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Found this article in this mornings AM Costa Rica..Anyone down there hear anything about the lower part of the article regarding immigration stops in Jaco?

Tourist chronicles
tough time here

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

I was (WAS) a tourist looking to purchase property near Manuel Antonio. All the ads and the ridiculous televison station WSEE35 (”Tell them Joey sent you”) talked about the beauty of Central America’s most visited tourist attraction. (TRAP)

Driving there, the horror started. After driving through Parrita, the roads turned into an obstacle course with three bridges so unsafe, that we wouldn’t drive over until all traffic was off the bridge. This is the route to CR’s most cherished park!!??

All the money tourists pump into this country must be going in someones pocket; it is certainly not being used to improve the infrastructure.

We made a mistake and stayed one night in Playa Jacó on the way back. A bridge on the main road is closed so all the traffic is re-routed through Jacó, Including 18-wheelers, tankers, tourist traffic and hazardous materials. This caused the worst, pot-holed street in CR. The dirt and pollution is horrible in this dirty little town that is reminiscent of Tijuana, Mexico.

Filthy streets, muddy ocean water, dirty beaches. What a joke.

Our next mistake in Jaco was going to the “Monkey Bar” for a nightcap. When we came out, the immigration police were outside with a bus and if you did not have your PASSPORT, you were herded on the bus for an overnight stay in Puntarenas.

Ah ha, but, if you paid the officer a “FEE” of $50.00 USD you were let off!

But wait. When we arrived at the airport, they handed us a little blue piece of paper telling us NOT to carry our passports, but to make a copy of it along with the incoming stamp showing when we arrived.

As newbies, we diligently followed the advise of the *CR Government*, but the Puntarenas Immigration officer said that was “no good.” It is lucky that I am a former U.S. federal agent and still had my ID; the corrupt cop backed off quickly when I asked to speak with his supervisor.

And, the powers-that-be condone this ‘thief’ as well as the traffic police, who are all on the take.

Yes, this is a developing country, but it is developing into the most corrupt Central American country in Latin America.

I guess talking about the corruption to those of you that live in CR falls on deaf ears. You can always tell where corruption is by seeing only monopolies and no open commerce. (cable TV/Internet, cell phones, water, liquor, exports/imports, etc.). For those of you who love it, and live here for whatever reason,(?) God Bless you.

For me, I would rather live in the good ‘ole’ USA in a trailer park where at least the police come when called, the politicians abide by the open “Sunshine” law and legal matters get handled in months, not years.

CR is still a backwards country and as long as the mindset is one of “take or be taken,” then tourists and potential investors like me, get what we deserve if we are dumb enough to invest here.

Obviously, I will not talk about the beauty of CR to my friends, as that was so over-shadowed by the corruption and lack of basic services, that we will never be back, but will extol the non-virtues to whomever may listen.


Mark Adamson
Los Angeles, Calif.


EDITOR'S NOTE; Mr. Adamson said that 40 persons were detained by the immigration police the night he was there. Some spent the night in a Puntarenas jail despite having a copy of a passsport and a copy of the page with the entry date stamp.

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These girls are all virgins once you get past the used part.

Seems like a reasonable report based on my experiences in CR.

Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. After a 30 day trip, the "good ole USA" starts looking pretty darn good.

Zebra

I'll agree at least to this part of the report. It's almost terrifying.

dapanz1

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Paradise= Sitting outside the Bodega in Panama City about 1 am. Drinking cool Balboas with cool friends and blazin' hot Colombianas. I want to be there..RIGHT NOW!

It's all true. So please everyone tell all their friends so that the Gringos will stop coming here. Ahhh just think....less Gringos screaming and smoking cigars at the DR. Clearly this gentleman never got to encounter the REAL BEAUTY of CR which often times is indoors instead of outdoors.

I can't speak on any immigration raid at the MB in Jaco, but something like that certainly could have happened.

As for the article as a whole, it sounds like a bunch of sour grapes to me and an ethnocentric guy who just doesn't understand that things don't always run so well in developing countries. Hell, as we've seen with Karina, they don't even always work that well in the US. Cut them some slack. OTOH, if he really wants to bitch about things, I say go ahead. I hope he tells everyone he knows back at home and talks to the local media. There are already too many tourists and would-be retirees coming down to CR as it is.Obviously, he hasn't been to any other Central American country.

