Episode 26: Mineral Hot Springs in the Mountains — 5,000 Core English Words

📖 This lesson is part of the comprehensive series 5,000 Common English Words Through 46 Real-Life Conversations by Echo Stories English.

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Chapter twenty-six. Choosing a destination.

The two weeks are approved. Now Ryan and Emma have to answer a pleasant question: where? One of them is thinking of sand and waves. The other is thinking of forests and cold air.

Listen to how two people give their opinions, disagree gently, and find a place that both of them want.

Emma: Okay. Each of us says one word. Where do you want to go? One, two, three.

Ryan: Beach.

Emma: Mountains.

Ryan: Oh. That's a problem.

Emma: It's not a problem. It's the beginning of a friendly argument. You first. Why the beach?

Ryan: Because I want to do absolutely nothing. I want to lie on the shore, dig my feet into the sand, and count the boats.

Emma: That's fair. But think about it. The beach in the high season is crowded and loud. You have to cross a road full of cars to get an ice cream. And you don't like to be wet.

Ryan: That's a good point. I don't. What's your argument for the mountains?

Emma: Space. A valley with nobody in it. A forest where the only sound is a leaf falling. You can walk all day and not see a factory, or a random person with a phone.

Ryan: I'm not sure about that. Walking all day isn't rest. On the other hand, I do sleep better in cold air.

Emma: You do. And your knee?

Ryan: What about it?

Emma: The swelling comes back whenever you sit for too long. The doctor said gentle walking is the best thing for it, and warm water.

Ryan: Warm water. In the mountains?

Emma: Hot springs. Pure, natural hot water that comes out of the rock. You sit in it under the sky. It's good for the knee, the hip, the back, everything.

Ryan: Now you have my attention.

Ryan: This reminds me of that documentary we watched last week. The one with the biologist.

Emma: The woman who lived with monkeys?

Ryan: No, the latter one. The gentleman who studied the mountain lakes. He said the average person spends ninety percent of the day inside, and that it's especially bad for children.

Emma: I remember. He showed how the climate is changing the habitat up there. Less snow, more drought. The population of some insects is going down, and the birds that feed on them have to hunt somewhere else.

Ryan: And the spider. Don't forget the giant spider.

Emma: It wasn't giant. It was the size of a coin. You hid behind a cushion.

Ryan: I was uncertain about it. That's different.

Emma: He made a bold point, though. He said we protect what we love, and we only love what we know. If a minority of people ever go to wild places, nobody will fight pollution or carbon, or global warming.

Ryan: So this holiday is an achievement for nature.

Emma: It's a small one. I just want to stand on a cliff and feel the wind blow.

Ryan: Not too close to the edge. I've seen how carelessly you walk.

Ryan: All right. Let me make a conditional offer. I'll go to the mountains, if there is hot water, a good bed, and at least three days when I don't have to walk anywhere.

Emma: That's fairly reasonable. I accept, with one change. Instead of three lazy days in a row, we take them separately. One day we walk, the next day we rest.

Ryan: A mixture. I can live with that.

Emma: And I'll make you a promise. No vertical paths. Nothing that leads straight up. I know your dependence on flat ground.

Ryan: Thank you. What do I need to bring? Boots? Long pants?

Emma: Boots, long pants, a stick for walking, and something for the rain. The weather can change overnight. It can be dry and bright in the morning and all mud by lunch.

Ryan: That sounds miserable.

Emma: It's not. It's extraordinary. When the clouds lift, the surface of the lake shines so brightly that it hurts your eyes. The trees are a hundred years old. The colors fade from green to gold. It's stunning.

Ryan: You talk about it like a novel.

Emma: I spent every summer of my childhood in a place like that. My aunt used to bury a little box of sweets at the top of a hill, and my cousin and I had to race to fetch it. That was the prize.

Ryan: Did you win?

Emma: Never. She had longer legs. I'd come back with a rosy face and thin air in my chest, and no sweets.

Ryan: That's the saddest story you've ever told me.

Emma: It's a happy one! It's my whole idea of peace. A peaceful place, a small quantity of sugar, and somebody to run with.

Ryan: So where is this place? Do you have a direction, or just a feeling?

Emma: I have a collection of ideas. I've been cutting pictures out of magazines and keeping them in a cardboard box.

Ryan: Of course you have.

Emma: There's one I keep coming back to. It's a small town about seven hours north of here, at the end of a long valley. There are hot springs, a waterfall, and a hotel with a view. It isn't a desert in the off season, but it isn't busy either. It's a mature kind of place. Quiet.

Ryan: What's the disadvantage?

Emma: It's far. And the occasional bear, but they don't disturb people.

Ryan: The occasional bear. You say that like it's a cat.

Emma: The hotel will warn us. They have a whole campaign about food and garbage.

Ryan: Fine. I'll pay with my credit card, so we get the points, and you'll protect me from wildlife.

Emma: Deal. No dismissal of my idea? No last fight?

Ryan: None. My heart was beating for the beach, but I've changed my mind. You curl up next to me and say "hot springs," and the argument is over.

Emma: That was the plan from the start. With luck, we can book it tomorrow.

Ryan: Let's celebrate. I'll try not to spill anything. My head is still spinning.

Emma: It's a rose-colored evening. I can feel it. Severely good.

Ryan: The usage of "severely" is wrong, teacher.

Emma: I know. I'm on holiday already.

That is the end of chapter twenty-six. The beach lost, the mountains won, and a compromise made everybody happy.

Keep these with you: "That's a good point." "I'm not sure about that." "On the other hand." "I can live with that." "What's the disadvantage?"

In the next chapter, they call a travel agent to book the hotel, and they learn the vocabulary of rooms, dates, and prices.

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