You know that little voice inside your head that sometimes whispers to you “self, is this REALLY a good idea?” That voice? It’s always right. So why on earth do we ignore it, huh? I’ve got a fabulous example for you:
Last weekend I went on a disaster vacation. It was a last-minute decision: myself and five other friends threw caution to the wind and booked a trip with some random travel agency. Hey, it was the only place that we could find accommodations two days before Oktoberfest. All the hotels in the tiny city of Villa General Belgrano, outside of Cordoba, were booked up so we figured this was the next-best option. When I talked to the travel agent, it did sound a little “rustic” and I felt slightly worried… but all my friends were going and I figured, “What the hell? It will be fun!"
Sam and I: ignorance is bliss.
It started out just lovely. We left Friday night and slept on a big, comfy bus. They showed stupid movies in English, we drank wine and chatted excitedly. About 9 am the next morning we arrived to the “camp” where we were staying. It was cute! Exactly like summer camp as a child: bunk beds in cabins, a big eating area, little ducks running around and a giant bar-b-q. Aside from the fact that I had to take a cold shower and there was only one bathroom for 20 girls, it wasn’t too bad. The problem, though, was our bus couldn’t get to the campground. It was down a long, bumpy dirt road. Instead, we had to be shuttled down the road in groups, which turned out to be a giant pain. Group one had to load up and be dropped off, then the bus had to come back to get group two. This added about an hour onto any destination. Despite the inconvenient shuttle system, it still seemed like the weekend had lots of potential and we started off in high spirits.
Natalie likes animals (even ugly, molting chickens).
The first day at the campground was spectacularly warm and sunny. Girls were lying out in little bikinis and people were sweating as they drank their beers and played ping pong. We were supposed to leave at 2pm for Oktoberfest, however since this is Argentina and time is simply NOT an issue, we didn’t leave until about 4:30. Then we had to go in groups on the stupid shuttle, so by the time we all got on the bus it was about 5:30 and we were hungry, grumpy and hot. Then the bus had to stop for gas. At last we got on the road for the big event. We had been told that our campground was about an hour from the festival. This was a LIE. It took about 2 hours to get there and by the time we arrived it was about 7:30 and starting to get dark. Not just dark, but cold and drizzly too. Since the day had been so warm, no one had thought to bring jackets. We were dressed in little skirts and t-shirts, happily ignorant of any weather concerns.
The festival was fabulous. We arrived to dancing, singing and overall merriment. Thrilled to finally be there we immediately purchased giant beer mugs and filled them with delicious sweet dark beer. Starving, we ordered polish hot dogs stuffed with cheese, wrapped in ham and topped with mounds of sauerkraut. My friend Layne and I sat down at a table and began devouring our food. It started raining and I looked at her and said, “I am so hungry I don’t even care that it’s raining!” With a little giggle, she agreed “I know! I’m starving! It doesn’t even matter.” But then I noticed my bun was getting soggy, because the rain was becoming more insistent. The drops were getting larger and both my food and I were getting wetter and wetter. I finally caved, “I think we better move!” We got up and just as we began moving towards shelter, the sky started dumping buckets of water on us. The nearest cover was a tacky little plastic table with an inadequate plastic umbrella. We attempted to huddle underneath it, but rain rolled down my back and down Layne’s arms. We watched, horrified, as people ran helter-skelter, holding chairs over their heads and climbing underneath tables. It was a mess. And it didn’t stop. The rain continued all night long. During a brief respite we reunited with the rest of our friends and we all attempted to make the best of the situation, drinking and laughing and trying to have positive attitudes. But reality exists: it was cold, we were wet, and our bus didn’t leave until midnight.
When it was finally time to leave we were more than happy to climb aboard the bus and head back to camp. Visions of a warm cabin and dry clothes filled our fuzzy little beer-heads. After the two-hour drive back to the campground the first group crawled onto the little shuttle, freezing and huddling together to try and stay warm. I sat shivering next to my friend Sam as we started down the dirt road. But we didn’t get too far: the bus got stuck! We sat there in despair as the wheels spun in the mud. After a miserable 45 minutes it was obvious that the situation was completely hopeless and we returned to the bus. They put on a movie and told us to just wait tight.
The problem, of course, was there were no hotels because it was Oktoberfest. So after a night of phone calls the trip coordinators finally secured a dump for us to stay at. Of course it wasn’t ready, so we took shelter in a very classy Shell station where we waited for 4 hours drinking coffee and wishing it wasn’t 5am. At last we headed to our dirty, smelly hotel where we continued waiting for another few hours. About 11am myself and my two girlfriends, Natalie and Layne, got a room. Layne bought some soap and we showered and fell into bed, grateful regardless of the pathetic accommodations. When we woke up we were pleased to discover that our things had been recovered from the campground and brought to the hotel. Despite some fear and trepidation we were going to return to Oktoberfest again that night, so we got ready. This time we were prepared! Coats, extra changes of clothing, pillows, blankets and provisions filled our bags!
Oktoberfest the second night was much more fun. We rode a ridiculous ride where you stood in the middle of a giant gyrating circle that threw you onto the floor and gave you bruises. While it was the worst ride I have ever ridden, it made us all collapse in giggles and amazement. That would have been a lawsuit in the US for sure! We listened to the music, chatted, drank and took lots of pictures. I managed to lose my mug and was completely devastated, but overall the night was a success.
Layne and I lovin' it! So sad about the mug...
The next morning they loaded us on the bus. We were hung-over, tired and worn-out from the traumatic weekend, but we were to be compensated by going horseback riding. While that part was fun, the fact that we were stuck in the middle of a camp for 4 hours without food or water was not so entertaining. We returned to the hotel and were greeted with the worst bar-b-q I have ever had in my entire life. Ah, yes: luxury accommodations.
My favorite people: Layne, Daniel, Natalie, Sam and, oh! Me!
(Charles, where are you?)
When it was finally time to go home, I won’t pretend I wasn’t thrilled. While it was good to get away from the bustle of city life for the weekend, it was more of an “experience” than a “vacation.” However, surviving it together created a myriad of stories my friends and I haven’t stopped laughing about since. Oh, and the impromptu dance party on the bus ride home was an extra bonus highlight…
