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From 2008 Jane’s Information Group:
“Renowned for being one of the safest countries in Central America, Costa Rica is beginning to suffer from increasing rates of violent crime and murder. An April 2008 opinion poll indicated that Costa Ricans view insecurity as the most important issue facing the government, even above the rising cost of living.”
“Crime rates are still low on a comparative basis; in 2007 the murder rate was 6.6 murders per 100,000, the lowest in Central America. However, violent crime is rising more rapidly, with the government stating in early 2008 that robbery rates have risen by 700 per cent since 1990, while drug-related crime is up 280 per cent in the same period. Moreover, crime is becoming more visible; the execution-style killing of five Panamanians in Costa Rica in January 2008 sparked widespread concern about the impact of drugs trafficking on crime rates in the country. Indeed, the police stated that the murders reflected a growing trend for contract killings connected to the drugs trade.”
GringoTico: I live permanently in CR as a legal permanent resident. I have lived here for four years, traveled throughout CR and know many Costa Ricans, Nicaraguans, Gringos and other folks from different countries. I cannot add anything to your statements, they are 100% correct in my experience here in CR.
Last Saturday at 4 AM we had a home invasion three doors down from me. Two days ago two Ticos, were robbed on the beach. These are normal activities around this area.
I have a Tica friend who lives near me in a totally Tico community, not a Gringo in sight. Her neighbour was robbed at gun point. Her son is in jail for trying to defend himself against an attacker.
I could go on forever about the incidents in Guanacaste, in the San Ramon area and in other areas where there are or are not gringos, all having the same story and all having the same out come. If people want to know about crime in CR, simply read the papers.
I think Sprite and others on this forum hit the nail on the head when they said “be aware”. No matter which country or community you live in, you have to be aware of your environment.
One thing is for sure, crime will never, no matter where you are, go away. There is no such thing as good crime. Now I am a flag waving, patriot, that is true and I am a black and white thinker, that is true, but I am also a person that believes in solutions.
A better thread than a story telling thread on which nationality is committing the most crime in Costa Rica, could be one where each person on here could mention a “be aware” solution or solutions, so that other members could learn how to prepare their own plan of action, to either prevent crime or to take the appropriate action if necessary, while they are visiting or living in Costa Rica.
I bet Scott could add another excellent article to this site from the ideas and solutions gathered from that thread.
He could call it WeLoveCostaRica.com – “Be Aware Program 2008”
Buy the way, nothing has changed since you were here last.
Scott, I haven’t exchanged money on the street since they started the mini-devaluations back in the 90’s. Before that the difference between the official rate and the black market was significant. These days I wouldn’t even think of it.
You’re obviously right, it’s not a good idea to leave a watch on the beach. The point I was trying to get across was the cat and mouse game between two Ticos, one eying his precious few personal effects like an eagle, the other scooting closer and closer to them like a vulture, then backing away every time my friend started to walk towards him. It was very telling.
I hope your luck holds. Just being aware that these things occur helps. But I find that most people are like me, and tend to ignore the warnings in the process of justifying their move to Costa Rica. When they fail to mitigate the risks of living in paradise, they find themselves in paradise lost.
I won’t make light of any of these posts about crime. I have no reason to doubt the stories or the attitudes they engender. I don’t have any living experience in Costa Rica, only a constant visitors experience, so I don’t have any authoritative opinion to offer.
All I do have is my own limited experience which, even after exposure to so many crime tales, is still telling me that just a little situational awareness and some precautions are enough to glide through with little risk to being a victim.
But mostly, like Scott, I am perplexed. I consider myself a relatively average person in so many ways and as such, only average “luck” has been a part of my life. And yet read here about so many tourists and residents being beaten and robbed.It has never happened to me.
