www.CostaRicaTicas.com

They also like to poison dogs just for fun. I know of... counting... 5 people who have found their dogs dead and found out later they ate meat with rat poison. It only costs about 1,000 colones. Some of them get a real kick out of it. Its childish and it makes me sick. What kind of a person would do that just for fun?

In other cases, they poison the dog, to rob the house.

However, the most bizarre thing is stealing a dog and then asking for ransom. In this particular case, they played it off as a "finders fee". The thief, who was girl, even brought a strong arm colombian guy to demand the cash for the dog on a daily basis. I told the woman that she should instead bribe the local police with $50 and have the two arrested for theft. She got scared and paid them off. She also didn't think the police would have done anything. I mean - give me a break!!!

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

mh[/quote]

Can you please enlighten the group? Expand on this thought....[/quote]

I think the only person who needs a little enlightenment is you.

Your statement quoted above is one of the most egregious examples of stereotyping I have ever read. It deserves no other response than a giant , coupled with a shrug and a dismissive, "What an idiot". Given I bothered to answer you means you've already gotten more attention than what you deserve.

Peace and enjoy your blinders,

mh[/quote]

You joined this site in 2009. Sound like I did back in 2006. Put sticky on this thread and spend a lot more time in CR. Then, we'll talk about it in 2011. Happy mongering.

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

I really have tried to avoid posting in this thread because it is just another rant from Chi_trekker. It becomes painfully obvious that he has been unable to adjust to living in Costa Rica and every so often jumps up on his soap box and fires a fusillade of complaints about Costa Rica. He takes an incident that happened to him either in his life here or in a relationship he established here and using a very broad brush paints every Tico with it.

God speed with completing your paperwork so you leave this backwater third world country to those who have adapted to living here. Unfortunately you will leave as a frustrated bitter person who will possibly poison the minds of those you relate your story to as the horror of living in Costa Rica. Sadly you may influence those who would otherwise come here and find a wonderful relaxing retirement life as so many of us have. Pura Vida amigo you deserve our sympathy not our scorn.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

nevermind..

_________________
I said hey baby, take a walk on the wild side.
Lou Reed

Miamiheller,

What I meant to say is that IF time on this board is indicative of OR close to the amount of time you have spent in Costa Rica, then re-read what I said. I joined in 2005. You joined in 2009. Spend about 4 years in Costa Rica. Then, you will learn that this is not stereotyping. My pop once told me that you "can't read a book by its cover." However, if you open the book and re-read it OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Then, its a different thing. The whole campaign for president in CR was focused on one major thing - SECURITY. This means that the locals even know it.

ID,

I'm not looking for scorn or sympathy from anyone on this board. This thread probably belongs in the "Living in Costa Rica" section. Because it has morphed as such. Soapbox??? Does that mean I'm putting myself higher than the average tico. If so, then yes, I'm on my phucking soap box, bitching about the level of crime, stupidity, laziness, lying and cheating in this country. I AM BETTER THAN THOSE PEOPLE. CR is a very class oriented society. Without much of anything in the middle. I'm clearly upper class here. The middle and poor class folks that poison dogs for fun and giggles. If you have nothing better to do with your lives, better off drinking the poison yourself.

General comment - people seem to live off this board. Godspeed to my exit. Judging me personally by some of my posts.... when you have no clue who I really am. You need to remind yourself - I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU ALL THINK, BECAUSE I DON'T HARDLY KNOW ANY OF YOU.

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

If that is the yardstick you care to use then I trump you by years in any category of time spent in CR that you care to use. I agree with MH it is an egregious example of stereotyping and deserves a gigantic !!




No comment necessary. That speaks volumes as to why you are leaving. I am sure the Ticos will miss you.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I see certain people arguing with Chi_trekker on random points but none of those people argue that he's WRONG about the lying, scamming, stealing, laziness and stupidity that is the norm in CR.

