Wednesday, January 14, 2015

"It's like Swiss cheese but you don't fall through."

For the past few days I've been at a resort near Cancun, chilling out, eating great food and drinking great drinks.

I haven't had a bad drink yet.

What I want to talk about today is excursion I went on, the one where I stepped outside my comfort zone and did something I normally would never do.

I booked an excursion to go on a tour of underground caves.

I'm afraid if I don't write some of this down I'll forget it.

(I don't want to forget this.)

First of all, to get there a tour guide drives you into the heart of the jungle on a road that's not paved. None of my buddies went on this trip with me, and my new Canadian friends got motion sickness from the drive alone.

That was just a hint of what was to come.

Next, we hopped in wet suits, helmets that had a light on them, and life jackets.

Oh, and we wore swimming shoes the place gave us.

That part is important to remember, because the next part of the journey involved a hike through the jungle. Wearing shoes with no support that had holes in them.

I could see my toes, guys. 

Sigh.

Next, our tour guide pointed at a hole in the ground.

"You see that big black hole? That's where we're going."

The dark hole in the ground we walked into.

He explained to us that when he asked us to climb, the limestone ground was sturdy enough to hold us, no matter what it sounded like or looked like.

"It's like Swiss cheese, but you don't fall through."

Jesus, Mary and Joseph. I'm in trouble.

When we got down into the cave, our tour guide told us we could go in the section of the water that was ankle deep to get used to the temperature, or we could just take the plunge in a spot where he went in about chest deep.

It's not that bad, he said.

I followed his advice. The water was so cold (remember, we're underground)  I think I lost the ability to think (I think, I don't remember). I was the first one in the group to fall down and face-plant into the water.

Ha, ha.

It's weird because you can't grab anything to hold onto. The limestone is sharp enough to cut you (my knee is proof of that) so you have to rely on your balance. 

If you lose that, you're in trouble.

Once we waded through the water, I got the hang of using the walking stick. I put it in front of me to feel how deep the water was, then poked it around a few spots to judge which way was the best way to go.

(That walking stick is the best thing ever invented. Also, muscles in my right arm I didn't even know I had hurt a lot today. I think I held onto that stick a little too hard, haha.)

The group helped each other along the way - the New York City couple ahead of me let me know which rocks were shifty, then I told the Canadians behind me.

Teamwork, people!

Look Mom, no hands!

There were a few tricky spots. I'm pretty short, so in several spots I couldn't reach the bottom with my feet.

The water depth depends on the rains, our tour guide told us. During hurricanes the caves fill up completely.

So I swam in those spots. Monica, who has been afraid of water her whole life, who cringes when she drives over bridges, swam in a dark hole in the ground with complete strangers.

It. Was. Amazing.

Towards the end of the tour, our guide had us turn off all of our lights. That was the best part. I was smiling the biggest smile I think I've ever had. 

Once your eyes adjusted, you could see a faint light towards the right.

It was literally the light at the end of the tunnel.

But, guys, that light was just a hole in the ground with a bunch of tree roots sticking out.

If you want to climb those feel free, the guide told us. Otherwise, he knew another way out.

The other way was up. And I'm not talking about stairs. I'm taking about climbing up limestone, wearing a wet suit and not really being able to move, in shoes that have holes in them.

Jesus Christ on a taco.

I slipped a few times, but nothing major. I told everyone I was just seeing if they were paying attention. 

:)

Once we made it out, we took a good look at our injuries.

Our guide fell a few times and had some cuts and scrapes. He also must have walked into something, because there was a big cut on his nose.

See! I'm not the only one.

Group photo!

My hard hat saved my brain a few times. When I got to concentrating on where to put my feet, I'd forget about my head and walk into something.

Oops.

New York City guy in the back of the group was the worst. Both legs and knees were pretty beat up.

The tour guide called our injuries "souvenirs."

I bought the photos afterward. Everyone else in the group didn't want to pay for them, but there's no way I'm going to pass up the opportunity to actually give people evidence that I did this.

I'm so glad I did.

I'm also done with adventure. I sat on the beach all day today and read a book.

Because, you know, it's kind of hard injuring yourself doing that.




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