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This is a new thread of Central America warnings. It is to be used for Central America specific warnings only. Warnings include instances of robbery in a certain part of a city, bad hostel experiences, etc. As a content-rich thread, we do not want any back-and-forth or questions. Please direct all questions via Private Messages (Click on "Go" in the left hand corner, select "My Space" and then "Private Messages") to the poster. You can also issue a PM by clicker on the poster's name and selecting "Private Message". Any post that does not contribute relevant information will be deleted. Examples include: responses to previous posts in the thread and questions. The information can be on any city, region or country in Central America. When reading these experiences, please remember that there are two sides to every story and warnings should be issued sparingly.

Since no one else has touched this, and I have a few days of break before summer plans get started, I thought I'd offer a few warnings regarding Costa Rica.

Let me start by saying that overall, Costa Rica is incredibly safe. Especially outside of San Jose, you have very little to worry about as long as you keep aware. That said--

-Especially when in San Jose, please please please make sure you use a verified taxi. In San Jose, these are red with a yellow triangle on the side of the door. I know one person who had a harrowing taxi experience his first day down there (got driven somewhere other than he requested, and then robbed at knife point). Even if it does look reputable, use your instincts. Even though they appeared to be real, I turned down several taxis in San Jose because it just didn't feel right to me. It's a bit overly precautionary perhaps, but it's always better to trust your gut.

-Again, with taxis, agree on the price before getting into the car. In Monteverde and San Jose, drivers would occasionally make up ridiculous prices or insist that their meter was broken. Learn how to talk about prices/taxis in Spanish before you go. Agree on the price or make sure they will use their meter (maria in Costa Rica).

-This is common knowledge, but for heavens sake, watch your bags/purse, especially on city buses. I know several people that got things stolen. About two weeks in, I started to keep money in my bra when I went out, and felt much safer with my money.

-Again, in San Jose, just be careful. I studied at a wonderful school and had a homestay in San Pedro. I had no problems there, and was very thankful to live in that neighborhood. Several of my peers lived in other, "reputable" neighborhoods, but about five guys I know got mugged at knifepoint very close to their homes. Most occured when we'd go out as a group, and the guy would walk a girl home and then start to walk home on his own. The best advice is to just comply and try to remain calm. While a mugging is never funny, one of my friends got mugged (for about $4 USD), and when the mugger told him to go home, my friend told him he gave him all of the bus money, so the mugger actually gave my friend money for the bus.

-Finally, in Jaco we stayed in seemingly nice cabinas on a street that goes down to the beach. The name of the cabinas actually changed day to day on the white board outside (i'm not kidding), so I don't know how to advise against it really. It was blue-green though, and very close to the reputable Hotel Posideon. It was raining and dark when we arrived, and a guy offered us a room there. We looked at it and thought it was great, so we stayed. It turned sour, however, when one of the workers would run aroudn drunk 24/7, looked at my friend changing through our window, said inappropriate things to my friends and I, and then tried to overcharge us. It was a nightmare.

-Be careful in Puerto Viejo. A disproportionate number of drunk and high people come out in the evenings, and one manhandled my friend, and one screamed obscenities at me when I wouldn't dance with him. Just be careful there.

That's about it. As you can see, outside of San Jose, everything is pretty safe. Just keep aware, as you would in any other country.

Also, in Costa Rica, be careful when driving. As per the previous post, CR is, for the most part, a friendly and safe country. One common thing is for someone to stop to "offer help" if you have a flat tire. Don't accept. When the trunk is open to get the spare, tourists have lost all their luggage to these helpful natives. If you have to stop, try to do so in sight of other buildings or people.

On a Guatemalan or other bus, someone might offer to help you put your luggage overhead. Someone did that for me and, unlike anyone else's luggage there, I could not see anything hanging down. Later and nearby, he had some trouble getting what appeared to be his luggage out, and I didn't pay attention, but his problem was in pulling my bag into another that he could walk out with it.

My advice is to lock down your pack any time you might either nap or not pay attention on a bus. A cable lock and locked compartments of the bag are great for this.

Just heard from a friend in La Paz. It is very hairy down there: water is short, there is no food, no gas, small riots. The US Embassy is now discouraging travel to Bolivia.

Well, thank heavens, Bolivia is not in Central America!

Whoops....wrong place. Mea culpa.....

i just got off the bus from antigua a few hours ago. two nights ago three ppl where shot and killed out side of a really popular bar next to the center square. its a place where lots of gringos hang out.
antigua is an amazing place but just to let you know there is still viloence there.

What time was it. Were they last out, or was it before 11 pm?
bar shootings. Wow. Still, better there than Guat City!!!

As to violence in Central/South America:

Everyone who is a resident of the United States should remember that we live in the most violent country of all. Since Missouri passed a concealed carry law, the murder rates in Kansas City have soared - to over 70 so far this year.

But I should add that I've lived here for over 30 years and have never witnessed a public act of violence. Of course, thats because I don't go to dumb places.

On a drive thru CA back in '94, I had lots of warnings from friends re violence. I never had a hint of it (other than an attempted pickpocketing in San Jose) because I never went to dumb places.

On the trip down CA-1, I left at dawn each day and packed it in well before dark. I usually began looking for lodging by 4 PM. I perferred staying in small towns - near the square if possible.

As to the larger cities - Guat City, San Salvador, SJ, Panama City - if I wanted to go somewhere in the evening, I never drove my own car. And I usually went to advertised or recommended places - much as one would do here in the States.

