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Published: December 11th 2007
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The Germans!
I think they won't forget me :) OH MY GOD!! I can´t begin to tell you what I´ve been through...first found true paradise at the thermal spa (hot springs) after a treacherous 2 hour plus drive on mountain dirt roads. The nature settings and top notch lunch (3 courses with wine), plus yoga, nature walk to hot springs, massage, mineral water face mask and soaking in the natural volcanic hot tubs was pure heaven for me...seriously! I was completely at peace in my heart and mind, total happiness, content and relaxation...so good. Then after my 7 hours of bliss, the owner asked me for a favor...if I would give a German couple there a ride back to the city. They had come upon the place after a 7 hour hike and had no way out. Well being of German descent, having several German friends, and the fact they are at this upscale spa made me feel safe enough to give them a ride and believe they wouldn´t mug me, plus I appreciated the company. It turns out the man had an hour massage to finish. No problem since I was in bliss and made great friends with the girl chatting away while waiting and soaking in hot springs.
Hot Springs Spa
An oasis off in the mountains hours from anything... However, I was a bit concerned it was getting late and I knew I did not want to drive on the mountain roads in the dark. What I did not count on was what happened!!....the effects of the rain on the dirt mountain road! After only 15 minutes driving away from the spa, we could not get up the hill! It had been heavily raining and getting dark and we were hours from civilization by car, by foot much longer! The mud was flying and the tires spinning on my littled rented Volkswagon GOL. I was hungry, cold and extremely stressed out! I was not about to sleep out here when I had a cozy hotel in San Martin! We could not make it up this hill and tried several times, backing up to get speed, again and again. Then 2 drunk teenage boys from Venezuela came about since they were also stranded, talking quickly to me in a language I could not understand and telling me that I would not make it. Well if you know me...you know I am stubborn and I do not give up! This kid just pissed me off....to tell me I can´t do something is all it takes. I remembered my old boss´s saying that I always believed, ¨If you think you can or you can´t, you are right!¨ Plus, I was brought up on a farm in Wisconsin driving crazy on the 4 wheeler...I´ve driven through logging roads with Mom´s Lincoln town car drunk in the middle of the night....this shit isn´t new for me!!! The German wants to give it a try, uncomfortably, I let him. Guess what...he gets it stuck. I know that this could really be it now. And I don´t know whether to cry or punch the German! The German sees the look of murder in my eye and somehow he miraculously gets a surge of adrenoline and pushes us out of the spot off the side of the road he had us stuck in...truly unbelievable to me. I am so proud of him and thankful. But we still have to make it up the hill. UGH!! I am driving again!! Now the drunk kids come back and want to help push us up the hill. Well, all I need is to lose the clutch and have the mud take over and roll backwards over one of these kids! I tell them NO...they don´t look too strong as one is about 50 lbs turning blue probably from hypothermia. The German asks his girlfriend now to push with him. She apologizes but takes her pants off since it is the only pair she has since they are backpacking and she doesn´t want to get them muddy. I understand. But then...I yell to her..put your clothes on...people are coming! Then the people who own the spa come up with a truck. The male owner stays in the truck. The female cook comes out and is again yelling to me in Spanish! She wants to know if I am good at driving on bad dirt roads...YES!! UGH! No one could do anything else differently! Again, I´m NO CITY CHICK!! I´m from Wisconsin farmland, Goddamnit!! I figure out she wants me to get out of the tracks. Well, long story..but ¨DUH!¨ it wasn´t working that way...the mud was too deep. She is pushing. The German couple is pushing. We are using planks under the tires found in the woods. The other Argentine men wait in the warm dry truck and tell me they can´t pull me either! I am so damned determined that I will not quit trying, not for one second. I will not get out from behind the wheel this time. I am smart and I am stubborn and I just feel we will do this!! Low and behold, somehow, with some help from the universe, we made it!! We all cheer! The Germans wipe the mud from their faces and get back in the car. It took a couple hours. How many other spots like this will we encounter?! and it´s getting dark! Well....after more than 2 hours of me driving quickly to beat the dark and avoid getting stuck again, scaring the shit out of the Germans I´m sure, and creating more tension in my back and driving leg than ever imagined...we make it. The Germans are so sweet and keep telling again and I should be a dirt racer! They are impressed immensely with my driving and quite frankly so am I. I can´t believe I pulled this off without killing us! They are thankful they weren´t stuck out there without me and would have been sleeping there possibly for days (since the spa is closed the next 2 days), so after all we´ve been through, we arrive at my hotel, and they take me out for a big dinner with mucho vino!! Needless to say the spa experience did not relax me. It is relaxing to know it is over! And the bright side, the Germans are now my new friends! 😊
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Mandi
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Way to go Tara!!
That's the Tara Nolan I love! Determination, that's all it takes! I'm sure it was hell, but reading it on this side was sure funny, but scarey too! I'm sure you're going to get yelled at by some, but not from me, cuz I would of did the same thing...... Way to go and not give up! I hope you have a safe return when you DO come home! When are you coming home again? Love ya! ~Mandi