73 Beetle Can't open Hood (Trunk)

Hi everyone, we have a '73 Beetle who's trunk will not open. The lever/cable from the glove compartment is apparently broken. I can't begin to figure out how to get inside/get access to the latch to open it. There must be a trick, or at least the right place to cut a hole. Any help is appreciated. I can't be the first person this has happened to.

Three options I know of. First one, take a hand towel and roll it up and wrap it around the bonnet handle, pull hard while wiggling it back and forth. Second one is, on super beetles, there is an access panel under the front of the car just behind the grill. But if the spare is in there it is difficult to get open, as it is sealed down from above. The third is to cut the bonnet handle in half and unscrew it to get to the mechanism behind.