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Last weekend, an innocent drive in the mountains turned into a frighteningly dangerous escapade which left us zooming downhill around the winding curves at recklessly fast speeds. I was driving along when I realized the gas pedal was stuck and the car would not stop accelerating.

My close friend who I hadn’t seen in four years decided to visit Josh and I in Thailand last week and so we decided to head into the mountains to go to the highest point in Thailand. Doi Inthanon, known as the rooftop of Thailand, has an altitude at the peak of 2565 meters. It was only a two hour drive from where I lived, and so we headed out for our day trip.

After driving along and making our way into the mountains, our first setback occurred when I felt the accelerator pedal pushed and stuck down- with no way for me to stop the car. My vehicle is a manual 18 year old BMW. I had never driven it in the mountains before and never in my life have I had anything like this happen. So, in my panic I didn’t know what to do and my friend told me to stop the car, turn the keys and he quickly pulled the emergency brake up and placed a couple of rocks behind my tires (as we were on an uphill slope). Thankfully, a very kind man and his friend pulled up and they called the National Park workers to come out and assist. They actually looked underneath the hood of the car and saw that there needed to be oil/lubricant on a part that connected to the accelerator. So they fixed our problem and we continued on our drive.

A while later we made it to a little town in the middle of nowhere and we parked to buy oil for the vehicle. The people were so graciously friendly - I have never experienced such a kind welcoming in years in Thailand. It made me remember why I enjoyed living in the mountain town years ago. After parking the car, my friend was trying to help me out by locking all the doors (which isn’t always necessary in Thailand, although I had an expensive camera in the back). Turns out I left the keys in the ignition as I thought we might just be there for a minute to get the oil. So there we were - locked out. Neither my friend nor I were really upset - and the people from the town seemed to view it as an exciting opportunity to help out. They helped us and within 20 minutes they created a tool with a slipknot on the end and opened up the car door! They wouldn’t accept any money for their help either.

During that time, Josh and I were playing with two little kids in a nearby lot that was attached to a little shop where the kids parents sold snacks. The boy was close in age to Josh and the little girl was probably a one and a half years old. They were adorable and truly on their own, fending for themselves. I watched as the little boy continually rescued the girl from oncoming cars as she attempted to run into the street. He really took good care of her considering the circumstances (parents not watching them). So the little boy, Josh and the little girl played in the dirt -with pieces of trash and a stick. When we decided to head out and continue on our trip up the mountains, we said goodbye and the girl started to scream and cry. It made me sad - I wanted to just grab her and take her with us. I get too attached to these little kids here.

So, on we went up the mountain until we finally made it near the top. We stopped at a gorgeous temple that had the most beautiful flower gardens I have ever seen in my life. Then we continued north to the very Top of Thailand. We took pictures and went on a nature trail. Josh was having the time of his life and it was a really nice short trip.

On the way back down the mountain, we planned to stop at a waterfall, but that did not happen. As I drove us down the very steep hill, I remained in a low gear at a slow speed. I felt the second most-horrific feeling of the day - the brakes weren’t working, it was as though we were sliding downward and there was smoke surrounding us. So once again we had to quickly stop the car and put the emergency brake up. This time though we were on a steep mountain road going downhill, having a sharp curve. This time we opened up the hood and let the car cool off. I thought we might not make it through this one honestly.

I am not trying to sound dramatic but I thought we might go over the edge of the mountain. The roads (thankfully) had cement barriers along the edge to prevent people from going over the side if they were driving too quickly around the sharp curves. But I wasn’t sure that it would hold us in if hit. My dear friend reassured me that if we hit the side of one of them we’d be ok. So I put Josh in his car seat in the back of the car and I was terrified as I started the car and had to avoid using the brakes while going downhill so quickly. I think I almost killed us all at first but my friend taught me how to conserve the brakes (or brake pads which I may have fried) while going down the hills and around the corners. I had to put the car in a low gear, and when I’d normally have my foot on the brakes to slow the vehicle down while going downhill, instead I’d take my foot off of the clutch and that would create a bit of resistance. It worked and thank God we made it out of there before it was dark. I’m not sure if I damaged the car, as I still need to take it in to get it looked at and some things fixed. I m grateful to have had my friend there with us. It was definitely a big unforgettable adventure!

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