crime happened to you. This has the effect, whether purposly or not, of controlling the type of posts that are submitted. I've been here more than 5 years, done a lot of volunteer work & like living here very much. But, there is the potential of crime getting to the point of making it unliveable here. That's not just my opinion, but the opinion of a growing number of people.  By the way, why do you think the crime discussion should be handled off the board? It's probably the most important issue facing us right now & shouldn't be just a dirty little secret. The situation should be open for intelligent discussion, without name calling, intimidation of love it or leave it BS.
              Frank
              Reply to this
              1. 9/6/2008 3:58 PM Bill Clanton wrote:
                 Hi Frank,
                 
                 For the record I married a Tica, have a 10 year old Costarricense son and have been traveling extensively throughout Costa Rica in primarily non-tourist areas for many years as the only foreigner for miles while visiting family (I am blond haired/blued eyed and not hard to pick out of a Latino crowd ;o).
                 
                 This year I was finally able to move to Costa Rica full-time. My experiences to date have been good but my head has never been in the proverbial sand. My past career as a police officer will never allow such complacency - no matter where I am located. I am also legally licensed to carry a concealed firearm here in Costa Rica … so you can see I am not kidding anybody about the real situation.
                 
                 As stated within my posts, I believe in the “broken window” method of crime prevention. Solutions must include; education, resident involvement, well trained law enforcement working with an effective judiciary, social services and government addressing the many roots of crime, etc., etc. Certainly all this cannot be done without productive discussion on the matter. Perhaps a Yahoo Discussion Group should be started for just this topic.
                 
                 All the above solutions take time. So as previously stated; vigilance is the first line of offense in living without fear and becoming a victim under almost every circumstance.
                 
                 The bigger picture will hopefully improve, but in the meantime I had to remind my own ex-father-in-law regularly during a recent visit not to stop every time somebody approached him on the street talking to him and to keep his duffle bag strap wrapped around his arm. My family is not immune and the original post was for the benefit of all.
                 
                 Thanks for the personal note and lets work together for the future of our adopted home country - which we both seem to like despite some of its issues :o)
                 
                 -Bill
                 Reply to this
  3. 9/6/2008 1:10 PM rabbitsincars wrote:
     Frank,
     
     There certainly is no way to prevent yourself from becoming a victim, but you CAN take steps to minimize it. I have been mugged once, pickpocketed once, and had someone break into the car while in the driveway. All of these incidents could have been prevented if I had either been more alert or made better choices. It is not the job of
     the police to protect you. Even in the States, they cannot respond fast enough to do that, they only try to apprehend criminals and punish them. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way, as to have TRUE protection, you would need to be monitored 24 hours per day.
     
     Back to the tourists. I think the lesson is that it would have been better to take a taxi to the hotel, and then rent a car the next day at one of the places on Centro Colon. Also, to never stop the car due to a flat tire until you drive to a place of safety. Also, don't dress like a tourist if you are in San Jose. When I switched to long pants and solid black sneakers, I became much less of a spectacle downtown. Common sense would tell you to be alert at all times, scanning 360 degrees and retreating at the slightest provocation. It would be wonderful if the airport had a sign at migration recommending some basic safety measures, but I can't see that happening.
     
     As residents, you have many more options. Always walk with a hard wood cane. You can take it anywhere with you, even on an airplane.  Also, always keep pepper spray in your hand. If an attack happens, you would not have time to remove it from your pocket. Ideally, you would take the concealed carry test and have a pistol handy,
     especially when going to the beach or other questionable areas.  However, if you choose to carry a gun, you will need to practice with it on a regular basis, or it can become a liability. Again, if you can't have it ready to fire in a moment, it has no value except to give you a false sense of security.
     
     At home, make sure there is a solid door between you and harm when you sleep, with several dead bolts, as well as protection on the frame side so that it can't be kicked in. If you sleep upstairs and have kids that also sleep upstairs, put a solid door at the top of the stairs to secure the second floor. Keep a cell phone by your bed when
     you sleep, and when you hear suspicious noises, stay put. If there are glass windows that provide access to your bedroom, have them covered in the film that makes them almost unbreakable. Of course a determined criminal will eventually knock the door down, but it would take a lot of work. I would keep a shotgun handy in case of that
     scenario. Make sure all areas on your perimeter that can be accessed by bad guys are well lighted, and plant thorny bushes around these areas. And of course, have an alarm system with panic buttons near the locations where you spend the most time.
     
     While all of this will not make you victim-proof, criminals will look for the easiest targets. You will have greatly decreased your chances of finding yours
     Reply to this
     1. 9/6/2008 1:24 PM Paul M wrote:
        Don't intend to be contrary but...
        
        It seems in a way counter-productive to fortify one's home so obviously that it looks as if there must be lots of good stuff inside worth pillaging.
        
        I've chosen to rent a Tico-style apartment in a Tico neighborhood in an unremarkable-looking building where there is someone home in one or other of the apartments at all times, plus there is a big, secure electric gate thru which to enter.
        
        The place is not fancy and there is one area of vulnerability that could be accessed from the central area/backyard in the middle of the block but that is unlikely. I do have a back door that I can close and secure at night, so that minimizes access. Being on the second floor is also useful.
        
        I don't feel in any way threatened or a target for thieves in this building. Also I do not have any big fancy electronics that would be a draw.
        
        I have been visiting CR for over thirty years and spent the first twenty of those staying in San Jose.  I have never suffered any crime other than once an attempted pickpocketing, but I happened to put my hand into my pocket at the moment the thief was reaching in to get at my money and grabbed a hold of it and bent the fingers back sharply.
        
        When I looked around, it was a lady about 50 and she ran off into the crowd. I hope I provided her with some major pain to make her think twice about targeting me if she were to see me again.
        
        Haven't had any other problems here other than the usual runarounds by a few taxistas to pad their mileage or the occasional attempt at shortchanging by a shop owner. I feel that's par for the course and nothing really out of the ordinary.
        
        But to walk around in fear all the time to me is a big effort when simply being aware of one's surroundings and not doing anything foolish I would not normally do back home should be sufficient as a protective measure.
        
        I also agree with one poster here about not traipsing about in shorts in town which is the badge of the tourist. I broke down and did that for a brief period and noticed that Ticos stared at me on the street, an activity that disappeared when I went back to wearing long pants as before. Also, I now feel more comfortable conforming that way.
        
        And it does not hurt to make friends with your Tico neighbors, then you all can watch out for one another and your neighborhood together. It's the ultimate security system.
        
        Cheers!
        
        Paul M.
        Reply to this
        1. 9/6/2008 2:19 PM Sally wrote:
           You don't plan on getting sick, but I'll bet you have insurance.
           
           My house is a fortress: alarms, locks, gates, heavy bars, dogs, razor wire, thorny plants, pistol, the works. It is as secure as I can make it and I love it! If I'm going to live in Costa Rica, I want to be as secure as I can be.
           
           Your lifestyle is so different from mine. If the only way to not live in fear is to live in a tico apartment or house in a tico neighborhood... I'm sorry, half of us would live somewhere else. If all it takes to be a target is to live in a big house, we're in trouble. I live in a huge tico house in Escazú with three dogs and two giant teenagers and a husband. I don't even think we'd fit in a regulation tico-style house! Anyway, I like my house and my neighborhood. It's huge but pretty ugly... maybe that will keep us safer.
           
           Here's how not to live in fear:
           
           

           1. Don't be in denial about being a target. My experience so far is that if you are a gringo, you are a target. You can minimize it by being alert, the way you dress, etc. But if you are obviously a gringo, I don't care where you live, you are a target.
           

           2. Do everything you can to secure yourself, your family and your stuff - whatever is important to you. Take all of Kevin's advice, all very good in my opinion.
           

