Costa Rica mugging: cautionary tale with tips
Sep 7th, 2008, 08:00 AM
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Sep 7th, 2008, 12:25 PM
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I'm not sure what's happening, but this link keeps freezing my computer. I tried entering the Mercury News website on my own and searching for something Costa Rica-related and can't find it. Could you supply a few details? Thanks.
Sep 7th, 2008, 02:10 PM
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Same for me, Jeff. I'm sure it's not hawaiifanatic's fault, but something is weird about this link.
I would like to caution other posters not to click the link above.
hawaiifanatic, I'm still interested in this story, could you please copy and paste it? Thanks.
I would like to caution other posters not to click the link above.
hawaiifanatic, I'm still interested in this story, could you please copy and paste it? Thanks.
Sep 7th, 2008, 02:16 PM
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Tourist learns a few safety tips the hard way
EVEN FIT MALES CAN BE MUGGED
By Karl Kahler Mercury News
Article Launched: 09/06/2008 09:02:44 PM PDT
By Karl Kahler
PLAYA DEL COCO, Costa Rica — I felt safe enough strolling the beach alone past midnight in this resort town — I was right in front of my hotel, there was a police station two blocks to the right and there were several people hanging out on the beach.
Of course, those were the people who were about to mug me.
I turned to the left, where a little, gray footbridge crossed a marshy area between two roads. That was my first mistake: Don't go where the police can't drive.
Four shirtless, barefoot men came up behind me silent as wraiths, grabbed my body and slammed me face down onto the hard, splintery boards of the bridge.
I'm a fit 45-year-old, a former boxer and wrestler, and (when four men are not on top of me) a decent runner. I've traveled alone in places a lot more dangerous than Costa Rica, including post-genocide Rwanda and rebel-held Congo. I've sometimes thought, "I pity the fool who tries to mug me." But on this one night, when I let my guard down, I was the fool.
I tried to fight, but I couldn't — I was pinned, my arms and legs crushed under the weight of four tough guys. All I could do was scream.
"HELP! SOCORRO! AYUDAME! HELLLLP!"
Nobody heard me, though my hotel was only 50 paces away, with a guard in the front office and the five guys traveling with me fast asleep. (My excuse? Insomnia.)
My clearest memory of the attack was looking up and seeing a rangy
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man raising his heel and then stomping it into my nose. As I learned in my boxing days, a blow to the face doesn't hurt all that much in the heat of battle, but it does rattle your brain a bit.
"HELLLLLP!" The stomping didn't silence me, but now I felt a hand clamp over my mouth, a disturbingly intimate touch. And as it also covered most of my nose, I felt the panic of asphyxiation. I went silent, thrashing as I struggled to breathe.
I heard a muted voice: "Es todo." That's all.
And then a strange thing happened: They let me go and quietly slipped away. This was oddly surprising, as if I expected them to go on stomping and smothering me all night.
I rolled under the rails of the bridge and staggered back to the hotel. I noticed that the left pocket of my REI shorts had been ripped open for half a pack of cigarettes and an orange Bic lighter, while the zippered right pocket had been emptied of two Costa Rican bills worth $12.
Es todo. I had stashed my wallet and passport in my hotel room.
"You were lucky. They could have killed you for lack of money," said Peter Tarlow, a Texas A&M professor who has a doctorate in tourism security and lectures globally on the subject.
"People should never go out in the street without 25 bucks in their pocket. It could save your life," he said, citing cases in which robberies turned into homicides because the victims weren't carrying enough money to satisfy their attackers.
Another expert on travel safety, Ira Somerson, said: "You had a good instinct to leave your wallet and passport safely in your room. Why? Because you unconsciously understood the risk you were taking by going out for a walk alone!"
Somerson, who is president of Loss Management Consultants of Pennsylvania and has 30 years' experience as an expert witness and professional consultant on security issues, said: "First advice: Trust your instincts — it should be the first thing you listen to besides the advice you may get before traveling. You may choose to ignore the advice of others, but never ignore your instincts."
Crime against tourists is "very common," Tarlow said, even in countries you would think of as safe. Unfortunately, he says, those who contact him for travel safety information are often people who have already been victimized — people like me. The time to think about the issue is before it's too late.
Tarlow says the most common victims of tourism crime, counterintuitively, are single men ages 18 to 30. Why?
