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Perhaps “inbreeding” would be a better word as you have brought this up in another one of your charming posts.
“I noticed that many of the people there look similar and on a sunday preachers wale in the morning breeze everywhere. But could you find out why many people look similar? Is there a prominent family there or what?”
Lotus,
You are correct Argentina and Chile are very nice places as is Costa Rica. I believe my perspective is quite clear and I hope yours is also.
Thanks for your concern.
Again lotus you bring up the facts relating to incest. There may be many families related in the area which you did not suggest. In any event,since you talk about inbreeding and incest, does this go on in costa rica that you know of?
So you two lads noticed that “editer” is misspelled. Very good. My nickname for myself is a bit of self-deprecating (look it up) humor that I’ve used for more than ten years. It’s on my car’s license plate. I use “editer” as an ID on various web sites.
I’ve been an educational editor for thirty years, writing and editing student books and teachers’ guides for Language Arts and Social Studies. So I can guarantee you that I do know how to spell “editor.” I’ve worked on projects for pre-school through 12th grade. Of course, the teachers’ guides were written for educated adults. Some of that experience might help me to communicate with you two. I’ll let other forum members speculate as to which end of the spectrum of the experience I’m using.
You both are missing the point of all the people who have responded to your silliness. We all understand that the crime level is rising in Costa Rica, but most of us have weighed the pros and cons and feel that the benefits of moving to Costa Rica outweigh the pitfalls. I’m sure that, like me, most forum members are doing their due diligence. Every day, I read A.M. Costa Rica, Inside Costa Rica, La Nacion, and of course, the welovecostarica forum and articles. I’ve been monitoring these sites (and a bunch more) for about six years. I also receive the Tico Times here in Chicago. If you think that I am a naïve innocent, you’re sorely mistaken.
sjm, you pretty much GUARANTEE that all of my possessions will be stolen shortly after I move to San Isidro. See, that is what makes the average (read “normal”) forum member gag. Why are you two trying to start a panic and why do you both have such a low opinion of Ticos? What percentage of Costa Ricans do you believe are thieves?
soflodoug, you say that you were in San Isidro one time! That makes you an expert…in your eyes. My guess is that someone must have ripped you off while you were there and that has soured you on the area and perhaps on Costa Rica as a whole. That would also explain how you got to talk to the police chief. You went to the police to complain and were told “Si, senor. Crimen esta muy mal in este canton.” I wonder, though. With your predilection for overstatement, perhaps the Police Chief was only a member of the Policia de Transito.
It’s a wonderful thing that you two have found each other. You are so alike in temperament and outlook, I suggest that you two take a page from Scott’s book. Begin a web site called welovepanama or welovepatagonia or weloveiceland. Then you can leave this forum to us poor saps who still feel that Costa Rica is a pretty decent place to live.
Now, I’m going to allow you two cynics to have the last word, because frankly, it’s a chore to read through your tortured grammar and non sequitur arguments. I can usually make out your misspellings. Other than “editer” you won’t find any misspelled words in my messages. I know how to use my spellchecker.
editer
Mr Editer, I can see from your response you have the ability to edit up to the 12th grade. I am very impressed with your abilities. You have seemed to miss the point all together. My opinion of Ticos is very high and fortunately as I am sure you know, being the exalted potentate of Costa Rican affairs, the percentage of the population of Ticos that are criminals is low, however the small percentage seems to be going unchecked.
Good luck in San Isidro, I am certain the locals are going to love you and your editing abilities.