           3. Remember it's only stuff. When I leave the house with the alarm set and the tv going hoping to fool anyone listening outside, I have to remind myself that it's only stuff. And we don't have much stuff: all the electronics in my house could be replaced with one trip to thestates (or Panama) and $5,000.
           

           4. The day I become seriously worried about my family's personal safety is the day I leave.
           

           5. Let it go.
           

           
           Sally
           formerly fearful in gringolandia
           Reply to this
           1. 3/4/2009 7:03 PM Carlos wrote:
              This is, sadly, the very type of arrogant attitude that can actually stimulate an interest in an asalto a mano armada, in Costa Rica (my native country) against those who overtly, and almost flauntingly, seek to convert their homes into fortified compounds.
              
              Are you not aware that there exist dozens of open cases/police files (expedientes abiertos) wherein acts of armed robbery have been perpetrated against residents who live in relatively upscale districts (ex. Escazú, etc.) who, while driving or otherwise leaving their (often gated) "community" have been ambushed by thugs on motorcycles who rob the driver at gunpoint to extract valuables, money, even the vehicle they drive in? The term is "bajonazo" in Spanish (a form of "carjacking"). Motorcyclists offer an easier way to commit serious acts of aggression and armed robber in Costa Rica for criminals than if you are aboard other forms of transport (i.e., walking, taxi, even bicycle).
              
              The point is, you can be tracked and followed by criminals in various ways, and not just Americans, but Europeans, Chinese, other Latin Americans who decide to reside here should be aware that fortifying your residence into a veritable compound will not guarantee your safety. Do you use a car in Costa Rica? Then you are not immune and will always face a certain degree of risk of victimization.
              
              Are you not aware that a common practice among costa rican business owners when they go from their money-collection point (where their business's daily sales are, checks or other payments) to the banks where they make their business deposits, is to vary the specific route used to get to the banks? Of course, in the (relative to U.S.) small cities of Costa Rica, this can mean a deviation of a few blocks, or going out of your way slightly in order not to use the most obvious (read quicker) path from home to money-collecting-point to bank.
              
              This is nothing new. A karate instructor will teach his students self-defense against muggers by varying the streets one takes every night to get home. I would advise anyone who is concerned about safety in Costa Rica to make use of this technique if they are truly after their long-term safety, or have any intention of establishing a commercial enterprise in the country.
              
              This comment is directed in large part to Sally's comment (above). If you think building a fortified compound with the physical attributes you have described will give freedom from being robbed, attacked, or otherwise victimized by criminals, I'm afraid, with all due respect, you are simply mistaken.
              
              If a banda (crimes are increasingly organized in Costa Rica, unfortunately) really wants to get you, they will.
              
              However, if you have the resources, and intend to do business in the country, an investment in an armored car may well be a good idea.
              Reply to this
• 9/5/2008 6:17 PM Paul Smith wrote:
  Costa Rica certainly has many foreigners who live here, who have learned that the basic rules of life: be more cautious than at home in the 1st world, be more cautious than at home in the 1st world, and be more cautious than at home in the 1st world. It often takes several years to learn these lessons properly, and lost money and some lost hopes. But there is no other way.
  Reply to this
• 9/6/2008 1:04 PM Roger wrote:
  I was in CR 8 days (Irazu, san jose, arenal and monteverde). The only place questionable from what I saw was san jose at night.
  Reply to this
• 9/6/2008 1:49 PM Scott B wrote:
  It is no secret among criminologists (in fact, it should be obvious to everyone) that crime and poverty are highly correlated. The reason why should be pretty obvious to anyone with an IQ over about 70: the poor and jobless have to eat too. And if they have to eat, but have no source of income, the only option open to them is economic crime. Hence, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that a nation where joblessness or underemployment is as high as it is in Costa Rica, and where there is a huge disparity of income, that there will be a lot of petty economic street crime, ranging all the way up to large-scale fraud. That, like it or not, is the basic problem with Costa Rica's security problem, and it won't be fixed until the poverty problem is fixed. Getting out the whips and chains and trying to beat the poor into submission, or sending them through an already overburdened criminal justice system, make them less inclined to engage in economic crime, because their bellies remain empty.
  
  So the results of all this for expatriates living in Costa Rica is that we are going to have to live with the results. And the results, if Mexico's experience is any guide [due to CAFTA] (and in my view it is quite illustrative) is that we can expect to see a huge increase in unemployment, a growing underclass of actual (if not "official") impoverished people desperate to feed themselves, and as a result, security issues are going to increase, regardless of the whips-and-chains approach of "broken windows" campaigns or other such nostrums. The only thing that is going to solve the crime problem is to solve the underlying social problems that breed crime, like it or not, and throwing people to the mercy of the market and telling them to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps isn't going to solve anything if they have no bootstraps by which to pull themselves up. You can't start a business with no capital and no knowledge of how to run one, and someone surviving on a dollar a day has no capital and likely little education. No bootstraps. But stiletto knives and lock picks are cheap and easy to get and learn to use ...
  Reply to this
  1. 9/6/2008 1:53 PM Scott B wrote:
     ...And this also relates to the problem of government ineffectiveness in dealing with these issues. When the attitude by the ruling elites is that it is up to the poor to solve their own problems, and that there should be no constraint on the concentration of wealth, the inevitable result is that the Gini Coefficients (an economists' measure of the concentration of wealth) will rise to the point where the economy ends up badly stunted, for the simple reason that you can't sell something to someone with no money. That is precisely what has happened in Latin America, where Gini Coefficients are among the highest in the world. Those who have the gold make the rules, and that simple reality has allowed the ruling elites to have concentrated wealth to such an extent, and have largely exempted themselves from a meaningful tax burden, that the only source of government revenues left is to tax the poor and middle class.
     
     But you can't get blood from a turnip, and so government is starved for revenue to such an extent that even basic government services, such as policing and infrastructure maintenance (let alone investment) are critically underfunded. So it hardly should come as a surprise when the the police have inadequate training and equipment, national parks continue to be looted by timber thieves, animal and orchid collectors, the Tarcoles River remains one of the largest open sewers in the world, and trash along the crumbling roadways remains uncollected, even though there is sufficient wealth in the country to fix all of these problems. The problem is a lack of will (and willingness to accept the tax burden) among the country's elites to deal with them. No amount of rock throwing by expatriates on this list is going to change that.
     
     We as expatriates, having made ourselves guests in someone else's home, need to understand that while we can recognize these problems, and may even understand them, it is not our prerogative to demand solutions, and it is highly presumptive and arrogant of us to do so. This is not the United States, and like it or not, for cultural, historical and political reasons, governmental leaders here are neither viewed by themselves nor by the public as public servants in the sense that we understand that phrase. Shocking to us, perhaps, but the ordinary reality to them.
     
     Because we have made ourselves guests in someone else's home, we are neither in a moral nor legal position to demand change of our hosts. As a result, there are really only two morally acceptable choices open to us expatriates: 1) like (or at least tolerate) the situation as it exists, and learn to live with it, adapting as best we can, or 2) pack up and leave.
     
     And always bear in mind there are not just a few Costa Ricans, in whose home we have made ourselves guests, who would prefer to see the latter. And the more that we demand change of our hosts, the more of them there will be.
     
