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Robbery San José
8 Reviews When you are walking trough the streets dont look at your map were you have to... step into a restaurant or shop and look at your map there... keep some change in your pockets I was watching the map...
See All 26 Warnings Or Dangers in San José
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the rain forests of costa rica abound in many species of poisonous snakes. pictured is an eye-lash viper which is very common in the forests of costa rica. these snakes are very small but their bites maybe deadly. most of the snakes in costa rica are not aggressive but care must be taken to avoid touching or stepping on them when walking through the rain forest. the Fer-De-Lance is an aggressive specie of poisonous snake and should be avoided.
Just like anywhere in the world be smart with your belongings. I hate worrying about theft and I tend to be careless. I did pay for it. My daypack was stolen when I was at a beach by myself. Our sandals were stolen from outside of our rented house when we left them on the patio overnight.
Be careful to drink bottled water, no ice and carefully washed fruits and vegetables. I came home with a bad bout of Giarrdia. Quick cure if you are on the road? Raw garlic! No kidding! I got this piece of advice from an ex-Peace Corps volunteer!Also, if you are traveling in the rainy season...make sure to wear longsleeves and lots of mosquito repellent. Dengue fever and malaria are both transmitted through mosquitos in Costa Rica...especially more rural areas.Also...avoid driving outside of major cities in Costa Rica. The roads are awful and dangerous! There are potholes the size of Texas over there. If you do drive...make sure to bring your spare tire...you're definitely going to need it!!
When my bird-watcher friend heard where I was going in Costa Rica, he shook his head and said "Bring Deep Woods Off!" (This is high-powered bug repellent, for those who haven't heard of it.) Interestingly, I was not bothered at all by mosquitoes--maybe the rain kept them away--but I did get the most severe insect bite I ever had. Something very fierce (a spider? a scorpion?) chomped on my Teva-shod foot on the first day we were in the country, causing the whole top of my foot to swell up, itch like crazy, get terribly sore and infected, and generally drive me insane. Almost three weeks later, I am still feeling it. Watch out!
Electricity at remote lodges may not be able to handle the wattage of our American applicances. At Trogon Lodge, it was after dark when I washed my hair and plugged in my hair dryer to dry it. That blew the fuses not only in my room but the whole cluster of rooms. I tried to find the fuse box but couldn't so finally went up to the dining hall and found someone but he didn't speak any English. I got him to come back to my room and showed him the hair dryer and that the lights did not work and he finally understood and went and fixed the fuse. I got a LOT of kidding about causing the blackout at the Lodge for the rest of the trip.
We went to Costa Rica in March. I thought that was the "dry season" but it seems that it is a lot more complicated than that. It can vary a lot from one place to another even though it is such a small country. The NW has a fairly well-defined dry season from Nov. to April. This is what I thought was the case for the whole country. Along the S. Pacific coast, the dry season is a month or 2 shorter and July tends to be dry here. In these areas, the rest of the year is rainy with rains usually coming in afternoon cloud bursts. But on the Caribbean slope, the rain is more evenly distributed throughout the year with drier periods in May and June and again in Sept and Oct. SO, what does this mean? If you go to Costa Rica, take your rain coat because you are probably going to get wet. It's also harder to see birds and many butterflies like this Julia I sketched are not out in the rain. Then...
In 1996, robbery of tour groups had become a problem. There were trails that we did not hike in some parks because of prior robbery of tour buses. In other places, while we hiked and looked at birds and butterflies like this beauty I sketched, our guides worked to keep us safe. Our leader had us leave valuables and passports with the bus driver who let us off at our hiking trail then drove into a town to a safe location to wait with our luggages then came back and picked us up.
It is a very touchy subject especially in a place like San Jose. Call me a cheapskate or something to that extent but I didnt give him any money as he was begging I simply ignored the kid and he kind of pushed me in the back.
We purchased a Garmin E-Trek map GPS for $169.00 at Cabelas.com; it worked perfectly in Costa Rica and we never got lost. Beware of driving at night, keep your speed low and watch for bicycles and fast moving oncoming traffic. Do not stop to help anyone that appears to be in trouble; chances are you will be robbed of you personal belongings and cash. If you should happen to encounter this circumstance drive around the disabled vehicle as fast as you can and continue on your way. Do not leave personal belongings in full view inside your locked vehicle when visiting any city; chances are your car will be broken in to and all belongings removed. Use common sense while on the road; Costa Rica is a friendly country and not everyone is a robber so use some discretion and don't flash large sums of cash in public. Take only the cash you will need for the day and carry a photo copy of your...
Me (I am a female) and my sister stayed at the Hemingway Inn in San Jose. I have an old college friend that moved back there and he would often pick us up at the hotel and take us around the city. Upon check-out I was presented with a hefty bill. When I asked what the charges were for they said it was 'prostitute charges' for each time my friend passed through the lobby and that this was a customary fee in Costa Rica. Grossed out and offended we paid as we were not allowed to leave until we did. Watch out this hotel is shady!!
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2 Reviews and 489 Opinions I arrived at Hotel De Oro on December 28, 2008 at lunch with 3 other friends. We decided to have...
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