Survive The Insanity: Happy Hollow Asylum – Wk 3, Wednesday – Arrival In Selvadorada-The Lodging

In the last chapter of the Happy Hollow Asylum, Louis was informed that they were leaving for Selvadorada in two days and that Dr. de Reve would be securing “tracker” bracelets on each of them. As Louis tries to read the archaeology book, he is interrupted by Veta describing her new dress, the shower breaking down and the dishes needing to be cleaned up. Rocky helps out by doing the laundry but sloshes water everywhere. Midge is on a mop madness mission and comes to the rescue for a few “accidents”. Sonny and Krysta work out on the new punching bag, Deirdre hacks some simoleons from the supercomputer, a line-up forms for the bathroom but Randall doesn’t quite make it in time, and Midge seems to be getting addicted to chess. Louis harvests in the park behind the house then he heads to work, but has to wait another day for the promotion he needs.

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Week 3, Wednesday, Autumn Day 4

They had left the asylum at 4am and had been driven to an airstrip in the desert on the outskirts of Oasis Springs. For that time of the morning, the place was a hive of activity. Mechanics and diagnostic technicians were handling last minute checks on the planes, and other workers were wheeling baggage carts about.

As Louis got out of the van, he felt the heat reflecting off the tarmac. The air was heavy and smelled of diesel and Louis suddenly felt sick to his stomach. They were directed in front of a plane that looked like it wouldn’t hold them all, let alone their luggage. Louis swallowed hard. This was it, they were actually going back to Selvadorada.

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Their plane landed without incident and two jeeps were waiting for them at the airport. The drive to their lodging was rather bumpy and it seemed to Louis that they hit every pothole on the way. But soon, the jeeps stopped and Louis could make out the roof of a lodging hidden amongst the trees.

One of the drivers, who spoke a halting-Simlish, gave Louis a letter. “From the Señor Director. Dos horas we go…El Arbol de Jaguar…cantina. Si?” he said to Louis as he held up 2 fingers repeating “dos”. Louis took the letter and nodded. He figured it meant they would be heading somewhere in two hours. He grabbed his backpack and with the other residents headed down a dirt trail towards their lodging. As he cleared the trees, he was just not prepared for what he saw. THIS was their lodging? So much for that luxury resort that Sonny was hoping for!

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Their lodging was called “Spirit of the Jungle.” Maybe it had been a wonderful resort in some earlier time, but now, all that was left was one building, hopefully where the sleeping quarters were located. Everything else was outside. Foundation walls of some rooms had long since crumbled and a lonely fireplace rose up, where a great hall might have been. There were vines, ferns, and other encroaching greenery everywhere. It looked like the jungle had taken over what was left of the lodging.

Louis remembered the letter he had been handed and opened it slowly. It was from Dr. L’Ernitage outlining their next few days. As Louis had guessed, the jeeps were coming back for them to take them to the marketplace and a local bar. Dr. L’Ernitage further wrote that at their “eco-lodge”, there was a crate near the kitchen shelter, with items they would need for their trek to the jungle. He advised Louis to talk to the locals and also purchase some supplies from the merchants in the marketplace. Dr. L’Ernitage told Louis that there was no cell phone reception once they headed into the jungle, but there was a satellite phone in the crate.

Louis decided to look around their lodging and try to find the crate. Meanwhile, the others seemed ready to party and headed to the right.

Randall discovered there was a bar and made himself a drink. Veta, Deirdre, and Krysta sat down at a table and started playing cards.

Opposite the bar was a chess table, and Midge and Rocky were deeply involved in their chess tournament already. Closer to the main building was an easel, in case anyone wanted to paint a lovely jungle scene.

Louis decided to head to the left. He noticed an archaeology table hidden under a tree at the front of the lot, and as he walked down the path, he glimpsed a woodworking table as well.

There was another pathway leading to a shower and toilet area and against one wall was a wash basin with a bucket beside it. Louis looked inside the shower area and discovered that it was a solar shower with a water holding tank nearby. An almost illegible sign was posted stating that showers were limited to 10 minutes. Close to the restroom facilities was also a washtub and clothesline.