     Scott B.
     Reply to this
     1. 9/6/2008 1:59 PM elle wrote:
        Scott-thank you very much for a thoughtful, insightful and honest assessment of a difficult topic.
        Elle in oregon
        Reply to this
     2. 9/6/2008 2:26 PM gringatica wrote:
        Eight or so paragraphs later I must say it is all true, at least the stuff I was able to wrap my ADHD demented brain around long enough to digest seemed to make total sense.  Underlying cause of crime=poverty and there must be an underlying cause to poverty?? is it lack of jobs, lack of education, lack of tradeable goods? how does Costa Rica compete in the Global Economy/trade etc? Joblessness rates climb even in that "Other Country" that is not 3rd world level. I think there is an imbalance in trade in that "OC", more from China going in than going out, so crime is on the rise there as well. WE pack up and leave for where?  IF war is good for an economy like what that "OC" govt. has always believed, maybe CR needs a war with someone...Venezuela?
        
        Scott, and you other intelligencias, what is the SOLUTION? besides my drinking my way through this bottle of Smirnoff. A nice import if I do say so myself.
        Reply to this
        1. 9/7/2008 1:28 PM Scott B wrote:
           As for a solution, there isn't an easy one. First off, there has to be a commitment by the ruling elites to sacrifice some of their power and privilege, and, most of all, some of their accumulated wealth, to the cause. And given the nature of the Latin American cultural system, that is not going to happen anytime soon. But for the sake of argument, lets say they do.
           
           Then, the country has to do what every country has done that ever went from poor to rich: It has to 1) strengthen the rule of civil law and basic social justice and put an end to corruption, both petty and structural, 2) and once that is done, begin to make the investments needed in the Holy Trinity of development: health, education and infrastructure. The first is already pretty much in hand in Costa Rica; a legacy of the Figueres era, at least to the extent it is being maintained and adequately funded. The second, education, needs to be reformed away from the tendency to teach a few basic skills and force rote memorization of endless lists of facts, and move towards a system (I recommend the Socratic Method) that teaches habitual independent thinking through the teaching of critical thinking, reasoning and logic.  And do it with RIGOR - so that it becomes habitual. Finally, investments in infrastructure are absolutely vital - right now, the nation has not been making the needed investments (the money isn't there under the existing tax structure), but once this is done, the investments will more than pay back the costs. Finally, some independence from the "Washington Consensus" (which is incredibly self serving) is needed in foreign and trade policy, so that the country is not parasitized by foreign corporations desirous of plundering the country of what little wealth there is here...
           Reply to this
           1. 9/7/2008 1:52 PM Scott B wrote:
              ...Everyone, newbie and naturalized citizen alike is entitled to a private opinion, and I would never suggest otherwise.
              
              It is what you do with that opinion that matters.
              
              When one hops off the plane and starts suggesting to Costa Ricans what they need to do with their country, that is not being helpful, it is being an Ugly American (read William Lederer's excellent book by that title - it ought to be required reading for every USAnian expat).
              
              It is the exceptionalism that causes the "knowledgeable" gringos to come down here presuming that their poor, brown-skinned brothers don't know what to do. In reality, that is nothing more than the USAnian version of the "white man's burden" of Rudyard Kipling fame - minus the khaki shorts and pith helmets. But the exceptionalist attitude is precisely the same.
              
              Even if you have been resident here for 30 years, you are still a guest in someone else's home. Like it or not, you are. And to the sense of most Costa Ricans, an uninvited guest at that.
              
              So if you are asked for your opinions by a Costa Rican, sure, go ahead and state it. But if you are not asked, don't be an Ugly American and start telling them what they should be doing. USAnians like to think that they have some sort of monopoly on the wisdom of how governments and economies should be run; Costa Ricans along with the rest of the
              planet know better, and telling them what to do only succeeds in exposing arrogance and ethnocentrism. Yankee Go Home wasn't - isn't - just leftist propaganda. It can be a very real sentiment, based on very real arrogance motivated by a very real sense of USAnian exceptionalism...
              Reply to this
              1. 9/7/2008 2:06 PM Scott B wrote:
                 ...One more comment, based on something that was said to me off-list about this topic. The question was asked, what we as expats can do to help solve the social problems in this country (and thereby contribute to our own security). There are a number of things we can do, and not all of them are difficult or expensive.
                 
                 I heartily commend such efforts as those on and off this list, who are working with the disadvantaged to help them overcome their lack of opportunities. Helping, through volunteer efforts, is very useful, and can make a difference to a lot of lives. Helping those who can't help themselves, by offering work, volunteering our technical expertise, teaching ESL, whatever. By creating opportunities for work we are contributing directly the the security of the country in a far more effective way than simply building an armed fortress to live in (which only succeeds in pushing the criminal to rob someone else).
                 
                 Doing so will also contribute directly to your own personal security, because as your neighbors see you making a concerted effort to contribute to the community, rather than just existing in it (or worse, exploiting it), they will value you as a neighbor - and will be much more likely to actively help and protect you rather than just turning a blind eye when the ladrones show up or they see smoke coming from your bodega.
                 
                 So yes, there are things we can do. And if we care about the people around us, and the suffering they endure which is most assuredly not of their making, we should - regardless of what Ayn Rand suggests. It will help us, too.
                 
                 Scott B.
                 Reply to this
                 1. 9/7/2008 2:18 PM STEPHEN wrote:
                    scott.....your articulate economic analyis posting is something with which i cannot quibble............
                    
                    but.......when you talk about the moral choices left for expats in CR, i must point out, the analysis is really just your own opinion......to keep your head low and say yes massa....so as to not become a target on the radar....and is not a solution for anything going on in CR
                    
                    why you do not feel you have the right to stand up and approach the local powers with your complaints is something i do not understand, nor condone...
                    
                    and probably why im no longer looking to CR as an investment
                    
                    when a group of persons become arrogant to the point they are not interested in, and inhibit your input in that society................why would you want to continue participating in it
                    
                    i see all of these postings about how you can not be a target by doing this and that thing, ducking your head.....affecting the clothes you wear, and living behind bars on your homes and knowing that one day youll be ripped off..............and must wonder why you would continue living in fear in such a place...........where the only wise option is to leave
                    
                    to those that make a distinction about being prepared is not being in fear...........get real your only fooling yourself
                    
                    to me, now the story about the "crazy" gringo went up on his roof with an ak and began shooting in the air.........
                    
                    my own life has taught me something about myself and the morals i try to live by.............that would be we all cracked out of the same nut eons ago......we literally are all related to each other with common parentage along time ago and this us and them mentality is the starting point of divisive thinking
                    
                    in summary.....i say there is a 3rd option...........speak out directly to those who are wrong in their control of the land, and then the changes that need to be made will be addressed
                    
                    we are all visitors here on this planet for a short time/////
                    Reply to this
     3. 9/7/2008 2:12 PM thepeatman wrote:
        All the more reason why the rising crime in Costa Rica should be so puzzling. Costa Rican unemployment has been FALLING for some time, and it's currently at a historic low of something like 4.5% There is a chronic SHORTAGE of labor (esp. in ag and construction, but also in the higher-paying call center and service sector) because there are more jobs than workers. And while it may be that I've just not gotten around enough, I've never observed the kind of slums and desperate poverty in Costa Rica that I've seen in other parts of Latin America, with the possible exception of shanty-town urban neighborhoods that have sprung up in recent years, populated by mostly immigrant laborers forced to live on the margins due to terrible planning on the part of the government.
        
        The crime I've observed in Costa Rica is not linked to hunger or lack of opportunity, and it's not actually all that prevalent. The problem is that it's not dealt with, hence a handful of bad guys can create the perception of a crime wave, stealing cell phones, mugging people with laptops, carjacking drivers, etc. Until the government takes law enforcement seriously, crime will only get worse, and not because young people have no opportunities. If there's one place in Latin America that offers exciting opportunities to people who work hard and take pride in their craftsmanship/skills - and provides the basic education needed to begin developing those skills - it's Costa Rica.
        