_________________

Living well is the best revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwUtj_YnNoY

Yes ID - you certainly have me trumped on the time spent in Costa Rica category. No argument. And, you seem to have done a better job adapting to life in CR. Or, at least, you are more accepting of stuff that goes on down here. However, to each his own. I hold nothing personal against anyone on this board. If anything, people should be able to read my posts, to get a different perspective of what it is like to live or spend a lot of time in CR. Most people that have had bad experiences down here, won't write about it.

I'm not a prejudiced person. I'm not typically into stereotyping. I have traveled and worked all over the world in places as far as Northern China, England and parts of Europe and other parts of Asia. I came to CR with an open mind. And, perhaps my hopes were a little too high. However, I don't view my "wanting to get the hell outta here" as any sort of failure on my part. I view it as a victory. I came down here. Lived life. Spent my time in the gulch. Now, I have a family and a different viewpoint on life in general. I have my pride and I simply refuse to live in a culture where lying, cheating and stealing is an accepted norm. You can call this a stereotype. I don't care. I have K*ds now. I don't want to bring them up in a country where security is a "big problem". I don't want them to live with bars on their windows. I want to be able to take walks at night without the fear of being jumped. I want to be able to have my neighbors over, in my house, for drinks and bbq's, without worrying about them carrying away the expensive silverware - because I was stupid enough to invite them into my house in the first place. I don't want to have to guard myself on a public bus.

If you want to chill, gamble, and hang around pretty women all day. CR is a good place to be. However, if you want to earn income, educate your Ch*ldren, live in a prosperous country, with lots of opportunity, then CR is extremely limited. CR is not the worst country to be in latin america, by a mile. I have friends who tried living in Mexico and left due to the gang problems and now kidnappings. I know two people who have tried living in DR. One women lived in a barricaded mansion and was not allowed to leave without personal security. The other lived in Santo Domingo and claimed that he never could leave his house at night without instantaneously being robbed and mugged. In fact, I would say that Costa Rica and Chile and perhaps even Colombia are some of the better places to live in Latin America these days. I don't know this by personal experience, but know people who have lived in all these countries.

Stereotyping is essentially judging a book by its cover. You can call what I'm saying about the culture down here - stereotyping. However, I have opened that book and read many, and many pages. You could also say that judging me personally, which many have done, by my posts on this board is also stereotyping. Maybe 3 or 4 people on this board even know me beyond my screen name.... Am I being stereotyped or prejudged?

Now, I'm going to go out and enjoy my day. Later.....

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

One of the basic fundamental traits of been human is to gripe and complain after we have put our self in a particular situation and thing start to go badly. We start to gripe and complain in order to gain sympathy or acknowledgment from others for our dilemma. The Problem with Costa Rica long exists before you join the community there. Maybe if you have done a little research you could have save yourself some grief and a near heart attack from the way you are going. For God sake it’s not the United State of America or Canada. It’s a country in the middle of Central America where the average annual wages is what you probably use to make in 2 days. Every country in this world has its problem and it short comings but it was your choice to pack up and move there so don’t blame other when you start to miss a few thing and you start to experience life as a native. If you live in a society and you start to flaunt what you have in their face and express to them thru your flaunting that you’re first class and they are second class; then they are goanna get even with you by trying to get to your class. They are goanna break you down. They are goanna steal from you; they are goanna jack you up; they are goanna leave you in pain until you understand that all is not fair in the distribution of wealth. I know and everyone know you work hard for what you have and you have paid the price but these people don’t have a pot to piss in and you are mocking and degrading their culture they are goanna take some of what you have but you have the choice to get out so get out don’t trash the place or I should say...

“DON’T SHIT WHERE YOU WALK BECAUSE YOU MIGHT BE THE ONE WHO STEP IN IT.”

JR60

Just my opinion I am not bashing you..