Everything looked very clean, and there were even fresh towels laid out. Maybe he had misjudged the lodging. Perhaps this is what you stayed in when you were in the jungle.

At the back of the lot, there was a kitchen area, with a gas-powered fridge and a wood stove for cooking. In the corner of the patio was a bar-b-q, and a long wooden table served as the dining area. Louis also noticed that there didn’t seem to be any electricity either, as there were lots of candles and lanterns strewn about the camp.

Beside this area was a water well. Louis had guessed correctly that there was no running water at the lodging. Louis looked behind the well and spotted the crate that Dr. L’Ernitage had mentioned. Louis opened it up and found all kinds of kitchen utensils, pots and pans, dishes and cups, cleaning supplies and everything they might need for their stay.

There was also what looked like a backpacker tent, some extra lanterns and fuel, and a portable cooler. Nestled beside this was the satellite phone. There was also a machete and a spray bottle of….Louis squinted to read the label….spider repellent! Spider repellent? He wasn’t sure why you would need that but these looked like some good items to take into the jungle with them.

Louis looked around and decided to head to the building and check out the sleeping areas. He spotted some stairs that seemed pretty sturdy and climbed to the second floor. As he stood on the landing, he noticed that parts of the building’s walls were missing. He hadn’t noticed before as there were so many vines on the building that they formed a thick foliage, almost like a screen. He opened the door and he was in a small hallway with a door to the left, right and center. Louis decided to open the door to the right first.

The room was small, with no more than a bed and a small table. The bed had mosquito netting around it, and the table held a few items, including a citronella candle. Louis figured this was a good thing since the window had no glass panes, and any insects could just fly right in.

 The three upstairs rooms were all pretty much the same.

The downstairs area had two small bedrooms and an office area. So, only five beds in the building? There must be somewhere else to sleep. Louis figured if there weren’t any other sleeping areas, at least they had the tent that they could pitch for two sims to sleep in. Which still left one sim without a bed.

Louis retrieved the satellite phone and set it up in the front office. It looked like a portable laptop with a detachable phone and satellite dish. He decided to test it out and after reading some instructions, sent Dr. L’Ernitage a text message:

“Safe arrival Selvadorada. L”

An automated message then appeared on the screen thanking Louis for the message and stating that the office of Dr. L’Ernitage was currently closed.

Well, it worked. Louis carefully packed everything back up again and headed to the kitchen area to place it back in the crate.

While Louis went to return the satphone, Sonny had lit a fire in the “living room.” There were two couches and a bookshelf in the area, and as Sonny sat down, Krysta and Randall joined him. Behind the couches was some mosquito netting that you could extend to enclose the couch areas into a screened room. Krysta thought that this could be a perfect spot if you wanted to “sleep” under the stars.

Close by the “living room” and behind the bar was a swimming pond. Deirdre and Rocky were relaxing with their feet in the water sipping another drink.

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There was still time before the jeeps returned and Louis had seen some lights close to their lodging. He told the others he was going to explore a bit and they seemed to want to follow him.

Just a short walk away was a wooden deck overlooking some waterfalls. What a spectacular view! It would be a perfect place to have a bite to eat and admire the scene. And as he looked around he saw a bar-b-q and picnic table. There was even a chess table, which Midge took to immediately. And this time Randall was the challenger as Rocky looked on.

[Author’s Notes: Do you see what I mean about Midge becoming addicted to chess?]

Louis walked down a pathway to the water to admire the waterfalls. It was indeed a gorgeous sight. The group had stayed at the deck area and he could hear them now laughing together. Well, at least no-one was complaining. And surprisingly, Sonny hadn’t even complained about the lodging or lack of room service.

Louis turned around and saw a fishing pole leaning against a tree and decided to do a bit of fishing. If only life was this simple. It certainly wasn’t the Selvadorada Louis remembered. Or rather, the bits and pieces he did remember. Maybe this time would be different…

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Wednesday will continue in the next chapter as they head to the marketplace.

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Author’s notes:

Many thanks to the following simmer for making this great build. I added some mannequins and luggage to the airplane hangar.

The Happy Hollow Asylum’s vacation spot in Selvadorada built by me.

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