        Cheers!!
        
        pjk
        Reply to this
        1. 9/7/2008 2:50 PM Scott B wrote:
           I have little time at the moment, so this is going to be short and sweet:
           
           It would appear that you are implicitly trusting government statistics, which I rarely do. I have found them to be quite unreliable, particularly with regards to performance of economies under a particular government's stewardship. So I will leave it to you to trust that 4.5% statistic as being the percentage of all Costa Ricans that need a job but can't find one. Heck, that's an even better number than the United States at the moment! And if you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to discuss with you...
           Reply to this
     4. 9/7/2008 2:26 PM Flagringo wrote:
        Actually, that is not proven at all. It is culture & values. There was no increase in crime during the Great Depression in the USA. As social spending increased in the USA, crime has also increased, in the exact same zip codes that government social spending has increased.
        
        "We must also focus on preventing crime by addressing the conditions that give rise to it. That does not mean increasing government spending on jobs programs or social programs. There is no historical relationship between crime rates and either poverty, joblessness, or government social spending. Crime rates during the Great Depression were much lower than they are today. The real cause of crime is not a poverty of resources but a poverty of values."
        
        source:  http://www.johnlocke.org/agenda2004/crimepunisment.html
        
        The lack of seriousness that CR's government has towards crime (and it's lack of punishment/enforcement) speaks about the culture and values of society. When that changes, this will substantially affect CR's crime rate.
        
        
        hmmmm...perhaps we need to hire the folks that speak on behalf of the illegal immigrants that have invaded the USA -- they seem to be getting most of what they want...
        
        
        Flagringo
        
        Reply to this
        1. 9/7/2008 2:42 PM Tim wrote:
           I think you hit the nail on the head, Stuart. Thank you for posting that counter-intuitive bit on lack of correlation between crime and poverty and the surprise of Great Depression crime rates. Very interesting page that confirms what I have heard before:
           
           Tico friends of ours had a chicken business here they later sold.  Their stories of all the inventive ways their own employees stole money and inventory amazed me. It confirmed for me the idea that there is a value among many Ticos that we gringos are rich and stupid and therefore deserve to be parted from our surplus of goods.
           
           These same Tico friends visited India and were amazed to find that thievery was not as widespread a problem, or not nearly as bad as you would expect after living here and believing the conventional wisdom more poverty means more thievery. The reason it is less of a problem is their religious values, especially the belief in karma.
           
           Karma is, in one sense, the Golden Rule stated as a promise of consequences instead of a positive instruction.  "What you do unto others will be done to you" instead of "Do unto others as you would have done to you." (Of course, the Bible has that version, too: "You shall reap what you sow.")
           
           The Bible predicts the incredibly prosperous and peaceful 1000 year reign of Jesus and his saints. We are told there will be no swords, no walls, and no war (and not even any carnivores). I expect there will be no locks or theft as well since it says "no one will harm or destroy" either. The reason given? Value education: "for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is filled with water." (Isa 11:1-9)
           
           Tim
           Reply to this
        2. 9/7/2008 2:46 PM Roger wrote:
           Flagrino: Well said! Anyone who has the ugly american syndrome or attitude should leave. It is CR, not the USA.
           Reply to this
        3. 9/7/2008 2:51 PM Scott B wrote:
           If there were no correlation between poverty and crime, as you suggest, why not live or buy property in depressed areas, where prices are lower?  Just because you like manicured lawns? I don't think so. The correlation of strength and integrity of rejas on the windows to the poverty of the neighborhood is obvious to even the most casual observer.
           
           My information, besides that based on casual observation of obvious realities, is what I learned when I studied sociology in my college years. It was based not on a few selected studies, as is the article at the link you provided, but the consensus view of criminologists and sociologists of the time. Based on hundreds, even thousands of published studies. And they are congruent with basic, ordinary experience as I noted above. Proceeding from all available evidence to the conclusion, as my professors had done, is the basis of true science.
           
           The link that you provided is from the John Locke Foundation, which is a highly ideological organization with a very narrow point of view. Their ideology, among other things, is to promote the view that poverty and inequality are tolerable, because they are not, by themselves a problem for the rest of us. Much of their propaganda is geared towards supporting that point of view.
           
           Formulating a conclusion, as the Locke Foundation and other such ideological axe-grinders do, and then proceeding to the evidence, selective as may be necessary to support it, is not science, it is religion.
           
           Scott
           Reply to this
     5. 9/7/2008 3:08 PM Janath wrote:
        I keep seeing and hearing the same old refrain, we who have invested here, who have planned to spend our lives here, and we who are told in no polite or uncertain terms that our opinion is not only unwanted but actually resented - so if you were a guest in someone else's home and you saw children being molested and wives being beaten and other criminal activities going on - would you just quietly back out the door? Isn't it a far more humane thing to try and to something about it. I think that this guest business is just more of the same that heppened too long in the USA, Germany, etc. If it's not happening to me, I'll just close my eyes and shut up. Is that indeed the price of living here?
        Reply to this
     6. 9/7/2008 3:19 PM Chris P wrote:
        That [guests in someone else's home] analogy is nonsense. I moved here from South Florida and all the people from the Caribbean and South and Central America who have moved there have never even considered an "it's their house, let's be good guests and not interfere" approach. The minute they show up, they start changing local government and anything else they can reach to help them in their new home. They don't just sit back and say "Well,
        it's their country, they should do it all the way they like." Get real. If I'm living and working and paying taxes here, I'm going to ask for things, change what I can and push for change where I think it needs it. I'm not just going to sit on my hands and watch. I've made this place my new home and I'm no 'guest'. Besides, if you're living here and not just visiting, then that attitude is just one more way to abdicate responsibility to the world you affect and live in.
        
        Chris P
        Reply to this
• 9/6/2008 2:03 PM Roger wrote:
  My issue (my opinion only, no offense intended) is that there is crime everywhere. I would like to see anyone walk through an undesirable section of chicago, brooklyn, LA, houston etc and say the US is safe.
  Reply to this
  1. 9/6/2008 2:10 PM Mike wrote:
     Roger,
     
     You are so right, but forget the big cities, try Kansas City or even Wichita Ks.  Even during broad daylight would I want to walk, or have a flat tire or anything in the many undesirable sections. So much worse than here. Both are just a fraction of the size of San Jose.
     
     Safe in San Jose.
     Reply to this
• 9/6/2008 2:16 PM Mark wrote:
  The bottom line is that everything that was said in the original post that started this thread was true. I personally have experienced each of those things.
  
  I simply know that is the price I must pay to live here instead of the USA garbage hole.
  
  I acually enjoy watching over my shoulder for the criminals everywhere I go, as it is kind of a game to me. I have told myself that when confronted by criminals with guns, I will simply say know. Mayb e they will pull the trigger, maybe they won't. Mayb e they will be so out of it, that I will take the gun away from them and shoot both their kneecaps and laugh at them.
  Reply to this
• 9/6/2008 2:33 PM John wrote:
  Funny how our perceptions are different and how we all draw different experiences to ourselves. I believe that depending on our thoughts, expectations, and beliefs that we create our own experience. It appears to me that this couples fear and negative thoughts created their bad experience. Also so called bad experiences are not really bad but just a oportunity to learn and grow. I know some of you will think I am off my rocker but just offering my two cents.
  Reply to this
  1. 9/6/2008 2:39 PM robyn wrote:
     I have to step in here and add a perspective to your thoughts john. when you say that the couples fear and negative thoughts created their bad experiences... i have to say whoa... I do agree with you that we create our own reality and we bring into our lives certain experiences... but by saying that someone who has an experience that many consider negative is brought about by negative thinking is missing the element that maybe the experience happened because you might need to learn something from this or that in another lifetime you maybe perpetrated the same type of crime, or that the experience happened because it will be the altering factor to move this person to another level of evolving. But to blame a person and put on him or her the banner of "wow, you did that to yourself because you are not thinking positivly" is a bit arrogant and is not helping this person gain a perspective that they may need. We do not know the answers for other people... but we can be a healing agent by helping them discover their own answers and not blaming them. your perspective allows only one answer to this topic of why things happen to us... i think their may be more than one answer to the whys of the world we live in....and we don't know everything....yet!
     
