"Himmy"

To start off our Costa Rica trip, I must tell you about our good friend "Himmy." It's really Jimmy in English, but everyone called him Himmy and we thought that was very fitting. Especially if you say it with spanish flair (Him-mei) and excitement in your voice. We met Himmy within the first few hours of arriving in San Jose and we were so grateful to have him there throughout our entire trip. We went everywhere with Himmy and he was so fun to have with us! At the very beginning, we had some difficulties adjusting to Himmy and had to practice spending time with him. The first time we got out on the open road with Himmy, he caused us some problems and then people starting honking and yelling at him....poor Himmy. All the while, Colby and I were cracking up at Himmy and his complexities, as he is clearly a local "Tico" and not American. I think our favorite moments with Himmy were when we were driving from Arenal to Monteverde and never got out of 2nd gear because of the dirt and rocky road, so I had to buy Dramamine to prevent upsetting Himmy.
And then toward the end our our trip we met some American friends when we were trying to get back to the airport and they needed a ride back to San Jose...why the heck not? Himmy didn't mind, plus they helped pay for gas as our budget the last day became close with a choice of food vs. gas, hehe. So on the way back several routes were closed, don't you just love foreign countries? So then, we asked the construction foreman where we should go and Himmy just took us right through the caterpillars and workmen..hmm- ever tried that in the states?

Well, after no further introduction, you must meet Himmy!!! Isn't he cute? He's a little Suzuki and cracked us up b/c he was tiny, was a standard, and everyone and their dog have friends named Himmy so it was often hard for us to find ours! :)

Colby getting the low down on how to operate Himmy with the car rental guy thoroughly amused. Yes C can drive a standard, but try driving a standard in a foreign country with no street signs, (I mean none!) and with people everywhere, motorcycles, cows, etc. And everything is inclined, so of course you have the obligatory "roll back" when getting into first. No biggie, right? Well, it is when the person behind you is like 2 inches from your bumper and riding you the entire time. Makes you a little nervous, especially when you have to return Himmy safe and sound to get your deposit back!

We saw all kind of sights with Himmy and it really was the best part of our vacation, just our days on the road driving to the next place and stopping to find adventures all along the way. We wer at leisure to do as we pleased with our time, so that was great because often times the driving that should take an hour was tripled b/c of road conditions, bridges, etc. or just plain getting lost! We had our handy dandy map and the car rental place said, "We hightly suggest renting a GPS"...what? not in the budget, and no fun! Well, I can think of more than a few times that it would have come in handy, but our little map and sense of adventure was good enough, and believe it or not- we didn't argue once about where we were going..ha! :)

First wrong turn..oops, sorry Colb!

Oh, but that wrong turn road goes further along than you think...but a rather beautiful wrong turn, don't ya think? God has a way of always surprising you!

Colby + Himmy = bffOh you know, just some cows in the middle of the road, while it was raining

A busy San Jose street out the back window of HimmyA walking only street in San Jose, b/c it's not enough for there to be crazy one way streets all over the place only to find once you get to the street that you're looking for that you can't drive on it!My favorite view out of Himmy...the hydrangeas! Can you tell, they grew like bushes everywhere and were beautiful!!! I wish they grew like that in Texas!

From Arenal to Monteverde....the cloud forest-can you see why? We were literally in the clouds the entire few days there!

More to come! :) I start school next week, so I better hurry!