www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Guys,
In my previous trips I mostly stayed at Castillo/Dunn Inn etc. and taking a cab late at night from Del Rey to the hotel was a no brainer. Decided to try Presidente for a change. Given how close Presidente is to Del Rey, is it safe to walk that block to the hotel late at night (past midnight). Not sure how practical it is to get a cab for that 100 yard drive I don't mind the cost but hate to rob a cab driver from a higher fare... Appreciate any insight from folks who have walked that part of town late at night.
Thx
SP1

do a search ....there was just a post on this exact same subject

I used to stay in the Presidente, what I used to do is flag a cab, never one on those shysters that hang around outside, as soon as you get in give the driver 1,000 colons and tell him "Presidente" or "Del Rey" I always have to correct change so there is no hastle over changing a bill. Remember, as a manager in the Del Rey once told me: There are an average of 6 crimes committed within 400 feet of the Del Rey every night. Be careful

Could not agree more with this advice. Do not walk down the hill at night. I did and regretted it for the rest of my trip. I've been told the "ladrones" are now texting each other to tell their accomplices when a gringo is walking solo away from the DR. Always be alert and carry pepper spray. Last trip I was walking with a wingman, at night, between Chubbs and the DR and I have no doubt to Trannies were setting us up for a robbery. Both of us had our pepper spray in our hands and I ensured my "yellow can" was clearly visible. You cannot be to careful. Times are desperate. I always do the 1,000 colone thing. Doesn't matter DR to SL or anywhere close. The drivers appreciate the little extra.

In June 2006 a guy walks out of the Del Rey with a Tica, they leave and turn to the left, proceed about half way down the block when two ticos tried to rob him. The guy would't give up his watch so a Tico wacks him with a machette cutting off his hand from the web between his thumb and index finger to the outside wrist bone. I don't know what become of the guy or if they reattached his hand but apparently he was saving money on a taxi fare......Crude comment? You decide.

Roy- thanks- that is good advice and easy to follow. As for flagging the cab- I have always walked the Avenida central- so not sure where to flag those guys since there is no traffic allowed there?

When you exit the Presidente go left, right there on the corner a cab will pick you up in no time, one other thing, if the cab doesn't look right, don't get in it. Say if it has blacked out windows, any color but red, just trust your instincts.

I have walked many a times after midnight from the Presidente to the Del Rey. I feel safer walking that getting in some of those cabs. In going down the hill I am walking very fast with my head on a swival. However this was from 2001 to 2005. Don't stay there anymore

Another thing--you are not doing the taxista any disservice. There's always folks looking for a cab in the DR, and as the wiser Brothers have said, when leaving the Pink Palace, always look for one discharging a passenger rather than one at the curb.

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

I often walk from the Presidente to DR around 10:00 pm, but I stay very alert. On the way back I always wave a 1,000 c bill to a cab driver and ask, "Presidente?" They always agree and away we go. Walking back after drinking is like passing a pack of lions on the hunt.

my biggest problem with that walk has been the police, not the hoods. Twice, police stopped me, searched me, asked a few question & checked my papers. Was let go both times but once 1 of the cops accidentally dropped some of my money on the ground hoping I wouldn't notice.

_________________
"cuz I'm a back-door man" Jim Morrison-1969

Yep, we were shook down just outside of Chubb's by the cops last trip just after the sun set...not the best experience. Luckily I didn't have too much $$ on me at the time.

Not worth it anymore. I've had wingmen stopped by police and also the local beggars have followed me the entire way from DR to Presidente. The entire time i was telling them "No Cambio"

I think the real question is why would you stay at the Presidente instead of your regular places – Castillo and Dunn Inn?

That may have worked when the crooks were following you after you walked out the doors of the HDR, but now that they've become more sophisticated in their methods and text ahead to their cohorts waiting at the bottom of the hill that would only mean you're walking faster into the arms of your would be attackers

That sounds like an urban legend to me. Do you know this for a fact? I had heard about a guy who was mugged by guys with machetes and that they even took a slash at him as he resisted (or fled, not sure about that part of the story). But the version I heard was that he escaped any serious injury because it was a glancing blow, he had on some sort of jacket that muffled the impact and I guess the blade must have been dull. HOWEVER, even IF your version of the story were true, its not like there has been a rash of crude amputations or that events like that are very common cuz I don't recall hearing of any similar incident since then.