_________________
"THE TRUTH IS' EVERYBODY IS GOING TO HURT YOU. YOU JUST GOTTA FIND THE ONE WORTH SUFFERING FOR"
Robert Nesta Marley

True, I know a couple screwed over big time on real estate deals, others that were robbed on the streets or by chicas and refused to post about it. Probably didn't want a dozen guys telling them "they were stupid, should have known better or done their homework". Yes we should all know better but some will always make the mistake of thinking they found people, a lawyer, and/or novia they could trust.
Probably sounds like I'm CR bashing but no, just spent enough time there and watched enough amigos get screwed over to agree with much of C_t's observations. On one of my early trips an expat struggling to make it down there said "the only good things about this country are the women and the weather" took me a while to see what he meant. But being stuck in the states forking over 50% for taxes and insurance doesn't always seem so great either.

_________________

Living well is the best revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwUtj_YnNoY

When I lived in Miami I knew guys who got screwed on real estate deals, mugged and robbed in the streets, and even a few who came home from work and found the little old lady gone and the house completely empty. Most people who get screwed over in a real esate deal are usually blinded by greed and either fail to perform due diligence or disregard the warnings that their due diligence discovers.



and this is exclusive to Costa Rica?



I have said it before and will say it again this is not the place to come thinking you can work and live a good life. It is a place to come when you have the means to enjoy life and not worry about finding a way to earn a living.

Costa Rica is not a paradise. I doubt any place in the world is without problems. But, for those with the financial means and the ability to shed their type A personality and accept the Tico way of life Costa Rica is a close to paradise as one can hope to find.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

This is the problem in a nut shell... its very tough to run a business in CR where you have to collect your bills perhaps on a monthly or project basis which is what Chi was trying to do. I think that is a very hard type of business (services rendered and then collecting afterwards...good luck) to run in CR let alone any business is difficult in CR

Well - believe it or not - unlike 90% of the gringos on this board, I have a few tico friends. Didn't meet them at the Del Rey. A few through work and a few from the gym. We are equal. Not fake fly-by taxi drivers that are full of shit and only after extra tips. We have been friends for years. Clearly they are upper class. University degrees. Mostly engineers. One lawyer. Interestingly enough, I have had this same conversation with my tico friends. And, they will 100% agree. In fact, its crazy that they seem easier to talk to about, than some on this board. One friend gave me a lecture one day about thieves. You know what he said? He said thieves steal with their eyes first. Always look a guy straight in the eye to get a read on him. If something doesn't seem right, get away from him. He also said - This is why gringos are so phucking stupid in CR. Because they show-off their stuff and flaunt their money, its only a matter of time. Because the thieves are watching. This came from a guy who is half Tico and half Italian and has spent his entire life of 55 years in CR. Some of the best advice I have received in Costa Rica.

Yes ID - these guys will probably miss me. You know why? Because, as they put it, I'm not one of those "bad gringos" that they are sick and tired of seeing in CR. I didn't come down here and flaunt my Americanism. I'm not a womanizer. I learned Spanish and can pretty much communicate in both languages. When, I say I'm BETTER THAN THOSE PEOPLE. I'm speaking about high percentage of bad people that form the middle (which to us is dirt poor) and lower classes (these people have dirt floors and sleep under corrugated shacks.) In this group, which is about 85% of Costa Rica, you will find the liars, cheaters and thieves. I can't give you a percent. I also can't tell you by looking at someone if they are a thief or not. However, lets just say that there are a LOT OF THEM.

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

I am like the boss in that I have enjoyed the info shared. Many ideas and thoughts. We have Pacco and ID. What more to say about fair and balanced.

Chi, You are on a rant, That said I enjoy them. Let me point out that Chi, has married and fathered Ch*ldren with a Tica. Fact is there is no racism here.

He has his opinion of CR now as a husband and father. It is different than as a single guy. ID is correct in that he is coming from a different view.

Me, I am Catholic. Yet not a good one. I fit right in with the vast percentage of Costa Ricans. Baptism, Conformation, Marriage and death. I want my church. And I want to see it around me. But, at a distiance all the other times.

Happy St Patricks day. And thanks for being there for me all these years.

_________________
Take a walk on the wild side.

you go some where to enjoy the culture not change it

kudos to chi for accepting his responsibility as a husband and father

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But mama, that's where the fun is

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