Author: Brandon Dane

Hear No Evil – Costa Rica


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I was sitting in my room in San Pedro minding my own business when a buddy of mine calls me to tell me that there has been ANOTHER American girl found dead in Costa Rica. I held my tongue about the first two, but now I have to say something.


First, the death of any person under circumstances of duress is tragic. But, second, the common thread between the two girls murdered near Cahuita a little over a year ago and this girl that was found dead on May 13 2001, in Golfito, is that their stories are surrounded by statements such as, “she was seen leaving a bar with a local guy” or “they left Cahuita with two guys they picked up in town.”


The leading English language newspaper in Central America is The Tico Times, published in San Jose. They recently published an article about an American (over 40 years old, not a kid) who got robbed. Do you know what he was doing? He was smoking dope and drinking beer in the back of his van with some questionable young women. Also, an American woman wrote to the editor that she had been sexually molested in Montezuma by a man that she rode away with on a motorcycle.


McFly, think, McFly.


You need to be careful and not do stupid things when you are down here, or at least be willing to accept the consequences when you do. The things that happened to these people were wrong, very wrong, but they most likely could have been prevented if these people had exercised some common sense. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be the first to stand up and admit that I like to get drunk and carouse and start running my mouth in bars, so far be it from me to pass judgment. All that I am saying is that I know the rules here – but most visiting Gringos don’t. Also, most gringos don’t think that there ARE any rules for them when they are down here vacationing. But there are. Remember that.


Kids, don’t believe the myths of Costa Rica being the land of Pura Vida. It ain’t true. There are bad people everywhere. The majority of Costa Ricans are genuine, salt-of-the-earth people (as I have said), but not all of them. This place is gorgeous and I encourage anybody to come visit and to sample everything on the plate – but just be smart about it, okay?