Also consider the supposed facts of your story. If he was with a tica then a) he was with someone who probably could not have run so easily (particularly given what many chicas wear as footwear when going to the HDR), b) they were probably walking much more slowly than if he was doing it on his own or with wingmen and c) he was probably at least splitting his attention between her and what was going on in the street when he should have been completely focused on the street (e.g. head on a swivel as another poster mentioned). Also, once he allowed himself to get within slashing range of a guy armed with a machete, why was he even foolish enough to resist? I'm guessing, if he was coming from the BM and he did what he did, he must have been partially or very inebriated to have done anything so foolish. Or, if he was mainly sober, he must have been carrying much more money (or too valuable a watch) than he should have out on the street at that time of night if he felt compelled to defend it at such great risk? Unless he was gambling at the casino and had a lot of winnings (in which case he should DEFINITELY have taken a cab), there was no reason for him to have more than just leftover beer money and cabfare (i.e. no more than $10-20). Since he was heading back to his room with a chica, there was absolutely no reason to have his session money on him, since that should have been left in his roomsafe and taken out only when it became time to pay her to leave. If it was just about the watch then why would he wear such an expensive watch out on the street in a noted high crime area? IT should have gone either into his pocket where it would be less visible or, better yet, left back at home or in his room in lieu of something serviceable but cheap or no watch at all. My guess, if this event happened as you said, is that it was some combination of having had too much to drink AND carrying too much in valuables, or else it was just plain stupidity.

My point is that in practically all of these cases there have been plenty of contributing factors. That certainly doesn't mean that one won't EVER become a victim of crime short of taking cabs everywhere you go at night, but it does mean you can seriously cut down your odds of being the one who is hit or the consequences if you are hit. If there are 7 guys walking away from the HDR in the course of the night and 6 of them are stumbling drunk, escorting a chica in high heels, or sporting a gold watch and/or a wallet bulge in their back pocket (as many of them often are) and the 7th one is walking briskly and alertly making it harder for anyone to sneak up on him or even walking it with wingmen, who do you think are more likely to be the 6 victims? And if 5 of those guys simply give up their cash and the 6th guy resists, who do you think is most likely going to be the only victim that is seriously injured? If there are on average "only" 6 crimes per night in that area, then there have to be some number of guys who somehow manage to make the walk relatively unscathed.

I DON'T mean to suggest that attempting to do this is without risk. All I'm saying is that stories like the one above suggest that walking in that area at the time means serious risk to life and limb, which I think is REALLY unlikely and grossly overstates the case. I think, if one does decide to chance walking that route at night but at least practices some other precautions, it is much more likely that at worst they'll suffer being out $10-20, maybe a bump on the head or a bruise from being pushed down on the street and, of course, being unnerved by the event ... IF they wind up getting hit at all. Of course, I wouldn't want even those things to happen to anybody, but they're clearly not nearly as bad as what allegedly happened to the guy in the above story. On the plus side, at least you'll have a good battle tale to share with your friends as you're having a drink back at the bar to steady your nerves.

In short:
1) if you have any items (cash, jewelry, etc.) that are so valuable to you that you wouldn't be prepared to readily give it up to spare yourself possibly being shot, stabbed or slashed, then definitely take a cab
2) if you've been drinking, as most of us usually have by that point in the night, and are drunk or even just buzzed to the point that you're not as clearheaded as you need to be to be alert to any approaching danger, then take a cab.
3) if you're with a chica, particularly one in high heels, unless you're prepared to look like a complete cheapskate (or cad in the event that you have to run and ditch her), then take a cab
4) if you're seriously overweight (as many of you really are) or out of shape and are not able to run yourself if that were to become necessary (to prevent getting within slashing range in the 1st place), then take a cab.
5) if its raining out, which is not uncommon at certain times of the year in CR, then that certainly helps tip the scales even more towards springing the lousy buck for a cab even for short distances like the one in question when added on top of the security concerns.
6) if you don't have a wingman, who is also reasonably sober and able to fend for himself, to help watch your back (and make you both appear as more daunting targets) then I won't say you absolutely need to take a cab, but I will say you at least need to give some very serious thought to it, even for such a short distance, given the number of crimes that occur in that area.
7) And, as others have said, don't use the taxis at the curb in front of the HDR, which are there to rip off gringos with inflated fares, and don't use a pirate taxi (non-red without the triangle insignia and number on the door) unless possibly its one you know and deal with regularly. The official red taxis pass by that corner all night long and if you can't get their attention and flag them down from the door of the HDR, you can easily get them when they stop for traffic.

That all adds up for most of us most of the time to spring for a cab that late at night and this is coming from a guy who usually falls in on the side of taking his chances walking the streets.

BTW, call me a cheapskate if you will, but I don't think the usual meter fare for such a short ride (510 colones or ~$1 for the 1st km) is such a bad deal for the cabbie since the ride takes less than a minute and he can be right back to the exact same position he was before he picked you up a minute after that. Heck, theoretically, if he did that all night long he'd be making over $30/hr which is damn good in CR. The cabbies probably even prefer those short fares over ones that go further and take longer before the meter amount starts going up. While we're not talking about a huge amount either way, I don't see why one would feel compelled to tip those guys nearly 100% for doing something that they're probably perfectly happy to do anyway. If those cabs were hard to get, it might be a different matter, but they're not. By that point in the day, I always have at least 1 500c coin and/or several 100c ones and I think just handing the guy a couple of coins and letting him keep the smaller change is more than adequate. As it stands now, with all you guys paying 1K colones for a 500 colone ride, the cabbies are probably EXTREMELY happy that crime is as bad as it is in the gulch.