"Because they don't take precautions, they walk alone in dark places, they don't get medical care."
Guilty on all three counts.
My hotel guard, alarmed to see a crazed, bloody tourist staggering into his lobby, refused at first to call the police, telling me I could walk two blocks to the police station myself.
My brother and our sons, 18 and 21, doubly alarmed to see me with cuts all over my face and liberal splashes of blood on my shirt, watched as I showed the guard how they stomped my face — and he wanted me to go back out there so they could do it again?!
A young cop finally showed up on a motorbike, listened to my story, jotted a few notes and said it wasn't a good idea to walk in dangerous places at night. Then he rode back to his police station. Big help he was.
Tarlow says most victimized tourists never contact the police — and in fact, depending on where you are, it may be unwise to do so. In some places, the underpaid cops are as bad as the robbers. If you are robbed in London, by all means call the police. But if you're in Angola, think twice.
My second mistake was not immediately cleaning all my wounds and scouring them for splinters, gray paint, mud or anything else that didn't belong inside my body.
I had close to 30 cuts on my face, hands, elbows and knees. Nothing was broken, though my nose was red and swollen and bled for two hours. The inside of my lips were purple, and there was a big, weird spot of blood in my left eye.
The next day we drove to Monteverde, the cloud forest that is Costa Rica's biggest tourist attraction. I felt sore in lots of places, but I figured it would pass.
The day after that, I woke up feverish and in pain. Three wounds were infected. I could barely walk because of shooting pains in the knee, I couldn't use my right hand and I was practically delirious with fever.
So did I go to a doctor? No, and that was my third mistake.
Why not? I was hurting so bad, and I was so feverish, that I would have had a hard time getting out of bed if someone told me the hotel was on fire. Also, I had no idea how to find medical care, I feared it would cost me hundreds of dollars and I doubted it would be much help. I decided to wait until my return home.
Bad call. Getting medical care is like trying to find a bathroom when you need one — waiting doesn't help. Tarlow advises contacting the local U.S. consulate beforehand for the names of trustworthy doctors.
I stayed in bed all day, eating nothing but aspirin and over-the-counter antibiotics that my son brought me. I finally dressed my wounds properly with antibiotic ointment.
We spent the next two days getting home, arriving in the Bay Area late on a Friday. Not until Monday, six days after the attack, did I see my doctor, who gave me a tetanus shot and daily doses of antibiotic injections and oral antiobiotics for 10 days.
My doctor said the same thing Tarlow said: "You were lucky."
With luck like this, who needs misfortune?
While I nurse my wounds (and my wounded pride), I leave you with some sage advice from Somerson:
"Be prepared, learn about the environment you are visiting, understand that any traveler will be obvious in a different culture and therefore vulnerable. Never be alone at night in a turf you do not know, but most importantly listen to your instincts and avoid the potential dangers you perceive."
EVEN FIT MALES CAN BE MUGGED
By Karl Kahler Mercury News
Article Launched: 09/06/2008 09:02:44 PM PDT
By Karl Kahler
PLAYA DEL COCO, Costa Rica — I felt safe enough strolling the beach alone past midnight in this resort town — I was right in front of my hotel, there was a police station two blocks to the right and there were several people hanging out on the beach.
Of course, those were the people who were about to mug me.
I turned to the left, where a little, gray footbridge crossed a marshy area between two roads. That was my first mistake: Don't go where the police can't drive.
Four shirtless, barefoot men came up behind me silent as wraiths, grabbed my body and slammed me face down onto the hard, splintery boards of the bridge.
I'm a fit 45-year-old, a former boxer and wrestler, and (when four men are not on top of me) a decent runner. I've traveled alone in places a lot more dangerous than Costa Rica, including post-genocide Rwanda and rebel-held Congo. I've sometimes thought, "I pity the fool who tries to mug me." But on this one night, when I let my guard down, I was the fool.
I tried to fight, but I couldn't — I was pinned, my arms and legs crushed under the weight of four tough guys. All I could do was scream.
"HELP! SOCORRO! AYUDAME! HELLLLP!"
Nobody heard me, though my hotel was only 50 paces away, with a guard in the front office and the five guys traveling with me fast asleep. (My excuse? Insomnia.)