     robyn
     Reply to this
  2. 9/7/2008 3:31 PM Henry wrote:
     it sounds like you are taking the philosophy of the book called the secret, i could be wrong. the problem with the book called the secret is, it doesn't have real depth. it simplifies the law of attraction. a better title would be spirituallity for dummies. i am not putting anyone down because the dummies books are very good for learning. the book the secret was basically taken from the channeled entity called abraham. it is all about the law of attraction, which it seems john is exspousing with his comment. abraham does take it to a deeper level than the secret. the law of attraction is interesting but if you want to go beyond that part of spirituallity, may i suggest you read the seth books. seth goes way beyond just the law of attraction. it isn't just about thinking something negative and then something negative happens to you or the reverse, if you think of something positive long enough then it will happen. i don't have all of the answers as none of us do. john, if you are content to stay at the law of attraction level that is fine and i honor that and that is where you need to be. i think that we have chosen things to happen to us to learn or not learn from them. from my aspect, these decisions were made long before we were ever thinking about them positively or negatively or even before we returned here. i am just making another observation as you did in your post. yes, there are those out there that will think i am off my hammock, but that is ok too. by the way i don't think you are off your rocker. we are all on a journey of learning and you are on the one you have chosen.
     henry
     Reply to this
• 9/6/2008 2:45 PM J G wrote:
  Ask this couple to tell you about a "paradise-country", and they, obviously, wont find one.  Send them to any country in this world, and they will say: "...It was a bad experience".  In other words, it depends who are you talkin with.  Every single country in this world has problems as corruption, delinquency, drugs, etc, etc, etc; but you have to be a little bit smart to ask in the airport of the country you are visiting, about dangerous places to don't visit them. It is common sence.  I am sorry about this couples experience, but, at the same time, it is only that: "EXPERIENCE"
  Reply to this
• 9/6/2008 2:50 PM Cabinas Farniente wrote:
  To an unfortunate large extent this is correct.  23% of Costaricans live in poverty, and approx. 10% of the population
  lives on only 1 meal a day.  Costa Rica is not anymore what it was in the past, not even its shadow.  We have no social conscience left. You can judge from the number of "indigentes", security problems, the "indigenas", the surroundings, and still those who pretend that Costa Rica is the Switzerland of Central America: we don't like foreigners to tell us the truth, that we are a third world country.
  Reply to this
• 9/6/2008 3:44 PM Sarah wrote:
  As for the tourists - actually there are ICT flyers available at the SJO airport and most tourist kiosks throughout Costa Rica (Spanish one side, English on the other)entitled: Tips for having a great and safe vacation in Costa Rica and the rest of the world
  
  You can see the full text written out here: http://samarabeach.com/faq.htm
  
  As for living as a foreigner in Costa Rica, I have been what I consider very lucky. First of all I live in a Tico neighborhood set far off the road and have been in the same place in a small town near San Joaquin de Flores for about 3 years. My neighbors recognize me as the "gringa" and are all friendly with me. I live with my partner Julio, an imposing looking Tico (the nicest person you'll ever meet!).  Our rented house is a Tico style house with bars on the windows, not visible from the road. We've had one appliance left outside disappear, and on a trip we've lost a camera. I would consider both losses to be sheer carelessness on our part. I have never been mugged or otherwise stolen from.
  
  I have gone out to meet friends and taken a taxi home alone from Heredia or San Jose at night when I've had a few drinks (sometimes coming home at 2 or 3 in the morning). I've also driven home alone from Heredia or San Jose at night (before midnight). I take precautions such as staying alert, having my cell phone right by me, locking the doors, leaving my purse on the floor, and if in a taxi, chatting in fluent Spanish with the driver so he knows I'm not just a tourist. Never had any problems. Again, I will say that I have been very lucky. I hope (knock on wood) that my luck continues, but I won't be surprised if once or twice in the rest of my life living here something doesn't go so perfectly.
  Reply to this
• 9/7/2008 2:25 PM Harriet wrote:
  Before I came to live in Costa Rica, I lived in Cedar Key, Florida, a tiny town on the Gulf Coast of Florida, about 150 miles north of Tampa. When I first got there, it was a fishing village with laid-back people who were easy-going, somewhat eccentric and funny.  Tourists and winter visitors would often comment on things they thought were wrong. "Why don't you clean up the trash in the street?" was one of them. The answer was "Because it attracts the wrong kind of people." Everything was criticized from local government to the library policies. Eventually, it got so bad that someone created a bumper sticker: "We don't care how you did it up North." Maybe this is what Costa Rica needs.
  
  
  Harriet
  Reply to this
  1. 9/7/2008 3:00 PM Frank wrote:
     #1 I don't get it, how would cleaning up the trash in the street attract the wrong kind of people"
     
     #2 Is it really a good idea to adopt a philosophy of living anywhere based on what is written on a bumper sticker. "America, love it or leave it" "Don't Californicate Arizona", etc
     
     Frank
     Reply to this
     1. 9/7/2008 3:06 PM Paul wrote:
        It's okay, Harriet, I get it...
        
        Paul
        Reply to this
• 9/7/2008 2:58 PM Frances wrote:
  I don't understand all the fuss. The answer is so terribly simple. If someone doesn't like it here then they should move. There's LOTS of other countries out there folks!
  
  We didn't like the U.S. and complained about the direction it was headed. When I would state my opinion people (fans of the govt.) would say, "If you don't like it, move."  So we did!
  
  I've heard of lots of countries that are cheaper, safer, and have basically the same climates.  If you don't like it here in Costa Rica, go there!
  
  Just my two colones worth.
  
  Frances
  Reply to this
• 9/7/2008 3:14 PM Henry wrote:
  i would like to share some thoughts from a Guatemalan who has lived in costa rica and the u.s.a. for many years. he was president of kativo a subsidiary of h.b. fuller here in costa rica. his take was; the latin american culture would have been very different if something would have been done differently back when simon bolivar took over south america and the surrounding region. according to my latin friend, simon bolivar requested that the british be invited to come down to south america to run the operations of governance. simon bolivar was afraid if the spanish ran the governments there would be the typical philosophy of rape, pillage and plunder. he felt the spanish way of thinking would dominate the culture and he was afraid it would be apparent in all levels of the culture. his request was denied and the rest is history.
  
  this guatamalan thinks that central and south america would be much more like first world countries if they would have had a different philosophy than the spanish. he also felt this was the deep rooted differences between north
  american culture and the culture from mexico south. the values of the spanish of pillage and plunder is entrenched in the values of the latin american society at many levels. the basic moral fiber of north american's is that it isn't ok to take from others while it is much more accepted in latin culture. the laws also reflect it in this society. (again this is his take not mine.) an example is; in north america we have self serve newpaper stands in front of restaurants on corners and many other locations. what do you think would happen if you had a self serve newspaper stand here? i was told by a tico how surprised he was to see this phenomena in the united states. he said you could never do that here as they would be stolen. remember this whole theory was told to me by a man from guatamala. i would have
  never come up with this theory as i am not very knowlegeble about the history of latin america but i did find the theory interest.
  
  henry,
  Reply to this
• 9/7/2008 3:27 PM Tricia wrote:
  I would like to pipe in on the eco-aspect of the negative critique given by the couple's post. For a country whose main economic development is driven by tourism, and eco-tourism in particular, its policies, actions and vision continue to be far off the mark of cultivating sound environmental stewardship.  In the area that I live in (the Osa Penninsula) we have unimagined natural wonders that unfortunately are systematically being decimated, not just by private development interests, but also by the very government that is charged with protecting them. I agree with the assessment that this country is a non eco-sanctuary, basically giving lip service to its standing as a natural destination while committing acts that only serve to destroy its environmental integrity. I would hope that the couple who wrote, and others like them that are appalled by this country's hypocrisy will take a stand, not choose to spend
  their greedily coveted dollars here and let the government know the reasons why. Maybe if the Costa Rican government started to feel the economic pinch as a result of its misguided policies, it would choose to turn its focus around and instead protect and cultivate the very naturaleza that brings in such badly needed foreign investment
  Reply to this
• 9/8/2008 3:48 PM Frances wrote:
  I left the US by CHOICE.
  
