San Vito

Jessica and I went to Costa Rica for a few days at the end of January to get away for a bit. Instead of the usual border crossing of Paso Canoas, we went through Volcan to Rio Sireno. We dropped a vehicle off at the mechanic in David, I picked up my new license plate from someone I paid to be a runner to Panama City for me, and drove to the border town. The drive was beautiful, but winding and steep (not recommended for those who are prone to motion sickness). We passed an electric wire maintenance truck flipped over on its side about to go over the edge into a canyon. The border town is super small, and we had a bit of trouble figuring out where to check out of Panama and into CR. After asking around, we waited in a line of three people, walked into CR, and waited in a line of one person...soooo easy! Costa Rica and Panama both wanted photo copies of our passports for their records which we came prepared with. I flagged a taxi who waited for us and drove us to the town of San Vito. More info on the town: http://www.yourtravelmap.com/costarica/sanvito/ The town was very quaint, and hilly. We had prior knowledge of the approximate location of a cheap motel to stay at, but we ended up at a different one instead. The cost was $38 for two nights with a TV, garage with garage door, private bathroom, and two beds (no A/C, it's not needed due to the high elevation). We settled into the room and I went out to find some food. I found a really cool Italian restaurant and picked up a pizza to go...it was outstanding!


We came prepared with an arsenal of munchies and wine, expensive items in CR.


Jessica enjoys "COPS" in Spanish after loading up on sugar in our room.


This is the local Supermarket...to the North American eye, the name can be misleading.


This little trip was all about relaxing. We spent lots of time watching cheesy television (a novelty when you don't have normal access to it), eating junk food, drinking wine/beer, and a little walking around. We went back to the same Italian restaurant the next day for lasagna and pizza because it was so good the first time.
I started getting cabin fever so I took some photos of the town and found some real doughnuts which are almost impossible to find!

Behave.


Cafe con leche for me!


Bavaria for me!


Hey, are you loading up on parm for the leftovers again? Of course!


Interior of restaurant.


Exterior of our motel, complete with operational garage door!


Yep, Cruz Roja is here too.


Misc. pics of town:









Returning to Panama was just about as easy, but Panama wanted proof of onward travel...I pulled out my shiny new license plate, and the guard accepted that as proof I had the means to leave the country. Jessica asked the border guard if that was the first time someone presented a license plate to satisfy entry requirements. He smiled, laughed, and said "Si!"

We ran into a detour in Panama (because of the overturned electrical truck) and took the scenic route home after picking up the vehicle that was left in David for maintenance. Fun trip!