My clearest memory of the attack was looking up and seeing a rangy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
man raising his heel and then stomping it into my nose. As I learned in my boxing days, a blow to the face doesn't hurt all that much in the heat of battle, but it does rattle your brain a bit.
"HELLLLLP!" The stomping didn't silence me, but now I felt a hand clamp over my mouth, a disturbingly intimate touch. And as it also covered most of my nose, I felt the panic of asphyxiation. I went silent, thrashing as I struggled to breathe.
I heard a muted voice: "Es todo." That's all.
And then a strange thing happened: They let me go and quietly slipped away. This was oddly surprising, as if I expected them to go on stomping and smothering me all night.
I rolled under the rails of the bridge and staggered back to the hotel. I noticed that the left pocket of my REI shorts had been ripped open for half a pack of cigarettes and an orange Bic lighter, while the zippered right pocket had been emptied of two Costa Rican bills worth $12.
Es todo. I had stashed my wallet and passport in my hotel room.
"You were lucky. They could have killed you for lack of money," said Peter Tarlow, a Texas A&M professor who has a doctorate in tourism security and lectures globally on the subject.
"People should never go out in the street without 25 bucks in their pocket. It could save your life," he said, citing cases in which robberies turned into homicides because the victims weren't carrying enough money to satisfy their attackers.
Another expert on travel safety, Ira Somerson, said: "You had a good instinct to leave your wallet and passport safely in your room. Why? Because you unconsciously understood the risk you were taking by going out for a walk alone!"
Somerson, who is president of Loss Management Consultants of Pennsylvania and has 30 years' experience as an expert witness and professional consultant on security issues, said: "First advice: Trust your instincts — it should be the first thing you listen to besides the advice you may get before traveling. You may choose to ignore the advice of others, but never ignore your instincts."
Crime against tourists is "very common," Tarlow said, even in countries you would think of as safe. Unfortunately, he says, those who contact him for travel safety information are often people who have already been victimized — people like me. The time to think about the issue is before it's too late.
Tarlow says the most common victims of tourism crime, counterintuitively, are single men ages 18 to 30. Why?
"Because they don't take precautions, they walk alone in dark places, they don't get medical care."
Guilty on all three counts.
My hotel guard, alarmed to see a crazed, bloody tourist staggering into his lobby, refused at first to call the police, telling me I could walk two blocks to the police station myself.
My brother and our sons, 18 and 21, doubly alarmed to see me with cuts all over my face and liberal splashes of blood on my shirt, watched as I showed the guard how they stomped my face — and he wanted me to go back out there so they could do it again?!
A young cop finally showed up on a motorbike, listened to my story, jotted a few notes and said it wasn't a good idea to walk in dangerous places at night. Then he rode back to his police station. Big help he was.
Tarlow says most victimized tourists never contact the police — and in fact, depending on where you are, it may be unwise to do so. In some places, the underpaid cops are as bad as the robbers. If you are robbed in London, by all means call the police. But if you're in Angola, think twice.
My second mistake was not immediately cleaning all my wounds and scouring them for splinters, gray paint, mud or anything else that didn't belong inside my body.
I had close to 30 cuts on my face, hands, elbows and knees. Nothing was broken, though my nose was red and swollen and bled for two hours. The inside of my lips were purple, and there was a big, weird spot of blood in my left eye.
The next day we drove to Monteverde, the cloud forest that is Costa Rica's biggest tourist attraction. I felt sore in lots of places, but I figured it would pass.
The day after that, I woke up feverish and in pain. Three wounds were infected. I could barely walk because of shooting pains in the knee, I couldn't use my right hand and I was practically delirious with fever.
So did I go to a doctor? No, and that was my third mistake.
Why not? I was hurting so bad, and I was so feverish, that I would have had a hard time getting out of bed if someone told me the hotel was on fire. Also, I had no idea how to find medical care, I feared it would cost me hundreds of dollars and I doubted it would be much help. I decided to wait until my return home.
Bad call. Getting medical care is like trying to find a bathroom when you need one — waiting doesn't help. Tarlow advises contacting the local U.S. consulate beforehand for the names of trustworthy doctors.
I stayed in bed all day, eating nothing but aspirin and over-the-counter antibiotics that my son brought me. I finally dressed my wounds properly with antibiotic ointment.