  I live in Costa Rica by CHOICE.
  
  I love this country even with all it's faults. For me the pro's outweigh the cons.
  
  If I am going to live here then I need to accept those faults and not go around whining about them all the time.
  
  People who don't like it or who can't/won't take the faults in stride should simply go elsewhere. They will NOT be missed.
  
  Everyone deserves to be where they want to be and should not stay somewhere if they dislike it so much that all they can do is gripe about it.
  
  Of course, some people will never be happy anywhere and will always gripe no matter what.
  
  Oh well.....Pura vida!
  
  Frances
  Reply to this
• 9/8/2008 3:51 PM Roger wrote:
  Every country has faults and I can much more easily point out faults in the USA.  I also really get pissed when peopel speak negatively about CR, Mexico, Central america etc and I ask, have you ver been there and they reply No!
  Reply to this
• 9/8/2008 3:56 PM Frank wrote:
  On Friday, Sept 5, I replied to this post with the question of how, specifically, to be more vigilant in regards to ones own safety. I also gave a couple of other examples of bad experiences of friends of mine (not heighbors) & asked the same question regarding those experiences. Since then here have been many replies to my post & the subject has strayed somewhat.  First, the answers to my question ran the gamit from don't wear shorts & look like a tourist to carry a gun or pepper spray or learn self defense or give up your property without a fight, it's not worth your life. Fortify your home to make it a more difficult target to live like trailor trash so the bad guys won't think that you have anything of value. Oh yes, & don't own anything of value, it'll only attract theives. I believe what the truth is is that short of stagering drunk through the worst part of town or flashing money in a crowd or similar actions, the average person is reasonably vigilant. The fact is that we are dealing with PROFESSIONAL criminals. As ICE said in a recent article, up to 2 km of wire are stolen each night. As fast as they come up with changes to twart the crime the ladrones adjust & overcome, because they are PROFESSIONALS.  Most of us are familiar with the well publicized case of the criminal from Columbia who has been caught & deported many times. He's brags about how profitable & risk free crime is in Costa Rica & how he will be back in a couple of days. And he is back, but while he's home he's telling all of his criminal friends what a great deal it is here in Costa Rica.  The point that I'm trying to make is that if you get robbed, mugged, home invaded etc. it's not your fault,, you are dealing with PROFESSIONALS. I'm not saying don't be vigilant or aware. Always do that, because Costa Rica can be a dangerous place.
  
  Then the next most typical answer to my question was not really an answer, but an avoidence of the problem. Well, there's crime everywhere. Try walking through the bad neighborhoods in Kansas City. Yes, there is crime everywhere. Disease is everywhere, but when disease becomes epidemic it must be dealt with differently, otherwise the consequences can be disasterous. Crime is epidemic in Costa Rica. That is not just my opinion, but the opinion of most Costa Ricans. These people are turning to vigalantiaism. Opinions on punishment for crime are changing drastically. It is a fact of life. Costa Rica is not like where you came from. Where you came from property theft insurance is affordable & readily available. Not so here, & there's a very good reason for that...
  Reply to this
  1. 9/8/2008 4:02 PM Frank wrote:
     ...Then the subject of being a guest in this country & trying to change Costa Rica came up. I am not trying to change anything, but to the contrary I'm trying to be supportive to the views of most Costa Ricans that crime is out of control & something must be done now. As to being a guest, yes we are guests here, but invited guests.  Especially the tourists who were the origional subject of this thread. Costa Rica spends a lot of money to envite people to be a guest in their country. When you invite someone to be a guest in your home, there is an implied ethics involved which goes back to ancient times. With the highest rate of stolen passports in most of the civilized world, I believe Costa Rica needs some inprovement in the host department.
     
     Then there's the love it or leave it approach, which I have no intelligent response to, because it's an emotional argument, not an intelligent one.
     
     This problem will not be solved by denial. Not recognizing the problem only emboldens those who would rob & kill. Read page 1 of today's (Monday, Sept 8) Inside Costa Rica.
     
     I love Costa Rica, I love the past 5 years that I have lived here. But, as an ex marine I'm not used to running from a problem. As a group we have a voice. It would be nice to see ARCR, as the representative of many of us, become
     more vocal & active in taking a stand in regards to this problem. I would appreciate the many of you who have contacted me with words of encouragement off group to post your opinion on the group. This subject tends to polorize people & there are a portion of our group who will do everything in their power to deny, deflect & bury this subject for obvious reasons. If nothing is done to stop this epidemic, we'll all suffer together along with this country that we've chosen to live in.
     
     Thanks for listening
     
     Frank
     Reply to this
• 9/8/2008 4:24 PM brutseller wrote:
  I've been watching this thread with a modicum of interest, wondering how many people have been to more places than here, the states, or Canada. We tend to rely on our own experience sets to judge value.  I've had the opportunity to visit a variety of places as have many who choose not to live within the comfort zones of our youth. This includes not only the majority of the states, but also much of Europe and several countries in Africa. I have felt unsafe in many of them, some for good reason. And while I have been mugged here in San Jose (due to my own stupidity of walking alone on Centro Colon late at night rather than spending a buck on a taxi), I have never felt
  unsafe here.
  
  The place I feared the most (aside from a few actual war zones) was definitely NOT Costa Rica but Oahu, Hawaii. Yes, another supposed garden spot. The "pristine" beaches there are long gone, populated by heavy drug users, crack addicts, the down-and-out's of the world who have migrated there and have taken over the parking lots and the
  once beautiful beaches. Sure, we have problems here in CR. Problems exist everywhere in the world - except possible Singapore where they don't allow them. But here we also have a degree of freedom that may not truly exist elsewhere.
  
  OK, I've got a pot hole in the street in front of my house. A manhole cover is missing on the next block that could really cause damage. And maybe we are paying about $5 a gallon for gas. But I'm also free to move if I can't handle it. This country isn't for everyone... thank god. But to me, it's where I choose to live. No one should ever move here to get away from their problems, as they will follow you. Come here to experience a different lifestyle, perhaps, but come here to be part of a culture and enjoy it. Just eliminate the word "why" from your vocabulary and you'll do fine.
  Reply to this
• 9/24/2008 11:30 PM puchi wrote:
  I am planning on applying to the University of Costa Rica (in San Jose) for a MS degree in a minimum two years program. I have read that housing surrounding the university is not very safe. I am puertorrican, so I speak fluent spanish and don't look like a typical american tourist. I am going to depend on public transportation the whole time I am going to be there. I have a decision to face, I am currently starting a MS program here in Puerto Rico but I am unhappy. After searching the web, the program offered by the UCR is the one who covers all of my interests. I mean, I know I don't have to be unhappy but my safety is very important (lol). Can anyone give any feedback about the surroundings near the university? Hell, I have been mugged here in PR 3 times and the neighborhood around the university is full of junkies breaking car windows stealing stereos; I have been a victim of this two times and the last time they broke the window just to steal a biology book. Well, I still love living here and I know to take precautions that assure my safety. Thanks in advance.
  Reply to this
  1. 10/16/2008 8:10 AM Bill Clanton wrote:
     Puchi,
     
     Sorry about the delay in responding, but I had to seek expert advice on this question being as I am past the university housing stage in my life ;o)
     
     According to UCR professor Grettel Mora, the University of Costa Rica's International Affairs Office can answer all of your questions. Their e-mail address is: oaiucr@cariari.ucr.ac.cr.
     