Regards,

Bill Emerson

in CR right now and the warning is that to be careful on the south pacific coast, there is mass flooding and people are being evacuated by helicopter.

I lived in Guatemala for 2 years as a Peace Corps volunteer. I didn't get robbed or attacked once, but other people did that I knew. One time before christmas I caught someone trying to unzip my bag on the camioneta (chicken bus), but I stopped him and he fled the bus. I suppose that counts! It is peace corps policy that women not walk to villages alone, and there are good reasons for that. However, people are really willing to help women in general.

The most dangerous places are the bus terminals, which unfortunately you will encounter if you go on the busses. If you keep an eye on your bag and do what everyone else does, you will most likely be fine. Zone 1 in Guatemala city should be avoided after dark. The Pacific Guatemalan beach (which isn't that nice to begin with really) is one of the more dangerous spots also. If I think of some more specific examples I'll post it!

heres a hint for the bus terminals in Guatemala City. Take a cab directly to the bus station you need, even if its 'only' 8 blocks to get there. Taxi drivers know how to get to any given bus station, and which stations take you to which place. Its all a maze anyways, so you're better off taking that cab.

I was walking with some friends on the way to taking a cab, and I saw a guatemalan man walking along the street. Next thing you know a youth ran into the man, took his wallet,and ran off. This happened in broad daylight.

In Zone 1, don't go out after dark, and especially to small bars. Bad things can happen to tourists there. Best off sleeping in Antiqua in any case.

I agree Tortuga. If you are looking for cabs on a budget, the metered ones are much much more expensive. Always get the price and bargain with the cab driver before you touch the door handle.

Ya just stay in Antigua, get out of guatemala city. It's worth the money to get a cab to Antigua if it's too late.

This is not just a warning, but information as well.
If you stay in Guatemala City, choose one of the many hotels in Zona 10. The Biltmore is about $62 US per night and a 5 star hotel. From there they go up to over a hundred.
During major holdiays (the biggest being Semana Santa), be cautious of pick pockets and faulty ATMs.
This includes all areas, especially Antigua and Chichicastanengo, due to their many tourists during the holidays.
Anywhere in Central America look at the ATMs before using them. If the card slot looks damaged or has tape or any other substance on it, don't use it. If your card, for some reason, gets trapped in the machine, and a 'nice local' (no matter how he/she is dressed) offers to call the bank and gives you a 'code' to use + your pin # to retrieve your card...dont do it. Just leave the card and immediately call your card issuer or bank and suspend it until you can have the ATMs bank get your card back out of the machine. There have also been reports of this around the globe. I am just speaking of my local experience.
Nice little money belts under your clothes are a good investment during the holidays.
Although these things happen more frequently even in the US, being in a foreign country can throw your guard off.
And you don't want a mishap to ruin your adventure.
Enjoy Guatemala!
Bien viaje,
Christal

Last year my brother and his friend were on a bus in Guatemala. The friend had a canvas bookbag that he set on the floor next to his feet. A person sitting behind him reached under the seat with a small razor, cut a slit in the bookbag, and removed his wallet. My brother's friend didn't know about it until several minutes after he got off the bus. Moral of the story: carry your bag in your lap or at least right next to you.

Also keep your daypack with any valuables on your frontside because they'll do that when you are walking too.

I spent three days in Zone 10 in Guate recently without spending a whole lot of money. Xamanek Hostelis so great. I am not all that fond of hostels, but this is a friendly and well located place to stay in the Zona Viva.

I walked to two museums,and rode the bus downtown for the Mercado Central from there. It has free DSL and a kitchen, and there is an inexpensive regular restaurant about two blocks away, but just one block as the crow flies if you are standing in front of the hostel and looking across the street. It's no big deal to make a beer or wine run at night. Just walk down to the corner convenience store.

It is also so close to the airport that a metered cab charges the minimum 25 Q to get to the airport.

Ok, I have to add my Guate experience to this list. I wrote up a piece a while back on how my bag was swiped off a bus – from the rack directly over my seat! - by a really sophisticated few guys. Here's an even scarier one that happened on the bus from Antigua to Guate.

I was carrying my passport wallet around my neck, under my shirt, suspended by a length of nylon para cord, and sitting (with bag in my lap) on an aisle seat. Well, these buses get pretty crowded, epically as they get closer to the city, and I was pretty well squashed between the folks standing in the aisle and my seat mate.

Anyway, no real problem, but about half an hour later as I was in line at the airport, I discovered that the cord holding my wallet had been cut! This meant that someone had reached over with a sharp blade – right against my neck! - and cut the cord. Equally disturbing is that the folks standing and sitting behind me had to see this. And did nothing to warn me.

I guess I got off the bus before the thief had a chance to try and pull the wallet free. Dumb luck on my part.

My advice: if you must take that bus, only board if you can get a window seat and be aware of this particular robbery technique.

We have been on the road for 8 months now, all through Mexico and Central America.

I busted a pick pocket with his hand in my pocket on the Metro in Mexico City. It happened during rush hour, and a mob of people were really crushing up against me, red flags went flying. Caught the guy "red handed". Sold him out right there on the train, he retreated quickly and played dumb. Not a single person on the packed train even blinked, or cared.

The point of this post is this.

If someone is touching you, or close to you, watch your back. Take inventory of your surroundings.

Nobody is your friend on the bus, or at the bus station. Make friends elsewhere.

Good luck out there.