THIS POSTED IN THE WRONG PLACE AND REPOSTED HERE…
Posted May 26,2008 5:05 AM harlon
in todays am costa rica.. there is an interesting article describing how a retired couple got swindled out of thier condo and its been 5 years awaiting trial.. it appears that even if they win they will still probably have to keep fighting.
truly amazing.. and also sad
i cannot help but ask myself in my minds eye what would tony soprano do in this situation lol
i know what i would do and it sure would not be waiting around for years and years waiting for someone to come to the rescue…
if these would be thieves knew that there could be danger from thier actions i think they would think twice before ripping people off. and it needs to be immediate.
last friday i am having lunch downtown when there was a scandel outside.. turns out.. some knife wielding thief tried to rob a young woman for a lousy cell phone… unfortunetly for him a business owner came outside and tackled him.. within 3 min a few guys put a severe beating on this guy.. before the police came..
action….reaction
im beggining to feel a little weary reading and experiencing all these circumstances regarding crime here. im tired… its draining always being aware of your surroundings… having large walls surrounding your house.. with dogs and electric fences… is it better anywhere else.. probably not.. but i do know this.. my family back home does not live like this.. in fact they do not even have alarms. obviously there ARE areas that this cannot be done.. but they live in a middle class income suburb..
not trying to change anyones opinion.. you can give me all the stats you want.. living here for 7 years now.. i have seen crime rise dramatically.. people who say otherwise.. godbless them.. it must be nice living life with your head in the sand. lol
pura vida
ps. in the case of the elder couple.. they were most definetly too trusting.. but then again.. will someone answer me this.. why is the U.S. one of the only places in the world where the nigerian scam is profitable????
PPS. I have travled extensively throughout the country… QUESTION: is there any location or town where there are NO bars and barbed wire everywhere.. or is that only at admins house lol
Sprite:
“a little situational awareness and some precautions are enough to glide through with little risk to being a victim”
Yes, I agree, absolutely, IF you’re a tourist or casual traveler. I’ve spoken to probably hundreds of people who have traveled to CR as tourists, and as we all know, they rave about it. Crimes against tourists do happen in CR, but as far as I know it’s no better or worse than anywhere else.
The true impact of the three big negatives of crime, poor infrastructure and turtle-paced bureaucracy is felt when you live AND WORK there for an extended period of time, (retirees are less affected because they don’t have financial/business objectives to meet, which are often dependent upon bureaucratic and infrastructure issues).
In this case, “a little situational awareness and some precautions” are not sufficient. You need to take it a few steps further.
It’s easy to find a laundry list of things you should and shouldn’t do when traveling abroad – don’t wear expensive jewelry, don’t flash a lot of cash, don’t walk alone at night in bad areas, don’t drive what are obviously rental cars, etc. In addition to these commonly known items, here’s my list of things expats need to do to stay out of trouble in CR.
1. Home safety – your choices are:
A. Eschew items of value. Live out in the open (no window bars, metal doors, broken glass-topped walls…). Keep your drapes open so everyone can see you have nothing to steal. Live the true pura vida lifestyle. After all, you’re not really free until you have nothing to lose. …Sounds tempting, but it’s probably the kind of thing that gets old fast. Also, if you have a family with kids, that’s probably out, unless you’re a fanatic minimalists willing to subject your kids to such conditions.
B. Live in your own house on your own property. Spend more on the wall around the property than you do on the main house. Top the wall with broken glass and concertina wire. Consider a laser perimeter security system. Build a service house for a live-in guard (doubles as gardener, maybe the wife can work as a maid). The only time they can leave the property is when you’re there. Get at least two scary-looking dogs. Train them to accept food only from you so they don’t get poisoned. Install window bars & portones (metal outer doors) BEFORE you move in.
C. Live in a secure condo or truly gated community. You can come and go as you wish, and have all the material items you want, with no worries.
Personally, I’d pick C. Now I know, many of you will write back saying how sad it would be to pick option B, but the honest truth is that’s exactly how well-off Ticos live. I ignored this reality, and it came back to bite me. Scott lives in a secure condo. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons he has remained relatively unviolated.
Obviously, things are worse in and around San Jose (the countryside is where the old Costa Rica still exists), but rural areas are not immune by any means. Having neighbors close by is very important.
A secure abode will make the biggest difference to your quality of life in CR. You simply do not want to become a slave to your home, or a victim of a break-in.
2. Errands – Some chores are not to be missed. Certain kinds of shopping, going to the feria (open market), etc. But let’s face it, the traffic is horrendous, the roads are dangerous, and sometimes the lines are long. Potholes are quant, but only for the first few months. When you have errands that must be done, ones that bring you no particular pleasure, have a messenger do it. They can take your cédula or passport as ID, effect bank transactions, pay bills, complete tasks for immigration & customs, etc. In San Jose messengers on dirt bikes are ubiquitous. There’s a reason for this. When you do leave your home, it will be for something you enjoy doing, something you can take your time at, and take the necessary precautions. Personally, I feel a bit exposed just walking into a bank, not to mention spending 2 hours in line for the teller. Have you seen the security precautions being taken in banks? Many even have what are nearly air locks as entrances. You can call me “paranoid” if you want, but you’d probably call the bank managers “prudent”. Anyway, let the messenger have most of the exposure. Let him wait in line and have the fender bender, etc.
