Late Sunday night, I got a phone call from my Ecuadorian friend asking me if I would like to go for a hike in the jungle and see the caverns (although at the time I didn't know the word for caverns in spanish so I wasn't exactly sure what he meant). Of course I said, I would love to go, when would we be leaving...he tells me tomorrow at 8:00. There's nothing like last minute plans! So he quickly told me that I would need to bring rubber boots if I had any, clothes to get wet in and a flashlight. It was when he mentioned the flashlight that the pieces started to fall into place that we were going into the caverns.
So bright and early (well not exactly bright, it was raining, therefore quite cloudy) I showed up ready to go, complete with my lovely rubber boots! We didn't leave Shell until about 9:00 but that's okay. There were seven of us altogether. I was one of three girls, but the only english speaker. We rode in the taxi (pick-up truck) for about maybe 45 minutes or so until we got to where the trail in the jungle started. We were already soaked through because of the rain within minutes. There was a fairly nice trail though, until one point when the guide had to clear a new path with the machete. We hiked along for about an hour before we reached the first part of the caves. Someone was wise enough to bring a bottle of soda and some bananas to give us a little more energy. My friend, Ivan gave me some knee pads and wrist guards to wear and someone else gave me a helmet. We left our backpacks in the foilage off the trail a bit...and then continued with only our flashlights. (THANK YOU to Agape NTF Church for the flashlights...they came in handy at this point!).
We waded through very cold water that came up mid-thigh through the narrow passage ways, using the flashlights to look out for any creatures who may be sharing the space with us to help us keep our footing. Then we entered into the main part of the cavern. It was huge, as well as very muddy. Since there has been an overwhelming amount of rain lately it was especially muddy and wet inside. We then made our way through different venues within the caverns, we saw and heard many bats flying around but other than that not too many creepy-crawlers. At one point we had to crawl army style on our elbows to get through a section. Then another point we were moving along through a narrow crevice that was deep so we had to put our feet and hands on one wall and our backs against the other and move along that way! Quite exhausting work, but well worth it! Just as we turned around to head back towards teh main part several people's flashlights were no longer working as their batteries had died. So between seven us, only 3 flashlights remained. That made things a bit more challenging but nto impossible! Unfortunately I have no picture to document the day, since I wisely left my camera at home. It was a long but very fun day, and I met some new and fascinating people along the way!
Thank the Lord for His protection over us and for the great time we were able to share together!
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