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Hi Lisa,

Sounds great! I like the caribbean and some friend recommend me CR, but still i'ver never been there. How is the live quality over there in compare to the US (Health care, living costs, safety, etc.)\

Greetings from Europe,

Klaas

I'll write to your email.

tuckertr wrote:

hey lisa
if my daughter is down there now with a girl friend with backpacks i think some where near the turtle tor??/ on your side last I heard last week and I can not contact her how would I be able to find her in case of emergency she has cell but it is off?? kinda worried my email is tr.tucker @ yahoo.com
Tim

Hi Tim,
   Your email address did not work so here is my reply:
Ill do whatever I can to help. I have a 22 year old daughter who lives here, near me, but she has not always lived nearby. I know how it feels to be worried. If your daughter went to Tortuguero, which is the town on the northern Caribbean coast that is known for sea turtles hatching and has many ecological volunteer programs, I can't do much. Tortuguero is quite a ways away from here. I've actually never been there. And I do not know anyone there. I would suggest you contact the hotel she may have been staying in or look online for some various tour companies and hotels that are located there and contact them to ask if she has been with them.

If she is in the Puerto Viejo area, which is the south Caribbean, then I can look for her. Let me know the places she may have mentioned staying, send me a photo, tell me the kind of place she might choose (nice hotel, low budget backpacker's place etc.) and what does she like to do (does she surf or like to watch and hang out with the surfers?does she dive or snorkel?) Is she with a friend? the more you can tell me, the better. then I can ask around and look for her myself. But only if she is in this area. As I said, the other place that tourists go on the Caribbean side, Tortuguero, is too far away for me to be able to help you.

Lisa

Klaasvdveen wrote:

Hi Lisa,

Sounds great! I like the caribbean and some friend recommend me CR, but still i'ver never been there. How is the live quality over there in compare to the US (Health care, living costs, safety, etc.)\

Greetings from Europe,

Klaas

Hola Klass,
     asorry I have not had time to get back to you yet. I will sooon but no time right now. You can find out lots of good info on my web site and then later I will write to answer your questions personally.
Lisa

Glad you are having a good time,been there done that.Is it different now? All I remember is the constant drum of raggie from morning till late nite. Maybe I missed something?

well I kinda seem to have missed it too (15+ years ago)
as Lisa states on her site, it is an "Afro Caribbean" culture
dreadlocks are not my bag, little of that seen on the Pacific side
choices - we should be glad we still can make them

Bill

Klaasvdveen wrote:

Hi Lisa,

Sounds great! I like the caribbean and some friend recommend me CR, but still i'ver never been there. How is the live quality over there in compare to the US (Health care, living costs, safety, etc.)\

Greetings from Europe,

Klaas

Now to answer our questions, Klaas: I feel the quality of my life here in Costa Rica is immeasurably better than in the USA. How one determines the quality of life is by their values. For me, freedom is one of the most important things. In Costa Rica I have much more freedom than in the USA. I am free from a million laws governing my every move. I am free from being forced to give my money to insurance companies. I am able to live cheap, so I have free time to do with what I choose. And I live in a diverse and accepting culture that lets me feel free to be myself.

      Now for your reference to health care: Costa Rica has a good socialized medical plan for its inhabitants. Anyone, including tourists, can get on that plan for about $35.00 a month and then get free care and prescriptions at the local clinics, which are generally pretty good. For serious illnesses the government health care is not so good, as in Canada, you have to wait and wait and wait. There are private health insurance companies. I have no health insurance. Healthy diet and exercise is my health assurance.

      Living costs are less than the USA but in the tourist areas of Costa Rica, they are climbing. Imported imported goods, such as electronics, are quite a bit more expensive then in the States. Local fresh produce is still inexpensive. Rent and property prices are cheap in non tourist areas but not in tourist areas. Panama is cheaper.

      I was safer in my little Montana town that I come from than I am here on Costa Rica's Caribbean. Where I live now, I must always lock my door and never leave anything of value in sight in my car. It is important to live in a secure place that is not vulnerable to break ins. And, like anywhere, I cannot go out walking at night in dark, isolated areas. That being said, I am happy with the place I live. I feel safe and secure here. There's good and bad everywhere and it's a trade off. I do not like having to watch my back and be aware all the time, but I'm used to it now, so it's no big deal. As long as you use your head, you stay out of trouble.

      On my web site I write about my experience living here in Costa Rica - the good and the bad, including crime. Check it out here:

rccatfish2 wrote:

Glad you are having a good time,been there done that.Is it different now? All I remember is the constant drum of raggie from morning till late nite. Maybe I missed something?

True, they play reggae music, but the ones who are always playing it are the bar owners who are mostly foreigners. The older locals prefer salsa music (as I do). The bar owners cater to the tourists.

The reggae / rasta culture is only a small part of this culture of Jamaican descent. The people are very warm and friendly. They are quite knowledgeable on the use of many naturally medicinal plants. Every day the fishermen go out in their little boast and being back a great catch that I can buy right on the beach, for my dinner. Caribbean cooking is know for its tasty flavor and is much more interesting than Costa Rica's typical food. Every day I hear people go by my window; whistling and singing, calling out to their friends in the street and laughing. This is a happy place to live. Take some time to get to know the people and you'll develop a real appreciation for this unique part of Costa Rica.