3. Cars:
A. Drive a normal Tico car, one that does not stick out. Stay away from the super popular models, as the demand for parts is much higher. I believe the INS and/or La Nación has a list of the most stolen vehicles, so check that out before buying.
B. Never leave ANYTHING of value in plain sight inside the car. They’ll bust a $100 window to steal a 20 colon coin.
C. Say yes to the “Cuidacarros” (the guys that offer to watch your car). Most are just honestly making some extra money by helping you to protect your car. Others may be hooked into the local “mafia”, and instead of making an honest buck, they’re essentially extortionists. If you tell them you don’t need their services, they’ll get their cut elsewhere – from the guys they tip off to break into your car. Of course if there’s a secure parking lot available, always take that option.
Sometimes I feel bad being so negative. This is Scott’s forum for promoting investment in CR, and I’m not helping. However, my perspective is different. Indeed I myself wish to eventually retire there. As a matter of fact, if I could I’d move there again tomorrow. But one thing’s for sure, I’ll do it differently next time. Follow my advice, and you’ll have a much better chance at preserving your dream as well.
GringoTico,
I appreciate that you are giving your sincere observations. I also understand that you are specifically talking about living in San Jose as a working individual. It may well be that this problem is indeed everywhere and that walls, concertina wire, dogs and guards are my only options for settling on the land I own even though it is in a farming community. (I would rather not live in a gated community).
Even if all this turns out to be a nasty reality, I am still up for moving to Costa Rica. There are just too many positives which out weigh this particular negative. I know people who live there who are quite content and who dismiss the crime thing as inconsequential. Of course, they all live in the countryside.
Who knows? I may change my tune after moving there but in the meantime, I need to have the experience. For some reason, a lot of foreigners seem to be very happy there.
I’ve visited CR 4 times.
Only 1 . . . incident, if you can call it that.Tamarindo. My wife and I decided to walk back to our hotel on the beach one night.
A couple guys started following us. (we were still right in front of a resturant at the time). We stop, they stop. We walk, they walk. They couldnt have made it much more obvious.
So we turned around and walked right past them, up onto the street, and went back that way.My point – keep an eye on your surroundings, and you’ll be fine.
American Deaths in Costa Rica in the Last Three Years January 2005 to December 2007 – 27 drownings, 13 car accidents and only 12 homicides
In summary, during the three year period of January 2005 to December 2007 the number one cause of violent death for US citizens in Costa Rica was drowning which took the lives of 27 Americans, 13 died in car accidents, there were just 12 homicides, 8 suicides, 7 died in plane accidents plus “drug-related deaths” and “other accidents”.
Ten times more US citizens (126) were murdered in Mexico during the same period.
The complete data can be found at the U.S. Department of State – Information on Deaths Abroad of U.S. Citizens.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comScott,
Your statistics are poorly presented. Of course Mexico has a larger number of deaths than Costa Rica, it is a much larger Country. The homicide rate in Mexico (per capita) which is an apple for apple comparison is 19/1000 persons. Scott, guess what it is in Costa Rica? (19/1000 persons). A more interesting statistic is overall total crime on a per capita basis comparing Mexico and Costa Rica.
Total Crimes Per Capita: Mexico 39 crimes / 1000 persons
Costa Rica 41 crimes / 1000 persons(reference: NationMaster.com)
Interesting when comparing apples to apples……..
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Note From Moderator – According to sjm580’s own source – NationMaster – his ‘total crime numbers’ are WRONG.
[ http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_tot_cri_percap-crime-total-crimes-per-capita ] the total crimes per capita in Mexico is 12.8406 per 1,000 people – Costa Rica is at 11.9788 per 1,000 people but I am guessing that with Mexicos population [ http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_pop-people-population ] at 103,089,100 versus Costa Rica’s at 4,327,228 – Mexico’s reporting structure is a little more complicated
My friends who live in Costa Rica have had several minor incidents over the years. The first was after they put up gates to close their property a young man tore them down and threw them in the river. He was upset that his favorite “parking” spot was now a posted road. He was caught, friends agreed to let it pass if the young man would explain to his friends that it was no longer public property. He agreed and has been a friend of the family since.