We spent the next two days getting home, arriving in the Bay Area late on a Friday. Not until Monday, six days after the attack, did I see my doctor, who gave me a tetanus shot and daily doses of antibiotic injections and oral antiobiotics for 10 days.
My doctor said the same thing Tarlow said: "You were lucky."
With luck like this, who needs misfortune?
While I nurse my wounds (and my wounded pride), I leave you with some sage advice from Somerson:
"Be prepared, learn about the environment you are visiting, understand that any traveler will be obvious in a different culture and therefore vulnerable. Never be alone at night in a turf you do not know, but most importantly listen to your instincts and avoid the potential dangers you perceive."
Sep 7th, 2008, 06:02 PM
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It's good to read these things from time to time, although I hate it that they happen. All of us probably get a little complacent occasionally, and we need the reminder. Just out of curiosity, I'd like to know the percentage of crimes against tourists that happen on the beach late at night or early a.m. Probably fairly high. . .
Thanks Sean, for c & p for us.
Thanks Sean, for c & p for us.
Sep 7th, 2008, 09:52 PM
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Scary article! Thank you for copying the text.
As great as Costa Rica is as a vacation destination, no one should ever assume that it will be "just like home" in regards to the potential for crime and what happens in the aftermath of a crime. Add to that that the typical tourist who becomes victim of a crime can't stick around to see the case prosecuted.
I do believe that Costa Ricans are some of the most helpful people on the face of the earth, but I've encountered enough people like the hotel guard in the story who don't want to get involved. Some of that small handful are in the tourism industry and fear the negative publicity that crime brings about. Not most, certainly, but I see enough of this in the tourism industry that it disturbs me.
As great as Costa Rica is as a vacation destination, no one should ever assume that it will be "just like home" in regards to the potential for crime and what happens in the aftermath of a crime. Add to that that the typical tourist who becomes victim of a crime can't stick around to see the case prosecuted.
I do believe that Costa Ricans are some of the most helpful people on the face of the earth, but I've encountered enough people like the hotel guard in the story who don't want to get involved. Some of that small handful are in the tourism industry and fear the negative publicity that crime brings about. Not most, certainly, but I see enough of this in the tourism industry that it disturbs me.
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Sep 8th, 2008, 01:09 PM
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BTW, I made a trip to Costa Rica in late May and loved it. But before I left, I read the safety advice posted on this forum and incorporated it into my travel there. It never hurts to be "street wise."
Sep 8th, 2008, 04:04 PM
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When we were lost on the Monkey Trail in April we happen upon Playa del Coco. We didn't stop and check it out because we wanted to find our hotel in Potrero, but my husband really liked the little town as we drove through it.
He wants to go back next June and stay there. I don't imagine we will be walking the beaches at midnight, and even though I have walked quite a few places alone in CR, I wouldn't do it that late.
Can anyone recommend a good place to stay in the area?
Thanks
He wants to go back next June and stay there. I don't imagine we will be walking the beaches at midnight, and even though I have walked quite a few places alone in CR, I wouldn't do it that late.
Can anyone recommend a good place to stay in the area?
Thanks
Sep 8th, 2008, 06:34 PM
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I don't know much about it, cgenster, but a few years ago read an article about Flor de Itabo (or very similar name if that one isn't right on). I think there is quite a bit of fishing out of Coco, particularly this hotel. Nearby, of course, you have Playa Ocotal, Hermosa, etc. Plenty of places to stay in Hermosa. And you are right, it doesn't matter where you are, night and alone are never a good combination.
Sep 9th, 2008, 03:34 AM
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Check out nationmaster.com. It ranks nations in all categories, including crime. Costa Rica is ranked # 7 in murders involving firearms! Costa Rica beat out the U.S which was #8. Costa Rica also was ranked as #19 for murders per capita. The U.S was #24. Suprising stats as most would have you believe that C.R only has petty crime and is much safer than the U.S! That being said, C.R is one of my favorite places on earth, but the goverment needs to get a handle on the violent crime. AM Costa Rica is reporting two murders in the last week of American tourists!
Sep 9th, 2008, 10:11 AM
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I have to say I was so irritated by this article. For goodness sake, it could not be easier to find a doctor in Costa Rica. Why didn't the guy just ask his hotel? He left readers with the notion that it's more difficult to get medical help in Costa Rica than in the US and that's just not true.