BillA wrote:

well I kinda seem to have missed it too (15+ years ago)
as Lisa states on her site, it is an "Afro Caribbean" culture
dreadlocks are not my bag, little of that seen on the Pacific side
choices - we should be glad we still can make them

Bill

Yes, Bill. To each their own. That's what makes the world the diverse and wonderful place it is!

a 2ed opinion from the pacific side of CR . . .

I would agree, as an expat, with about all of Lisa's observations

- but crime, specifically theft from houses, is an ever increasing problem (locking the door is not sufficient)
and of course on the Osa, they kill foreigners also (but 'they' seem to be killing foreigners up north as well)

- the real problem is that the police are ineffective and the thieves et all are becoming emboldened
as we are fleeing one police state, do we wish for the creation of another??

too many rats in a box will consume each other

Bill

Yes, I have heard about some of the scary stuff that has happened in the Osa Penninsula area. Here the major problem is theft. I always say that if anything - anything - is left vulnerable it will be stolen. Homes must be occupied and fortified so no one can break in. People must be informed. I made and distributed a poster to help keep tourists safe. The locals (business owners, residents, citizens, expats... many people) have a Facebook page where we keep track of crime, report it, make sure denuncias are filed, help the victims and work on crime prevention.

Where you have poverty you have theft. It happens all over Central America. Costa Rica and Panama are the safest of the Central American countries. Panama seems to have a stronger police presence. Costa Rica is working on it. The local police here, where I live, have a very good police chief and are working hard to cooperate with and protect the people. Their pay is low and their work can be dangerous. You have this in developing countries. You cannot expect a smaller, less developed country, with much less money to have the same kind of infrastructure as the United States.

I would object to linking poverty with theft, one is not the other
and, as an expat, the LAST thing I'm seeking is "the same kind of infrastructure as the United States"

this week a B&B here was hit, and emptied, while the owners were out during the day
the owner went with the police to the perp's house but nothing was found there
. . . .

known thieves can live within the community yet nothing happens, this is the problem

really bummed out, Bill

BillA wrote:

I would object to linking poverty with theft, one is not the other
and, as an expat, the LAST thing I'm seeking is "the same kind of infrastructure as the United States"

this week a B&B here was hit, and emptied, while the owners were out during the day
the owner went with the police to the perp's house but nothing was found there
. . . .

known thieves can live within the community yet nothing happens, this is the problem

really bummed out, Bill

I know the locals. I have friends from poor families. The other day one said to me, "What do you do if you have no work and no money - you have to thief." I am not justifying this. Taking what is not yours is not justifiable. But I am sure there is more crime in the USA now that many have lost their jobs.

If we choose to live here we choose to live with the good and the bad. It is best to do what we can to help solve problems and make things better. Don't be bummed, Bill. That does no good for anyone, especially yourself. Focus on the good and it will multiply. That is what always happens.

sorry Lisa, but no, no, and no again

I have lived many places and known many poor people, they were/are not thieves because they are poor (have too many children to support).
Thieves choose to steal that which is not theirs.
Are you suggesting that the 'poor' have a right to steal?

You defame all honest poor people.

think on it

As an aside, the hotel below me, Jinetes de Osa, is now closed for Sept. and Oct. Tonight several flashlights came up the stairs but stopped below my house (reported by a neighbor). My lights were on.
Later the flashlights were seen above my house on the Jinetes property. Everything removable will be stripped, as has happened in the past. This is a recurring theme, and I should not care - until they come for me. So I must be involved.

"Focus on the good and it will multiply. That is what always happens."
BS - be prepared, or be a victim.
re-read your own words

Bill

BillA wrote:

sorry Lisa, but no, no, and no again

I have lived many places and known many poor people, they were/are not thieves because they are poor (have too many children to support).
Thieves choose to steal that which is not theirs.
Are you suggesting that the 'poor' have a right to steal?

You defame all honest poor people.

think on it

As an aside, the hotel below me, Jinetes de Osa, is now closed for Sept. and Oct. Tonight several flashlights came up the stairs but stopped below my house (reported by a neighbor). My lights were on.
Later the flashlights were seen above my house on the Jinetes property. Everything removable will be stripped, as has happened in the past. This is a recurring theme, and I should not care - until they come for me. So I must be involved.

"Focus on the good and it will multiply. That is what always happens."
BS - be prepared, or be a victim.
re-read your own words

Bill

As I said in my last message, I am not justifying criminal behavior and stealing is never justifiable. I said that. And I know that poor people are the same as rich ones. Some are honest and some are not. I simply repeated what someone recently told me. Some people think that if they do not have money and cannot find work they have to steal. That is all I said. Read other implications into what I said and that is your incorrect interpretation.

I focus on the positive and I watch out for myself. It is possible to do both and live well. Go ahead and be bummed or angry or whatever - and tell me how that improves your situation.

I've been here 30 yrs Lisa, I think my 'situation' is stable.
Crime is causing a change which you may perceive as a natural part of the culture, but I will opine it is a change for the worse.
When these poor are hungry, who do you think they will eat first?
Just what we are witnessing now.
If you wish to see the future, extrapolate the past.

Bill