Another time they had telephone equipment stolen. . . a minor crime.
One thing that they told me that made sense was to keep expensive things out of sight. They pointed out that my laptop and digital cameras cost a year’s wages for the local laborers. . . A terrible temptation for even honest people. Something to think about.
But crime IS much higher in Costa Rica than in MY parts of the U.S. I have lived in the country within 100 yards of a paved road for over 30 years. No locks on the doors, keys left in the cars. Never a theft or invasion. While I do have things of value most of it is not the kind of thing you can hock for a quick buck. Several years ago I moved to another rural location. Same lack of crime.
However, in both places you could go 1/4 mile and try to live the same way. . . HA!
On the other hand. There is a very nice little Tico style (not lavish) “summer house” built by a Costa Rican doctor near my friends place there. He did not live there full time. It was supposed to be a weekend “get away”. It was broken into the first time he left it unattended. Everything loose was stolen. Later the windows were stolen, then the plumbing fixtures and the last time I saw it there were pieces of wall and roof being hauled off. . . The location while beautiful will probably always be a target from now on. In the U.S. we are used to common burglary. But stealing the entire house is a whole different level of property crime.
All this yet I still want to live in Cost Rica where the climate is milder and the tax man is a thousand miles away. . .
These are not ‘my’ statistics sjm1580
The State Department data is not referring to the number of Mexicans who died a violent death, they are referring to the number of US citizens in Mexico who died a violent death. And yes! There are more US citizens in Mexico than in Costa Rica but we all know that there are not ten times more…
The definition of ‘total crime’ varies from country to country, the definition of ‘murder’ and ‘violent death’ tends to be more definitive. Our VIP Members are naturally more concerned with the crime rates in the areas where they are living and where they might plan on living in the future.
When someone plans to retire in the USA, they would be foolish to base their overall decision on the the crime rate in the worst city in the USA which is the nation’s capital Washington DC which has a murder rate of 35.4 per capita compared to San Jose, Costa Rica’s of 7.3 according to the OIJ) [ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/775.cfm ]
But why do we need to be obsessed on a daily basis with the crime rate in San Jose, the place in Costa Rica that has the worst rate especially since very, very few of our VIP Members wish to live in San Jose?
This does not mean that we ignore the information, we do not, but it certainly does mean that we will focus more on information about the area where our VIP Members are choosing to live.
According to [ http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004902.html ] the following murder rates per 100,000 inhabitants was taken from U.S. FBI, Crime in the United States, annual.
Los Angeles – 12.6
Chicago – 15.6
Houston – 16.3
Philadelphia – 25.6
Phoenix – 15
Dallas – 16.4
Las Vegas – 11.3
Detroit – 41.4
Indianapolis – 13.5
Jacksonville – 11.4
San Francisco -12.8
Columbus – 14.1
Memphis – 20.3
Baltimore – 42
Milwaukee – 20.6
Kansas City – 28.1
Cleveland – 24
Atlanta – 20.9
Miami – 13.9
Tulsa – 15
Minneapolis -12.5
St. Louis – 37.9
Cincinnati – 25.1
Buffalo – 19.8
Stockton – 14.6
Newark – 34.5
San Jose, Costa Rica – 7.3 (Or 6.6 according to Jane’s numbers.)Of course we should remember that there are many cities in the US that have lower murder rates than San Jose, Costa Rica just as we should remember that the majority of other towns in Costa Rica have far lower crime rates.
According to the NationMaster source that you quote [ http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_ass_percap-crime-assaults-per-capita ] the USA has an assault rate of 7.56923 per 1,000 people. The UK at 7.45959 per 1,000 people and Canada at 7.11834 per 1,000 people. Costa Rica? 0.178287 per 1,000 people.
According to NationMaster [ http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_rap_percap-crime-rapes-per-capita ] the USA has an overall rape rate of 0.301318 per 1,000 people and Costa Rica? 0.118277 per 1,000 people
According to the same source [ http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_rob_percap-crime-robberies-per-capita ] Costa Rica does have a higher robbery rate of 4.79109 per 1,000 people compared to the US at 1.38527 per 1,000 people and but total crimes per capita [ http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_tot_cri_percap-crime-total-crimes-per-capita ] in the USA is 80.0645 per 1,000 people and in Costa Rica 11.9788
There’s no way for us to know what percentage of crimes anywhere go unreported.
