Trouble in Puerto Viejo Paradise

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Posted by Souley 959 days ago (http://www.nydailynews.com)

College friends Emily Howell and Emily Eagen - "The Emilys," they called themselves - felt they had found Eden in Costa Rica. The young women had become pals at Antioch College in Ohio. When Howell ventured to Costa Rica for a semester abroad in 2000, Eagen paid a visit. The country is "better than anywhere," Eagen enthused to her family back in the Midwest. "I have found paradise."

One weekend during Eagen's visit, they rented an SUV and drove to a cabin near the beach in the tourist town of Puerto Viejo, a surfing and nightclub hot spot south of Limon. The Emilys must have felt no particular need to worry about safety. For decades, Costa Rica had been regarded by travelers as the safest Central American nation.

But that reputation was beginning to fray by 2000, especially in coastal towns like Limon. Stickups and carjackings of vacationers were increasing, although the authorities were not anxious to publicize such crimes since tourism is a pillar of the Costa Rican economy. On Sunday evening, March 12, the woman left their cabin to visit the beach bars. They left a club at about 10 p.m. and were seen driving off, presumably toward their cabin. But they didn't make it home - or to age 20. ...

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