Mexico better than Costa Rica?

[camby]

[quote=”waggoner41″][quote=”maravilla”]when outsiders come to a country that has been hyped as paradise and a cheap place to live and buy up vast tracts of land to develop and sell at a very good profit, it changes the structure of the society, whether you like it or not. i have tried to make as small a footprint on this culture as i can; others didn’t care what happened after they built megamansions, and ran off with the money. i am here for the long haul. and i care what happens to society here and the disparaties that occur, and the crime that ensues. these are facts. not just my opinions. and anybody who comes here, or reads a newspaper, or watches local news will know about these things. i’m not letting any cat out of the bag, and just because i see the changes that have occurred and don’t particularly like all of them doesn’t mean i am bitter. THAT is your erroneous assumption.[/quote]

I have to agree with Maravilla.

There are those who came here to rape and pillage a poor country by buying the land dirt-cheap and taking advantage of cheap labor to make enough improvements to cheat Gringo buyers with outrageous prices and outlandish profits. Some of those developers had not intended to complete their projects and simply absconded with the cash in hand.

There are those who live in their gated communities and take advantage of cheap labor to live a life they could never afford in the States. There was never any intention of enjoying the culture, the people and the country.
We are here to enjoy the country, the people, the culture and the climate. If it were not so there would have been little reason to move here.

We live apart from other Gringos and we certainly live differently than the locals in that we have no gates, do security doors and no bars on the windows but they are our friends and neighbors who look out for us and prevent others who work for us and sell us what we need from charging what many Gringos pay. They are part of our security system in knowing who the local thieves are and warning us against them. We are currently building a fence to prevent our dogs from harassing the neighbors walking down our street.

This lifestyle is available in the vastly greater part of Costa Rica away from the enclaves of foreigners crouched behind their fences and gates waiting for the next crew of professional criminals to find the right time to strike.

Jaco and other areas like it are becoming hellholes of drug users and “fun” seekers who are a part of the current drug problem in certain small areas of the country.

All together Costa Rica is still by far the best place to be economic crisis or not.[/quote]

Well put, for me, would like to get my foot in door before prices go up and either buy something to live in part of yr or invest to then fund said place down the road..either way, no pillaging by me intended…..

[camby]

[quote=”sprite”]Tourists are welcomed by the government along with a short list of rules for behavior while in country. Resident applicants have a longer list. If you want happy, welcoming, inviting commercial web sites where a false picture of a paradise is painted for your consumption, there are plenty of those for Costa Rica prepared for you by sales people who have something to sell to you..

Face it, as Americans, we are not going to be loved and honored everywhere we go. I look at moving to Costa Rica as a favor granted to me by Costa Rica, not the other way around. I don’t need to be welcomed. Just being accepted is quite enough. Perhaps this attitude is the difference between the Ugly American and the quiet expat who has managed to blend in and be accepted by his new home.[/quote]
well put! too many Ugly Americans

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