And his comments about the road from La Parrita to Quepos. I've driven that road many times and it is definitely a smooth ribbon compared to what it used to be like. I actually think that road now is pretty good, at least as good as many roads I've driven on in the US. Recently that road may have taken a dramatic turn for the worse due to local flooding related to Hurricane Stan. One reason I think they have so many problems with pot holes on paved roads in CR is because they use cheap asphalt. It seems a false economy as they have to send crews out to patch the inevitable potholes that develop rather than spending a little more up front and doing the job right.

Is he (Adamson) serious? What an idiot!

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"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Prolijo,
I had the same reaction. Dude has not been in other Central American countries.

Regarding the asphalt, for me that represents political short-term thinking. By going with asphalt, the gov in power can pave more kilometers than with cement...making it look like the government is doing something, even though in the long run it's more expensive. Of course by the time the asphalt road goes to waste it becomes another's administration's problem. Political short-sightedness is a common symptom of the ill plaguing CR.
Had not heard of immigration raids in which they take gringos. They are usually looking for dominican, colombian or nicaraguans working illegally in Jaco.

Pro;
I, too agree with your comments - If he thinks it bad here, try going to Nicaragua and dealing with crooked officials. Also, the problem with the roads were well documented after the hurricane damage. Should have never gone in the first place.
LVSteve

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Just an old horney, fat gambler.

Monopolies??? How about that firm up in Redmond Washington (Microsoft) that was a monopoly for many years (and still is to a certain extent)? Micro$oft sucks!

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"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Thanks

I was fully cognizant that the remarks came from Mark Adamson and not Playtime, and as such, my response was directed at Adamson, not Playtime. I'm sorry if anyone thought otherwise. I have edited my original post to alleviate any ambiguities.

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"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

YO to Sir Markus:

I get the feeling that this arrogant, whinning tenderfoot has hardly, if ever, visited a country south of the border. Yea I've got problems with the roads and infastructure in CR but as one who has traveled alot of this world.....I have to laugh at this character. I hope his mommie will go with him next time and change his lace underware. Yup, we are raising some tough gringos these days.

There was no date mentioned that I saw of when this occured but if recently, I would think the storms in the last month that cause mudslides had a lot to do with the conditions.....of course they DO NOT have mudlides , falling rocks, earthquakes and forest fires in California. Yea, V-Bob......I hope these jerks will stay away. Hmmmm, wish I could contact El Miserable Markus. He might want to make me an offer on my delapicated double wide here next to the dump in the Pits of Jax.

Come here Shitass.....my toe needs sucking.....life is good.

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Damn if I'm going to repeat this shit again. I need a drink.
I've been drinking vodka every day for 45 years and I have certainly never found it to be habit forming.

My guess is that his expectations were way too high. He probably thought it was going to be like Hawaii. I'm not going to fault him for that one. He should have done more research before making a trip south. I also agree the roads suck all over CR. However, I think that the un-developed and even "dumpy" nature of CR adds to its charm. I love that Jaco still has dirt roads and natural beaches that don't have white sand shipped-in. I love that you can walk down the street with an open beer. I find the whole climate to be refreshing because its a stark contrast to my life in a big US City. My biggest nightmare is that Jaco and the surrounding areas become over-run with rich Americans and that it gradually starts to feel like Cancun.

I would tend to agree that this guys expectations were either hyped up by a few brochures or videos that don't really show the entire picture of Costa Rica. I for one enjoy Jaco very much despite the crappy beach. After a few days in SJO I am ready to sleep by a pool and dress in shorts, sandals and t shirts.

I suppose this is a great case of to each his own. I could write that same letter about Cancun and Ixtapa in regard to the commercialization. high prices, snooty attitude of service workers etc.

I guess that's what makes life so great, we all have choices in regard to where we want to be, go and spend our time. Like VB said, hope he spreads the word!

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These girls are all virgins once you get past the used part.

OK… Mr. Adamson needs to get a grip with reality…

He must be a Caucasian in a well-to-do part of Los Angeles, with no experience of being hassled at the random stops that the Los Angeles police conduct outside of some of the area nightspots under the excuse of checking for drunk drivers. The LA police are notorious for widespread profiling, and good luck if you are Hispanic or Afro-American… Ok so they don’t ask for $50, they just question your reason for being in that part of town or make you prove that you’re a citizen if you’re Hispanic.

I’m a middle aged Caucasian from out of town and have experienced this more than once…

Oh, by the way, Mr. Adamson hasn’t driven to Yosemite in the spring lately or he would not mention the pot holes…ouch. For the money we pay in auto registration and taxes, Cal-Trans are a disgrace.

Obviously the realities of CR did not meet the expectations that his travel agent painted for him. Good…