     I hope this helps!
     
     P.S.: For the record, I have never had any problems around the UCR campus and in fact, some of the neighborhoods are quite upscale.
     Reply to this
• 10/4/2008 2:34 PM flagringo wrote:
  I read the first post and the first reply (from the policeman), and skimmed the rest.
  
  Here are my thoughts;
  
  Minimize risk by taking the hotel van from the airport to the hotel. A reputable car rental company will delivery your rental car to your hotel. This just about eliminates most of your risk. From thereon, you only travel with copies of your passport.
  
  Have the rental car company pick up your rental car at the hotel; take the hotel van to the airport.
  
  Police are corrupt everywhere. I do not say that all police are corrupt, but many in the USA are. Read the South Florida newspapers; tons of corrupt cops that are well paid are indicted and convicted almost monthly in the Miami/Dade/Palm Beach areas. Don't even get me started on the INCOMPETENT police in the USA.
  
  I have recently moved to CR and have no complaints or problems, I live in a gated complex with a guard in a suburb of San Jose; you can go anywhere you want in the daytime, at night you're in a car or behind your guarded building. No problemo.
  
  I have simplified my life, love the climate, people and gentler nature of this part of the World. I have never been pulled over or stopped by any CR police ever (in previous visits) - I think the guy that started this post had a huge bullseye on his forehead.
  
  I am obviously a gringo, blonde/blue eyed with a lovely latina (my wife) almost always in tow. Travel in pairs, not alone as much as possible, we walk in the street, not in the sidewalks as much as possible to cut down on petty theft risks.
  
  If there is a bunch of guys standing around, we cross the street or wait for them to walk by. If you appear alert, I think they will go on to easier prey.
  
  Pepper spray is a must; competent guarded communities a must also.
  
  Flagringo
  Reply to this
• 12/20/2008 9:49 PM Pepper Rogers wrote:
  Since everyone is concerned about security about in Costa Rica and talking about solutions, I was just curious if there is a big smuggling problem in CR with handguns. Seems like it would be easy to buy a shot gun or handgun and put them in each room in the house if needed for quick response. How much do stand mounted, fully functionable machine guns cost? Seems like these could be mounted for easy perimeter protection, in addition to bushes planted with thorns. No sense calling the police, since they are not trustworthy?
  Reply to this
• 12/26/2008 1:49 PM Brian Love wrote:
  Het all,
  
  I would rather walk half lit at midnight by myself in Coco beach than to walk fully armed in Toronto at dusk.
  
  Thank's
  Brian
  the wannabe expat
  Reply to this
• 1/19/2009 8:51 PM meros wrote:
  I am terrified after reading about San Jose and need advice. My family and I will be visiting CR for the first time San Jose to be exact and from their we are planning on renting a charter bus to drive us to liberia which is a five hour drive. I am terrified and feel like crying any suggestions on what we can do not to stand out? We are fluent in spanish and what is the best way to liberia is their a boat we can rent to take us. I looked into flying and it's tooo expanisve. We are a family of five and my kids range from 13-6. Please give us some advice. I was thinking of maybe renting a van and us driving but after reading a blog I don't think so. Please give us advise.
  
  Thank you
  Reply to this
  1. 1/20/2009 9:33 AM Bill Clanton wrote:
     Meros,
     
     There is no reason to be terrified, scared or even nervous about your family’s safety when visiting Costa Rica.
     
     The entire purpose of this blog entry was to encourage an open discussion on this subject – not create anxiety. The above entry and the many responses address one family’s experience, provide feedback from a variety of people and most importantly remind everybody that any travel experience (including a walk to your local store) includes being aware of your surroundings and taking some responsibility for your own successful vacation.
     
     I am a blond haired, blue eyed, English speaking gringo with a capital GRINGO.  In my almost 10 years of extended visits and living in Costa Rica I have never personally experienced a single personal safety problem … this includes exploring all corners of San Jose many, many times on foot & walking beaches at 3:00am in heavy tourist areas.
     
     Costa Rica is a wonderful country with wonderful people. Just like anywhere else in the world, a very few trouble makers make the headlines and cause good people like yourself to become anxious about visiting such a great destination. Trust me when I say, Costa Rican’s as a society loath those few that make the rest of the country look bad.
     
     I recommend looking forward to your visit, contact driver Manuel Solano Sanchez (Transporte Turistico, cell 011-506-363-9475, office 011-506-234-3155) for all your microbus transportation needs and remain as vigilant and aware of your surroundings as you should in any Wal-Mart parking lot.
     
     Finally, I suggest that you take lots of pictures for your lifetime of great Costa Rica memories!
     
     ¡Pura Vacación Familiar!
     Reply to this
     1. 1/25/2009 10:54 AM meros wrote:
        Thank you I feel much confident now. I will also call Manuel.
        
        Thanks again.
        Reply to this
• 4/1/2009 8:51 PM Kelly wrote:
  I am a hardcore pacifist, but wish to clarify: I think the greatest threat to tourism in Costa Rica is not crime - it is complete inaction in the face of crime. Tourists will see that they are unprotected here, they they are considered "fair game", and will choose to go to Nicaragua, or Ecuador, or Panama... not Costa Rica. The police and the SALA MUST be aware, and they must take action or the tourism industry will decline as the word gets out.
  
  Just my humble opinion,
  Kelly
  Reply to this
  1. 4/1/2009 8:56 PM Bill Clanton wrote:
     As a former police officer I couldn’t agree more … sign me up for the petition.  While they’re at it, how about enforcing a traffic law or two.
     
     I once attempted to post an instructional topic on CR gun licensure on a local Costa Rica discussion board only to have the moderator deny the post stating the “Costa Rica considers itself to be a pacifist nation”.  In my opinion pacifism should not equate to setting oneself up for being a good victim.  I think this is where some people get confused – and I’m certainly not saying this is you.
     
     As you are aware, societal changes start with the people. Every person owes it to themselves and their neighbors to start the process where they live while the Costa Rica government catches up to the demand; ‘the broken window theory’, ‘the not in my neighborhood practice’, etc., etc.
     
     In my opinion too many people complain or wait for somebody else to take care of the problem.  When everyday citizens become more vigilant (not vigilantes) and stick together the bad guys pay attention and the government also seems to fall in line – the will of the people type stuff.
     
     As I see it here in Costa Rica, the court system is the biggest problem just like you pointed out.  It’s the old boys club that doesn’t want to change.  Why should police enforce laws if the judicial system doesn’t impose punishment.  Changes within the judicial branch of government can be very difficult.  I have witnessed all of this first-hand even in the good ‘ol U.S. of A.  But again, the collective will of the people for the rule of law usually prevails –in time.
     
     In the meantime, sharing information just as you did is the least that should be done.  Awareness + Vigilance = Pura Vida.
     Reply to this
• 4/19/2009 3:25 PM Micky wrote:
  It is a pity that such horrible things are experienced by visitors to Costa Rica. It is also a pity that many gringos (extranjeros) never see Costa Rica as it really is because they surround themselves with their Gringo friends and buy their way through life. Money talks, and though I suppose that is true in most of the world I find it to be so much more true in CR. Everyone is your friend, as long as they think that they will be made a bit richer for that friendship.
  