So if I understand this data correctly, the murder rate in the following US cities is twice as high as San Jose, Costa Rica: Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Dallas, Detroit, Memphis, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Cleveland, Atlanta, Tulsa, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Buffalo and Newark.
The overall assault rate per capita in the USA is 42 times worse than Costa Rica, the rape rate in the USA is more than double that in Costa Rica and the ‘total crime rate’ in the USA is 6 times worse than Costa Rica.
Would that be correct using your source?
Now you know all about me sjm1580 but we would love to know more about your experience in Costa Rica. How long have you lived here? Where? Are you retired?
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comGuru: The tax man is here… right now CR is revamping the tax regulations to mirror that of the USA. The CR government has hired a USA firm working on both income and property tax. Lucky for us here, they ran out of money to continue…so far.
Scott,
You are obviously a smart fellow, starting this website, writing a book on how to buy property in Costa Rica without losing you shirt. Since I believe you are a smart guy, and as such, you should certainly realize it is not wise on your own website to pull your pants down in front of everyone and yell look at me.
Please tell me how many US Citizens are in Mexico compared to Costa Rica. Do “we all know that there are not ten times more”? Have you ever been to a border crossing in Mexico and see how many US Citizens cross the border each day just to visit? Not to mention the various international airports that accept international flights, such as:
Acapulco MMAA ACA General Juan N. Álvarez International Airport
Aguascalientes MMAS AGU Lic. Jesús Terán Peredo International Airport
Campeche MMCP CPE Ing. Alberto Acuña Ongay International Airport
Cancún MMUN CUN Cancún International Airport
Chetumal MMCM CTM Chetumal International Airport
Chihuahua MMCU CUU General Roberto Fierro Villalobos International Airport
Ciudad del Carmen MMCE CME Ciudad del Carmen International Airport
Ciudad Juárez MMCS CJS Abraham González International Airport
Ciudad Obregón MMCN CEN Ciudad Obregón International Airport
Ciudad Victoria MMCV CVM General Pedro J. Méndez International Airport
Colima Colima MMIA CLQ Lic. Miguel de la Madrid Airport
Cozumel MMCZ CZM Cozumel International Airport
Culiacán MMCL CUL Federal de Bachigualato International Airport
Durango MMDO DGO General Guadalupe Victoria International Airport
Guadalajara MMGL GDL Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport
Hermosillo MMHO HMO General Ignacio Pesqueira Garcia International Airport
Huatulco MMBT HUX Bahías de Huatulco International Airport
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo MMZH ZIH Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport
La Paz Baja California MMLP LAP Manuel Márquez de León International Airport
Lázaro Cárdenas MMLC LZC Lázaro Cárdenas Airport
León Guanajuato MMLO BJX Del Bajío International Airport
Loreto Baja California Sur MMLT LTO Loreto International Airport
Los Mochis MMLM LMM Federal del Valle del Fuerte International Airport
Manzanillo MMZO ZLO Playa de Oro International Airport
Matamoros MMMA MAM General Servando Canales International Airport
Mazatlán MMMZ MZT General Rafael Buelna International Airport
Mérida Yucatán MMMD MID Manuel Crescencio Rejón International Airport
Mexicali MMML MXL General Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada International Airport
Mexico City Distrito Federal MMMX MEX Mexico City International Airport (Benito Juárez Int’l)
Minatitlán Veracruz MMMT MTT Minatitlán/Coatzacoalcos National Airport
Monclova Coahuila MMMV LOV Venustiano Carranza International Airport
Monterrey Nuevo León MMMY MTY General Mariano Escobedo International Airport
Monterrey Nuevo Leon MMAN NTR Del Norte International Airport
Morelia Michoacán MMMM MLM General Francisco J. Mujica International Airport
Nogales Sonora MMNG NOG Nogales International Airport
Nuevo Laredo Tamaulipas MMNL NLD Quetzalcóatl International Airport
Oaxaca Oaxaca MMOX OAX Xoxocotlán International Airport
Palenque Chiapas MMPQ PQM Palenque International Airport
Piedras Negras Coahuila MMPG PDS Piedras Negras International Airport
Poza Rica Veracruz MMPA PAZ El Tajín National Airport
Puebla Puebla MMPB PBC Hermanos Serdán International Airport
Puerto Escondido MMPS PXM Puerto Escondido International Airport
Puerto Peñasco MMPE PPE Puerto Peñasco International Airport
Puerto Vallarta MMPR PVR Lic. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport
Querétaro MMQT QRO Querétaro International Airport
