Each person is provided a single white candle about 4 inches long. Next, you are led up steep steps into the large opening of the cave. We entered the cave at ankle deep water and paused to light our primitive flashlights, or candles. The water came from our ankles, to our knees, to our waist and eventually to our chest. We all held our candles high in a sad attempt to further brighten our way.The cave was masked in darkness, and exuded a creepy feeling of the unknown. We continued to walk through the cave with varying water levels. Occasionally our guide warned us to be careful not to bang our legs on the submerged rocks that rose up from the cave floor, but inevitably we did.
Swimming in a Cave
Our guide explained, “You must swim now, make sure you don’t extinguish your candle.” “Huh,” we thought to ourselves. You could see everyone in the group make eye contact with each other in an attempt to justify our own personal shock. I’m not a good swimmer. Okay, I’m not a swimmer at all and I sure can’t swim with one hand in the air. Jason was close behind me and suggested I hold onto his neck while resting on his back. My job became to hold the two candles in one hand while circled around his neck with the other arm. Jason then swam with both hands, frog style across the dark pool. Many people had wet their candles during the swim, but we all helped each other ignite them before continuing.Aracely Castellani
(to be continued)