Today I want to chat for a second about safety. Always a boring subject, I know. But it’s important. I
have to say that it’s very easy to forget about the reality of certain situations here in Costa Rica at times, being that much of the country is “modernized.” That is to say that we’re not all living in the jungle.

As much as many people don’t want to hear it, there is a certain level of personal responsibility required to maneuver through vacationing – or living here.

For instance,  three students and a teacher from La Bette County High School in Altamont, Kansas were killed here last Saturday when the ocean overpowered them. The teacher had jumped in to try to save the struggling students, and then he, too, ended up dead. I’m not sure what the exact statistics are for the number of drownings per year, but the numbers are high. For the most part, Costa Rica has no lifeguards. What we do have, however, are powerful, sneaky waves. Don’t go swimming alone and don’t go in the water at all if the waves are rough. It’s just common sense.

Another example are snakes and other dangerous animals (spiders, scorpions, etc.). They do exist here. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’ve seen much less of them here than I even did in Palm Springs, California. But they do exist. And the closer you get to tropical and remote areas of the country, the more likely you’ll have a run-in with some of them.

Again, just be careful. Watch where you are walking. Don’t put your fingers into or under things that have been lying on the ground without looking first. That also goes for your shoes. Check under the sheets before getting into bed. These are all simple things that can potentially prevent you from making your vacation or time here less fun.

The last thing I would want to do is to scare anyone away from wanting to come to Costa Rica. But I really encourage a sense of awareness about your surroundings.