Back to the Jungle!

As I gear up for another adventure in Costa Rica, I thought I'd re-post one of my favorite blogs from two summer's back.  Now it is funny.. then, not so much!  One week Babe... and I'm back in the Jungle!


Below you will find a picture of the vehicle I am about to write about.
FJ PICTURE
I feel like I'm in Big John (our Christmas Tractor) when I was driving it up the mountain yesterday.  Here's the story... The FJ was stuck at the bottom of the mountain and needed a driver to get it back up.  Diego (the hardest working, smartest, can fix anything, reminds me of my daddy) tico asked me to ride down and drive it back up the mountain for him.  Honestly, I really didn't want to because one the FJ is like driving a tractor and two the road is still awful, regardless of the fact Diego, Humberto, and I worked on it all day (that's how I relax on my vacation... work! can't help it.. it's in my blood)!  BUT... I start driving the mountain in this big ole FJ and do great until I get to the last "S" curve.  I start up the S, with Diego following me in the Red FJ, when I start to spin.  Well Dag... It wasn't that bad of a spin but I wasn't going anywhere. With my foot pressing the clutch, one hand on the wheel, one on the stick shift, and the other foot on the break I stick my head out the window and yell, "DIEGO, yo tengo un problema  (Deigo, i have a problem)."  Luckily we were close to a flat spot in the mtn road, so Diego hopped out and came running to where I was.  He said I needed to back up and get more speed.  So I backed (slowly because on this incline breaks are not really good... it's the equivalent of breaking on ice) to the flat spot and get another running start.
Well... the good news is I got past the part I was stuck the first time... the bad news is I got stuck further up.. in the middle of the "s".  Here I am, not moving, spinning on mud (because we need strong rain), sandwiched between two mountain dirt walls, two ditches, and knowing I was going to have to back this thing around a curve, down a mountain, and to the flat spot.  Again...with my foot pressing the clutch, one hand on the wheel, one on the stick shift, and the other foot on the break I stick my head out the window and yell, "DIEGO, yo tengo un problema!!!!!!!!" with a little more volume.  I was starting the freak out.. just a little.  Here comes Diego running up the mountain to save the day.  I coach myself by taking a deep breath, putting this small tractor like vehicle in reverse, and pray to God.. in English and Spanish!  Foot off the clutch a little, on the break a little and... HELLO slide.  An out of my control, holy moly I'm picking up speed, going sideways, I'm going to hit the wall like a nascar driver... slide.  Diego is telling me which way to turn the wheel but my Spanish translation wasn't working at the moment, so... I had NO IDEA what he was saying!  I stop sliding only to be sideways in the road.  That's a fine position to be in, if sideways wasn't between two big mountain walls and on an incline that could result in a rollover at any moment.  So I sit sideways.  What do I do?  Well, a 3 point turn wasn't going to work.  So I start to go in reverse (thank you diesel engine and power) and move a little.. and slide more but the slide was good.  I started to turn in the direction where I could actually get down the mountain in a forwards motion.  The entire time Diego is on some side of the FJ providing some support to keep me from turning over!  Well... I made it back to the flat spot and told Diego I was walking back to Refugio!  He chuckled and told me to get in the Red FJ and he thought there was a leak in one of the seals causing the Green FJ to lose power!.. well that's good to know.. thanks for telling me now that I have almost peed in my bricthes!
Christine and Erin (the other interns) have been going to different places all week, going on "adventures".  Well, no offense to these girls but going to shops and looking at the waterfalls isn't very adventurous to me.... come talk to me when you're sideways in an "S" curve... that's adventure!