Sep 9th, 2008, 03:25 PM
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Not only is medical care easy to find in most areas, but high quality as well. I haven't checked in several years, but health care in Costa Rica at one time was ranked near the top by the World Health Organization.
Sep 9th, 2008, 05:43 PM
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In Playa Samara, we were surprised to find not only two doctors, but even the owners of our villa had left a note with their recommendation of a doctor who made HOUSE CALLS and spoke ENGLISH, having been to medical school in the US.
Presenting this as though there was no or inferior medical care is simply a poor representation.
HOWEVER, it did seem that the victim did not seek out medical care in a timely manner and neglected his wounds. Please, please seek medical care where ever you are, better to be safer than sorry.
Presenting this as though there was no or inferior medical care is simply a poor representation.
HOWEVER, it did seem that the victim did not seek out medical care in a timely manner and neglected his wounds. Please, please seek medical care where ever you are, better to be safer than sorry.
Sep 9th, 2008, 08:09 PM
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This article also makes Costa Rica sound like a scary place but anyone on a beach alone after midnight could run into trouble...ANYWHERE! I think this traveler didn't have much common sense including seeking medical attention after the mugging.
Sep 10th, 2008, 03:23 AM
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<This article also makes Costa Rica sound like a scary place but anyone on a beach alone after midnight could run into trouble...ANYWHERE! I think this traveler didn't have much common sense including seeking medical attention after the mugging.> Not trying to be provocative, and I've never been to Costa Rica, but the alacrity with which a number of people on this board have, literally, blamed the victim here is amazing. The author of the article ADMITS that he should have sought medical attention earlier ("So did I go to a doctor? No, and that was my third mistake."
, so jumping down his throat for not doing so seems a bit like piling on. And the statement that this could happen on a beach "ANYWHERE!" (see previous poster above) while true in the sense that it COULD happen anywhere, is not really the issue. The question is whether it's LIKELY to happen. I've walked on beaches in Maui at night without a care in the world. Some beaches are more dangerous than others. It's not that Maui beaches are risk free, as in 0% chance of a mugging. Very few things are risk free. The question is whether some beaches are RELATIVELY MORE DANGEROUS. That's what a number of posters on this thread are ignoring. The basic thesis of this article is that Costa Rican beaches are RELATIVELY more dangerous than beaches in certain other places. I don't see why that's such a remarkable proposition. Yes, it is possible to mitigate the risk, but the amount of effort one spends mitigating a safety risk should be proportional to the threat. Which is why I will continue to walk alone on beaches in Maui, and why I would be leery of doing the same in Costa Rica. Makes sense?
, so jumping down his throat for not doing so seems a bit like piling on. And the statement that this could happen on a beach "ANYWHERE!" (see previous poster above) while true in the sense that it COULD happen anywhere, is not really the issue. The question is whether it's LIKELY to happen. I've walked on beaches in Maui at night without a care in the world. Some beaches are more dangerous than others. It's not that Maui beaches are risk free, as in 0% chance of a mugging. Very few things are risk free. The question is whether some beaches are RELATIVELY MORE DANGEROUS. That's what a number of posters on this thread are ignoring. The basic thesis of this article is that Costa Rican beaches are RELATIVELY more dangerous than beaches in certain other places. I don't see why that's such a remarkable proposition. Yes, it is possible to mitigate the risk, but the amount of effort one spends mitigating a safety risk should be proportional to the threat. Which is why I will continue to walk alone on beaches in Maui, and why I would be leery of doing the same in Costa Rica. Makes sense?
Sep 10th, 2008, 04:32 AM
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Yes, the poster did own up to the mistaken assumptions he made. I think others just wanted to use the forum to share information regarding Costa Rica's good health care--something many people would never dream could be true.
Your points are all valid and probably true (haven't seen the statistics). That said, you go ahead and walk where and when you will, my proposition is that there is a significant risk on almost any beach (or city of size) when out alone in the late night/early morning hours. Qualifying word is significant.
The article remains a good head up or reminder for all.
Your points are all valid and probably true (haven't seen the statistics). That said, you go ahead and walk where and when you will, my proposition is that there is a significant risk on almost any beach (or city of size) when out alone in the late night/early morning hours. Qualifying word is significant.
The article remains a good head up or reminder for all.
