Cartagena - Santa Marta roadside rescue

So nice to be back in Pinecone. Arrived Sunday afternoon after shepherding our rental car out of Cartagena during an Ironman 70 Triathlon that was in full swing on the morning we departed. The main 2-lane coastal road was used as the bike course and closed to traffic for about 50 kilometers, so we navigated to an inland, unfamiliar route. After an hour or so, as usual, we needed to take a bathroom break - which in rural undeveloped 2 lane road Colombia means peeing on the side of the road. We look for a spot that affords us a bit of privacy, usually means a dirt lane into the countryside or at least a wide spot in the road where we can walk into the trees, behind shrubs, etc. After 5-10 minutes of actively looking, I spy a decent spot on the opposite side of the road, about ¼ mile back. Taking advantage of a break in the fairly steady flow of traffic, we slow to a stop and begin a quick U turn. 

It bears noting here that the last 2 cars we rented in Colombia were 4 wheel drive vehicles that were essential for all the different road surfaces we encountered during our many weeks of land travel. However, as this trip was merely a straight shot 225 km paved road return to Santa Marta, we didn’t opt for a 4 wheel drive unit. At the moment, I don’t think my brain fully switched into the realization that the car I was turning around was only 2 wheel drive. Where I opted to make the U turn, the flat paved surface ends abruptly at the edge of the lane width and a dirt/grass shoulder slopes down and away from the pavement. I only needed a bit of grip for the outside (front wheel drive) tire to make the turn successfully. The tire immediately sunk in to the soft sandy soil. So I instinctively downshifted and gunned it to backtrack to the paved road surface. Bad idea. The tire dug a quick hole. So I put it into reverse and gunned it again to try to make it back onto the road surface.  Didn’t make it. I pushed the car while Wendy reversed. Didn’t make it. Vehicle ended up a perfect right angle to the direction of travel, the front tires buried in the soft sandy downhill slope, useless, the undercarriage firmly ground into the pavement edge and the rear wheels a ⅓ of the way blocking the lane of now oncoming traffic. If either of us had time to take a photo of this impressive feat of driving, we would have. However, the honking horns and swerving vehicles of 60 mph semi truck, autobus and car travel traffic had our full attention. This being Colombia and Colombian people’s legendary kindness, a number of cars pulled over and stopped to help. While simultaneously staring in awe at the spectacle that I created and speaking faster Spanish than either of us could translate. Eventually, they helped us to get the vehicle back on the road safely. At first, there was a small debate amid onlookers of how to do this. We broke a tow strap of one good samaritan. But with enough people, pushing up from below and down on the rear to lift the front end, we made it back to the road surface. After thank you hugs and handshakes and small thank you payments, we drove away in the stunned silence of amazement, our need to pee having miraculously vanished, at least temporarily.