  I have traveled extensivily in Central America and CR is unique in its attitude towards outsiders. They will be friendly but not a real friend. I began traveling and spending much time in CR 24 years ago. While things have changed quite a bit, theft was , as it still is, very much a part of Costa Rican culture. It is almost accepted and treated as if the victim must have caused it. I have lived in CR for 8 years now, not as a "wealthy Gringo", but as a normal working person (in the education business), and I have been legal, unlike a huge number of Gringos in CR. While every person has their own personal experiences I find Ticos, as a group, to be disingenuous, dishonest, untruthful, and completely egocentric. They would rob their own grandmother if they thought they would get away with it. Understand, I did say that it was a general statement, and there are plenty of great individuals.
  
  I also understand why Ticos view Gringos as they do, with $ on their foreheads, because the ugly American is alive and well in CR. Most gringos that I have met here who are involved in real estate, land development, sports book, or online gambling are people who do not represent the best in North America. They are pirahanas and vultures who want to "Americanize" this country. They never learn to speak Spanish, expect everyone to speak to them in English and complain incessently about things that are different here than "back in the States". The retirerees expect people to work for next to nothing. Those people are here to rape the country and over the years Costa Ricans have developed a thick skin and bad attitude torwards Gringos.
  
  Having said all this, why am I here? The culture is interesting, there are nice people (you just have to be selective and show them that you want to be assimilated and not change their country), and I have a wonderful latina girlfriend (soon to be wife) and her family. It is true that there are many negative aspects to CR, that have been caused by the "invaders". Speaking the language of the country of the country and treating people with and having respect for the culture goes a long way.
  Reply to this
• 8/2/2009 2:27 AM Alex wrote:
  I think that the main reason society as a whole has deteriorated everywhere is simply because of how we see the world and what we expect from our “leaders”.
  Some people turn to a life of crime due to necessity and others for easy money.
  The loss of the concept of self-reliance, perseverance, risk vs. reward and working hard to achieve an objective has lost footing to easy money by means of criminal acts. This is a plague that has spread to every corner of the earth. Some places more than others but in the end it is an extension of the same disease.
  
  The majority of the people look to Government for answers to their problems not realizing that most of their problems are caused because of Government.
  Human kind is in no way any better today nor will it be, at least any time soon.
  We instinctively want to be free but have not found the formula to have Government and freedom coincide together in harmony.
  We want happy and safe communities but are not willing to take it upon ourselves to achieve such goals. Instead we rely on Government to do it for us.
  Thinking that no evil or harm will occur if we give more powers to Government to protect us is wishful thinking. Our unwillingness to believe in the concept of self-reliance feeds the evils of society.
  
  Government restricts its citizens by imposing their elitist ideology, believing that they know what is best for its people and social behavior.
  Believing that they know where to draw the line between what is moral or immoral, correct or wrong.
  I believe that we are all greedy and selfish by default. Understanding this concept begs the question to our so called leaders of state how true their intentions of solving every ones problems equally really are? Implementing rules, regulations and laws that create an equal balance for all has not being achieved.
  The truth is, this can never be achieved by current methods. Our leaders of state will look after the interest of the highest bidders that funded their campaigns.
  But unfortunately Government is a necessary evil.
  To change the collective mindset, we should instead teach our young to believe in themselves, allow them to explore their curiosity, encourage independent thinking, and with supervision allow them to learn that every decision they make has a consequence whether positive or negative. Only then will we start to build a society that tolerates different points of view and creative thinking, no matter have strange or award it may appear.
  I see the birth of the US as the form of Government that came closest to achieving Government and freedom to co-exist.
  The Founding Fathers understood that people collectively as free individuals would be better fit to accomplish a thriving society with the greatest individual freedom.
  
  continue ---
  Reply to this
• 8/2/2009 2:31 AM Alex wrote:
  No Government official or agency will be better fit to determine what is best for the individual. Only by oppressive Governments at the cost of non-existing free societies or individual freedoms will a planned society be almost controlled to the point of eliminating criminal activity. Predetermined roles for the masses I believe is worse than having to deal with the few bad apples of society.
  
  But the concept of taking the bull by the horns is not a road a lot of people are willing to take. I believe the reason a good majority of people do not take security, safety, self-reliance, perseverance, risk vs. reward as a necessary teaching tool to accomplish a balanced life is due to the lack of confidence and insecurity each of us have as a results of our elders wanting to protect us from all evils of society. This is the reason I think it is important that we teach our young to be independent, to be go-getters and most importantly to believe in themselves and that the sky is the limit. Only then will society weed out the bad apples by overpowering the criminals that often feed on the weak.
  When people start to understand that criminals feed on weakest of society, laws will start to change to protect “would be victims” by not cultivating the idea that Government will be there to protect them every time. People’s attitude and actions will change towards the opportunistic criminal and proportionally criminals will either change their ways toward a life as productive individuals or they will cease to exist.
  
  It saddens me today to see so many people rely on Government to provide them with answers to every day problems because once you build a society totally dependent on the so called “leader of society” will you see the road to serfdom.
  
  Alex C
  Reply to this
• 12/22/2009 9:50 AM Peter wrote:
  We mpoved to Chile in August 09, largely due to the delightful nature of the people and the low cost of living. We are on a fixed retiurement income that was not adequate forFlorida and travel. Crime here is mostly in the poor neighborhoods and home invasions in the upscale suburbs of Santiago. We are on the northern fringe of the city and have no fear of wealking to the supermarket (half mile) at night. Much of the crime is performed by minors, who do not get sent to corrective institutions, but the government is working on that. Change government in January. The people of chile are curtious and friendly and I (78) find middle-aged women giving me their seats in the Metro. I have traveled in 45 countries, worldwide and know that every city has zones not to be entered after dark and others not in daylight. Move to chile and enjoy peace.
  Reply to this
• 7/24/2010 2:59 PM Susan wrote:
  Our first trip to CR was a nightmare, but I can't blame Costa Rica for my family so we went back. That trip, I was stopped for a traffic infraction and yes lost the $40 from my wallet when the officer requested it (so believe me I've been there)
  
  The second trip we were robbed and no we didn't bother to report it, a camcorder and my Rosetta Stone discs ( you'd think they know the language by now (jk) were taken. What was taken were things and things can be replaced.
  
  We now own a condo and will do the same things to it that we have at home, better locks and safes for the most vunerable of belongings. We do that to deter theft here, we will do no less there. Eventually we plan to live there full time.
  
  I wouldn't trade the parrots that perch on the roof and crane their necks to look in or the howler monkeys that start calling every morning at 4:30 for anything but they're only part of the puzzle
  
  So why Costa Rica? Maybe its the guy who translated our order at the pizza place, or when I bought a file at the hardware store that nobody laughed when I tried to explain what I needed.. most likely it was our newest neighbor who came over to clear brush and refused to accept payment.... it's the people
  Reply to this
  1. 7/24/2010 5:42 PM Bill Clanton wrote:
     Susan,
     
     As I like to point out, Costa Rica isn't Utopia; but I have yet to be informed where such a place really exists. 
     
     It is the overwhelmingly good people, environment, different way of life, etc., etc., etc ... that make Costa Rica unique.  It is now my home as well the new home of many, many others who simply find this is what they're looking for.
     
     Thank you for sharing your own "REAL, Honest, Unbiased" Costa Rica experiences.
     
     -Bill
     
     Reply to this
• 3/26/2011 2:57 PM LittleJamie wrote:
  Hey!
  
  I'm just dropping by to say hello, I'm new here
  Reply to this

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