Reynosa MMRX REX General Lucio Blanco International Airport
Saltillo MMIO SLW Plan de Guadalupe International Airport
San Cristóbal de las Casas MMSC SZT San Cristóbal de las Casas National Airport
San Felipe Baja California MMSF SFH San Felipe International Airport
San José del Cabo Baja California Sur MMSD SJD Los Cabos International Airport
San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí MMSP SLP Ponciano Arriaga International Airport
Tampico MMTM TAM General Francisco Javier Mina International Airport
Tapachula Chiapas MMTP TAP Tapachula International Airport
Tijuana Baja California MMTJ TIJ General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport
Toluca State of Mexico MMTO TLC Lic. Adolfo López Mateos International Airport
Torreón MMTC TRC Francisco Sarabia International Airport
Tuxtla Gutiérrez MMTG TGZ Ángel Albino Corzo International Airport
Uruapan MMPN UPN Uruapan International Airport
Veracruz MMVR VER General Heriberto Jara International Airport
Villahermosa MMVA VSA Carlos Rovirosa Pérez International AirportScott, listed above are just the international airports; How many international airports does Costa Rica have? Do you want to talk about international sea ports? I think you should really think before you type.
The term “total crime” is used by the same source, so a reasonable person would think “total crime” would mean the same in both places. You go on the say “Our VIP Members are naturally more concerned with the crime rates in the areas where they are living and where they might plan on living in the future”; Scott, you are the first one to mention Mexico, so to make sure VIP members would not get inaccurate information, I tried to correct your confusing statistical analysis.
You said “When someone plans to retire in the USA, they would be foolish to base their overall decision on the the crime rate in the worst city in the USA which is the nation’s capital Washington DC which has a murder rate of 35.4 per capita compared to San Jose, Costa Rica’s of 7.3 according to the OIJ)”. Who in the world is comparing this to any City in the Costa Rica or the US? I really can’t, for the life of me understand you listing the murder rates in certain US cities. I’m sure you will tell me, but who cares for the sake of this conversation. This has nothing to do with anything I have been discussing so far. I’m pleased you are now correctly using statistics. I’m guessing Nigeria has a higher murder rate, but who cares as it relates to our discussion. Remember, you brought up Mexico versus Costa Rica and now versus the US. I am trying to develop a discussion of the rising crime rate in Costa Rica, not Mexico, not the US or any other country.
Now you want to know my background. OK, I am 44 years old, retired, from hard work, no inheritance; just hard work and a little luck. I have homes in Montana and Florida and have been traveling regularly to Costa Rica since 1982 (26 years or so). I have traveled, surfed, and fished my way from one end of Costa Rica to the other. No, I do not live in a gated, guarded condo in Santa Ana.
If you have lived in Costa Rica for any significant period of time, certainly you have been to Dominical. If you have, then you must remember Memo of Rancho Memos (it is now called San Clemente). I remember talking to him in 1991 about the problem of rising crime in “his” Country. We were at the time in negotiations to buy Rancho Memos; back in 1991 we weren’t as fortunate financially as we are today, so it was not feasible for us. I have always been prepared to purchase property in Costa Rica, but the rising crime problem has prevented me from doing so (maybe to my misfortune).
Scott, Just because someone has lived in Costa Rica for 10 years, written a book and has a website does not make that person the exhaulted potentate of Costa Rican knowledge, nor does it me for traveling there for 26 or more years (by the way, you have a very good website).
Statistics are what they are, Costa Rica has a crime problem. Maybe or maybe not compared to Detroit, Mexico City, or Nigeria, but it does.
Please don’t pull your pants down in front of everyone again.
By the way, I Love Costa Rica, also…..
sjm1580 – Thanks very much for the listing of the airports in Mexico.
I – who have never claimed to be an “exhaulted potentate” – do reference the crime rates in the USA since the vast majority of our VIP Members come from the USA, we have very few VIP Members from Nigeria although having lived there when I was young I do have a vague idea about their living conditions.
Scott Oliver – Founder and alleged “exhaulted potentate”
WeLoveCostaRica.com
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