Tag 66: After the car, now also two hundred dollars in the sand law

03.09.2016

With the first rays of sunshine, we stand up, eagerly anticipating, to dig ourselves out of the proverbial excrement. Armed with a shovel (usually with a broom - no idea what it's called) and a cooking pot, this time not only I am digging, but also Gudi, who woke up from her shock at night as if there were no tomorrow. Meanwhile, it's slowly becoming today, which doesn't matter at all in our euphoria of finally moving the car. Only the fact that the rays of sunshine are at least a little warming is worth a casual comment. At first, we actually manage to move the car one meter back and remove it from the too imminent sandy ground. But it is impossible to go any further because our system of putting stones under the tires fails due to the slipping rear tire. Bloody fingers, sweat, torn clothing, and two hours later, I - as a good general must admit a defeat - give the order to make a call. This is directed to the service line of our rental car company, but first passes through the Austrian mobile network. Unfortunately, the fifteen-minute phone call should not be the most expensive thing that day.

Forty-five minutes later, a tow truck almost runs me over, which wouldn't have been so bad as I could have demanded a free service. However, the truck literally pulls us out of trouble, but demands $200 - Saturday surcharge: jackpot! Honestly, we're just glad to have solid ground under the tires again, and we willingly pay this amount, as it is rather a bargain compared to an undercarriage repair. Later, however, I start seeing everything else I could have bought for this price, for example, two hundred breakfast donuts. From this perspective, only my blood sugar is happy, the rest of the mood is rather down in the dumps after the initial euphoria.

Back in the city, our main question is how much longer pebbles will continue to rain from the engine compartment, as we have already driven twenty kilometers. Since the weather today is extremely inviting, we try to lift our spirits and go to a hill that promises an impressive view of the area. It is also exciting that I discover a passion for photographing rabbits. In New Zealand, they are everywhere, just like kangaroos in Australia. Originally, I thought that the master flower here is as big as the domestic hares, but now I am delighted to find that the droopy ears are actually adorable wannabe Easter bunnies. My incorrect assessment may be due to the fact that although we have seen some hares so far, they always presented themselves in the largest possible version - flattened by the roadside.

In the evening, we let the weekend mood, including drinking, be with the New Zealanders, and - contrary to all curses and curses - we return to that fateful place we left behind this morning - hoping never to return.

It should be explained that in daylight, we realized that it was not necessary to go down the road, but the campsite was right on our left. From a distance, this suggests that not only was I to blame for the disaster, but I am also pretty stupid. If I can think of a reason to blame Gudi, I will of course put it in writing.

Gudi's glorious laws:

No more searching for campsites at night.

Although we break this rule at the first opportunity, we are now more than familiar with the conditions and surfaces of this place.