Importing Chivo – Part Two: San Jose Fun!

Importing a car into Costa Rica is a daunting, complex, drawn-out process. So when we finally figured out everything we needed to do, we set a date to bring our dear Chivo to San José, to drop him off at the import warehouse. San José is about a 4 or 5-hour drive from where we live and we love fun, so we decided to make a mini-vacation out of the trip!

After dropping Bosco off with his new friends Pixie and Foxy (and their hooman parents Kim and Gene), we hit the road. We decided to take a small detour and head to Punta Arenas for lunch. 

PUNTA ARENAS

Punta Arenas is a small peninsula in the Gulf of Nicoya. It’s pretty cool – it is just this piece of land that juts out into the gulf for about a mile, and is about 5 or 6 blocks wide. If it weren’t for the buildings in the middle, you could see the waters on both sides. There is a ferry there that shuttles cars and people from Costa Rica’s mainland to the Nicoya Peninsula, which is where we live.

The drive to Punta Arenas was lovely and so easy! Four-lane highways?! We haven’t seen those since Arizona! The day was a bit overcast, but not raining, so the green of the trees all around us seemed to pop against the sky. A short two and half hours later, and we were driving onto the peninsula.

We drove all the way to the end of the peninsula and popped out for a quick look around. It was gorgeous! You could see several islands in the distance, and all the way to the Nicoya. There was a lighthouse at the end, small walkways out to the ocean, and lots of people hanging out at the beach.

We then drove a few blocks back towards the mainland and stopped for lunch at a lovely place called Casa Almendro. It looked like someone’s house that was turned into a restaurant. The giant front porch had a couple of open tables and faced the beach, so of course that’s where we sat! As we waited for our food, we watched a small local man climb up a palm tree to retrieve coconuts. No harness, no rope (except the one he brought up with him to tie coconuts together), just decades of skills and practice. It was impressive and terrifying to watch!

For lunch, Nikk had a delicious pescado diablo – fish in a spicy sauce – and I had a trio of ceviches. Both were fresh and flavorful!

ARRIVING IN SAN JOSE

With full bellies, we set off to make the remainder of the drive to San José. On the way out of Punta Arenas we saw a port where tons of cargo ships were docked and semi-trucks were waiting to be loaded. It’s neat to see commerce in action! The rest of the drive was a beautiful combination of mountains and forests. This country’s diverse landscapes are truly incredible! The pictures below don’t even do it justice!

For our overnight stay, we booked a hotel in Alujela, a suburb outside of San José that was close to the customs warehouse. The Marriott San José was incredible! Beautiful, open grounds, stunning indoor spaces, and tremendous customer service. After winning a free ice cream (thanks to Nikk’s Bonvoy status!), we headed up to our room. What an awe-inspiring view!

NEW BREWERY THURSDAY

We relaxed in our room for a little while and then did what the Boltz’s do – headed to the bar! One of the many restaurants in the hotel touted a craft beer selection, so that’s where we went. We had a couple of cold ones and some free popcorn! I love any bar that gives out free snacks.

After the hotel bar, we called an Uber (yay big cities!) to go to a brewery we found nearby. Soberanos was amazing! It was so tucked away in a shopping center that we almost couldn’t find it. They had a selection of beers that they brewed, as well as other Costa Rican craft beers. The most exciting part, though, was the food! OMG – they had aaaaaaaamazing Asian fusion. We started with some shrimp wontons and then we each had a different noodle dish. It was all incredible! If you ever find yourself in San José, I encourage you to find your way to Soberanos!

With full bellies yet again, we set off to another brewery. This one was a little further away – about 30 minutes – but the Uber was only about $5 and it was fun to see more of the city. There are so many American chain restaurants and stores: Chili’s, Outback Steakhouse, Ashley Furniture, etc. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but it was glaringly noticeable, especially since we’ve now been out of the US for a few months. 

As we pulled into the area where the map was directing us, it felt a little sketchy. It was a warehouse-y area with very little lighting. The brewery was nowhere to be found and we were growing increasingly more uncomfortable. Luckily our Uber driver was kind and didn’t drop us off and leave us. We asked him to take us to another brewery and he did. We wound up at Costa Rica’s Craft Brewing Co. It was a ghost town inside, but they were open so we ordered a couple of brews. Pretty good!

By this time, we were pretty exhausted from the day, so we hopped in another Uber and went back to the hotel. All in all, it was a delightful night out on the town! 

The next day we would meet our Customs Agent, Nester, and start the formal process of importing Chivo. Tune in next week for Part Three of this adventure!