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I believe yes. Althouh nothing, ANYWHERE, is certain. From the beginning of my Costa Rica experiemce, many moons ago, I remember the Locals saying to me “it’s dangerous in San Jose.” I think that you have the highest chance of crime happening to you the closer you get to downtown. Jaco, Manuel/Quepos and now Tamirindo are also warm spots. Also, do not drive out to apparently desserted beaches by yourself. Your car is a high profile.
Recently a guy went to the bank in Quepos, put all his surf boards and belongigs and almost 2 k in cash ih his truck, and drove down past Dominical to go surfing – by himself. He was on his way to move to another house, but just decided to go surfing since his boards were in his truck.
So he takes his truck loaded with all his possesion to a deserted beach. – Can you say “idiot”. Gun is stuck in his face. he’s on the ground, truck is emptied out.
Sometimes local robbers live in these deserted areas. And if they see someone take that turnoff to that deserted beach, BY THEM Selves – Well you know the results.
He was lucky they did not steal his truck.
Like everything in life, it’ds all about positioning. Where and when you position yourself. And how you position your thougts and body, after you have position yourself somewhere. Not to get too philosophical, but, you need to think about where and when you are going to where ever it is that you are going.
It was a common assumptin that going to a third world country meant an element of danger.
Now real estate salesmen want you to think that its just like back home. It’s not. Why, Its not that back home was more, or even less dangerous. Its that you knew the ropes back home. You knew where to be, and when to be.
So its inexperience and a false sense of security that’s dangerous. Anywhere in the world.
From my previous post _
Point A: The point is that most people spend the extra money to prevent them from feeling violated.
Now you will spend more money on “protection” than the vlue of what was stolen from you.
Point B: It’s not about the monetary loss. It’s about their precious ego.
Now it tunrs into a battle of whose most clever – you or the thief.
Point C: Thier inability to let go of obsesive control and feelings of superiority. Refer to point B above
Point D: It’s not the bars, but their mindset that cages them.
You got control of your mind after the blow to your ego. Now you can come to accept the most important point – Point E (see below).
Point E: I chalk the losses up to the price of doing business (living here).
That’s really about all you can do. Police ain’t gonna help. You can call Costa Busters I guess… Arrrrrrrr
That’s exactly right about the modus operandi Marvy. If they had the timming down like that, then it most likley was an inside job.
Edited on Jan 02, 2009 18:24
Okay, over the last decade I have lost 3 car stereos, two 5 gallon gas cans (full), two sprayers, and some other smaller things I can’t recall. Lets call it a thousand dollars in losses.
My point is all that stuff (oh and the two broken car windows) cost about $1,000. That’s a $100 a year average in losses. Compare that to the cost of a night time caretaker to watch my precious car stereos and other stuff.
Caretaker cost about $5,000 a year, if he’s part of the Caja, and $3,600 if he’s not.
Now do the math:Caretaker: 10 X $4,300 (average). That’s $43,000 dollars!
Losses from thieves $1,000.Obviously we know which number is best.
The point is that most people spend the extra money to prevent them from feeling violated. It’s not about the monetary loss. It’s about their precious ego. Thier inability to let go of obsesive control and feelings of superiority.
I agree that gun crime is on its way up, but just like the rental car thread, Americans want to apply their standards to the rest of the world. Some want to come here and fill their houses with expensive stuff, like back home. Then they need to have bars. Then they complain about the bars. It’s not the bars, but their mindset that cages them.
Costa Rica is set up for life without a lot of stuff. So, be the kind of person that values expensive material possession, and be prepared to guard them. Or, be like the majority of Ticos that have few material possessions, and when they are stolen, replace them. Usually by the time the stuff is stolen, it’s well used. That means it’s lost at least half its value (if you apply that logic to my situation I have averaged only ($50 a year in losses).
I chalk the losses up to the price of doing business (living here).
My place has no super expensive electronics, although I would like to bring a 40 TV from the states, because after watching blue ray movies, its hard to go back. However, I plan to bring one large enough that it will be clumsy to steal.