Lotus asked that I add something to this thread after my 4-month stint in Costa Rica. Where I live, on the outskirts of San Ramon, we have very little crime. There was one incident a few months ago where a couple of Colombians saw an unattended tour bus and chose to rifle through the possessions left onboard, making off with what they could. A chase ensued, the police caught them, and I think the items were returned. Of course, the perps all had lengthy criminal records and are now housed somewhere in the Fuerza Publica carcel. Two things come to mind about this incident: Why wasn’t someone guarding the bus and who the heck leaves their valuables — cameras, purses, etc. on a bus anywhere anyway? It was a stupid crime of opportunity, if you ask me. But it created a big buzz in my hood because the incident took place 3/4 of a mile from where I live. The one time I saw the headlines in a newspaper it was about 3 murders that had taken place around San Jose – gang members killing other gang members over a drug deal gone awry. My vecinos who do keep up on the crime stats never express any concern over these incidents; it’s not as though those murders happened to three pensionados in a gated community. I feel very little threat in San Ramon. Maybe I am blissfully unaware of any danger. I see a fair share of police everywhere, not just in the banks or parks. When we went into San Jose to see the cow parade, I also felt no threat, maybe because there were cops everywhere on the mall. There just didn’t seem to be any paranoia in the air, even when we walked down the mall to Calle 11 and then on to Tin Jo for lunch. The area is pretty decrepit, but I didn’t see any criminals lurking on a street corner or in a doorway waiting to rob me. I do occasionally hear of a few minor incidents that other people are talking about, but again, it was usually a crime of opportunity — someone leaves their purse in the car, or their laptop, and then is surprised that it’s gone when they return. Well, duh! Try leaving those items in your car in Philly or Denver, or L.A., and they’d be gone there, too. Before I left for Costa Rica in January, any given news report in Denver was rife with murders, gang slayings, home invasions, car jackings, the usual murder-suicides, just your average day in an urban jungle. It’s enough to scare the crap out of you because the media make it sound as though it’s everywhere, when in fact, many of those incidents involve drugs, prostitution, and gangs. Is crime on the rise? One would sure think so if you listen to the news, and I don’t doubt that it is given the disparity between the haves and the have-nots and the saturation of both legal and illegal drugs that have violence as a side effect. I deliberately chose not to hear or read the news while I was in Costa Rica, and I discovered that within a few weeks my anxiety level had decreased, my focus shifted to daily life and events, and I was living in less fear and loathing which heretofore had been promulgated by the media. Living in fear is ugly. I don’t want to do it, so I take as many precautions as I can where I live to remain safe. On Easter Sunday my girlfriend and I went to the local Maxi Bodega and on our return up the hill, we were stopped at a road block. There were about 15 Fuerza, dressed in riot gear, black stocking caps and wielding automatic rifles, shotguns, and handguns. If they were trying to scare the crap out of you, they succeeded, but the Fuerza who questioned us was very polite and waved us on but I definitely would not defy their orders or get smart-mouthed with that group. They meant business. Bottomline? I think a lot of crime could be avoided if people didn’t do careless things. It takes a certain level of vigilance to survive living in a country such as Costa Rica. I know there’s crime; I try not to be flashy or arrogant or cop an attitude on my Tico neighbors who basically are my best protection. I moved to Costa Rica to enjoy the lifestyle and I refuse to be hammered by all the fear of things that haven’t happened to me. Of course, I hope they never do, but who knows? I do know one thing — there are many people moving to Costa Rica who should simply stay at home in the U.S. I’ve met more than a few who are quite frankly ill-equipped to live outside of their home country. Costa Rica is not Disneyland. But neither is NYC, Atlanta, or Chicago. Get used to it. It ain’t gonna get better. Be careful and stay safe and pray you are not a victim of that random act of violence that could happen anywhere.
Our perception of crime is not the same as to a “Tico”. When my wife who was born and raised in San Jose reads about murders in CR she complains bitterly about the fact that CR is not the same as 40 years ago. I on my part understand that it was a Panamanian, Colombian or other country illegal commiting these crimes. Yes some CR do crimes too but not in the same numbers.
Ask any Tico, 40 or 50 year old how they feel about the security issue in CR and you will get an ear full of negative comments. Why? because they remember 40 or 50 years ago when a murder was one way to much for them in CR.
My wife’s daughter got mugged in San Jose one month ago. When she found out about it she was on the phone for 4 solid hours calling the family in CR from the US, my phone bill went up the roof.
It is a different matter when you hear about a crime statistic that happens to someone else compared to someone in the immediate family.
You make your interpretation about this post but please do not call my wife and try to talk to her about crimes in CR, you will get a long speech and all negative. LOL
Warren
that’s an awful thing to have happened to your wife’s daughter. I’m not trying to minimize these kinds of crimes because yes they do often happen to ordinary people, not just the drug dealer, drug runners, drug users. I have friends who have been mugged in San Jose but they all admitted they were where they weren’t supposed to be, doing something they shouldn’t have been doing at that particular time of day. And 40 or 50 years ago we didn’t have the cocaine or crack problems we have now, and drugs have fueled a lot of crime everywhere. You should get Skype! It’s only $.08 a minute to call Costa Rica, but I hope you never have to run up another phone bill because of a tragic incident like this! Pura Vida
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