Quote:
Originally Posted by baddog
Your location says Costa Rica.
I could have sworn that I read a thread here a few weeks ago where recent transplants to CR wrote of living in compounds with barbed wire topped fences and armed guards, and that you must be careful where you go at night and be sure not to wear anything too nice.
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Like anywhere else, there is an element of truth in that baddog - any major city has it's problems.
The flipside is what ya read is not always the truth. I was told the same thing and was paranoid for the first six months here till realizing it was mainly bullshit. There is also a tendency for "gringos" to compound themselves in - that's their problem.
Other aspect are the North American tourists cluttering the place up - it's hard not to burst out laughing when you hear them explain to others (like they are qualified to talk!) how it's a dangerous place and you can get mugged etc
Was chatting to the OIJ (the investigative or "real" police) director, (sinced moved on) here a year or so ago and she was moaning about the "vast" crime rate. Asked her what her problem mainly was? She comes back with - "we have almost 600 credit card frauds on file..." Dammit girl - you think you have problems?? 600 card frauds is *nothing* in comparison to the population - try visiting "civilized world" and you'll have more than 600 poxy credit card frauds
Perceptions can be misleading - tho there is a predominance of minor theft, that is on the high side, - but not so much serious crime. Guns are not part of the issue and the govt is destroying existing guns (even some of their own) and limiting importation.