You just have to think things through and not expect Oz to be like Kansas.
It’s different here. And If you come here and apply your standards, you will end up in a complaining session with a group of gringos. You will be like the editor of amcostarica (except off line): full of inappropriate expectations.
Inappropriate expectation are hard to fulfill. It’s like a person of average wealth and appearance thinking they are going to marry a beautiful rich supermodel. It’s possible, but I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for it to happen.
Are you in CR now? I have read your posts and you make a lot of sense. A Bob Dylan fan too. So am I.
So do you think it was the neighbor, or the guard. I tend to pick the guard if there is questionable forced entry. These little invasions seem to happen more frequently around the holidays with peole beiing off and drunk and running oput of money.
Do you thinks it a legitamate threat, or a nusiance robbery.
Do you know where the expression “Pura Vida” came from? It was from a mexican comedian who used to use it repeatedly in his act. Whenever something went wrong, he would exclaim, “Pura vida!” Translation: S**t Happens.
I agree on the crime front it’s much worse. But on the service front I disagree with you.
Merry Christmas and Pura Vida!
I once rented a car fron Toyota. It was a fairly new 4runner. I got about 10 miles away and stepped on it and the auto trans slipped and whinned. I turned around, and when I returned I informed them that the trans was bad. Their reply “I know.”
I could not believe it. This kind of cavalier attitude does not endear Ticos to foreigners. The bottom line is they see us as spoiled brats. And we are. It’s the same with the crime issue. We are always using the Gringo world as a standard for Ticos to live up to. So, actually who is fooling whom.
Is it the rental car company delivering what we perceive to be inferior products – or is it our expectation that everything work right in Costa Rica – that is, be held to the Gringo standard. After all CR is not the US. I think it’s us fooling ourselves. A lot f this unrealistic expectation is marketing to try and make CR mainstream – so the real estate people can bring more volume to the market.
I think this applies to crime also. San Jose has always been crime ridden. I guess there are more guns now, but I have always operated with the mindset that when I am in San Jose – it’s dangerous. That’s been well over a decade now.
These politically correct types are the ones that pay all the taxes to build the government into the huge mess it is and it has turned like a pit bull on its owners. Do we really need nice roads and a big central government watching us and restricting us? I am a big boy – don’t need mommy no mo! I dislike the new transit law. I don’t want inhumane exorbitant fines. I’ll take my chances with drunk drivers. I don’t need big mother here too telling me to put my helmet on. I came here to be free. Not be enslaved by rules and taxes, so we can have a nice tidy little country that foreigners feel safe in. I have never expected to feel safe as defined by US standards (which is nothing but a false sense of security).
Foreigners are making this place a mess because they will not assimilate. If you want nice roads and overall functionality stay in the states. Leave our happy somewhat physically dysfunctional society alone. At least we are not culturally dysfunctional and looking to the central government for handouts.
We take care of our own on my street. If that happened street by street, we wouldn’t need the federal government. It’s nothing but an arm of the developers anyways. Screw the developers is what I say. They love nothing but money and their little Gringo enclaves are lame.
Alberto – I am in your corner on this one. If it ain’t broke than don’t fix it. I am kind of sick of the holier than thou “ we know how to run things” opinion I read about immigration and acting as guests here: which is code for “do things different than the Ticos do.” And that is just masked “we know better” attitude.
I’d give anything if CR was like it was 20 years ago.
I love the US as my friends and family are there but I have serious disdain for western governments and culture. I don’t care where you are from or what color you are, if you are coming to CR you should behave like the Ticos in certain regards. If not, you upset the apple cart and we get the progressive Arias types. Which bring us no progress at all. Just move us closer to US culture.
US culture sucks. Internet dating and no time to live. Now these holier than thou who think they are trend setters want to establish a new staus quo because they think they know best. The cyber conquistadors who buck the way things are TRADITIONALLY done here are the ones screwing it up.
