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BatsFeb 21, 2005
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| Strangely, one of the first things we did as we settled ourselves into El Retiro was sign up for the local tour of the bat caves. Nothing at all appealed to Mandy about this trip; not the dark, creepy claustrophobic caves, nor the sight of clouds of bats emerging from their nocturnal slumber. But, it was something to do, and well, maybe she'd get over her fears. The cave we speak of (which is believed to be 500,000 yrs old)was discovered by French explorers 60 or 70 years ago, however only 3/4 of its depth has been explored. Apparently it is nearly 75 km deep, and many explorers have lost their lives trying to make it the distance. Yikes. The Mayans have used the cave for centuries to perform sacrifices and other religious rituals. Accompanied by a trustworthy guide, 12 other young travelers, headlights and candles, we entered the cave with little trepidation, surprisingly. It was a bit like entering an underworld- with stalagcites dripping their slippery condensation from above, and the eery echoes of unknown noises (that we hope were just the squeeks of bats). Our travels through the first three "rooms" of the cave were nothing treacherous, as there were stairs, railings and even lights to guide us safely along the way. As it approached 6:00pm, and we were still a good ways away from the entrance, our guide kindly informed us that we had to "get our asses out of here" (in broken English) before the lights automatically turn off. We boogied right out quickly after that advice. At the cave's entrance, we all lit candles and placed them sporadically around us, creating a circle of light that would allow us to actually see the bats escape the cave for their nightime food hunt. We were told that there would be five or six emerge at a time, then increasingingly more, until eventually there would be "clouds" of bats. Among us was a true bat "freak" if you may, a strange woman who knew everything and anything about the ugly little creatures. (don't dare call them ugly in front of her, though). Her utter excitement about seeing the bats, and her insistence that their navigational skills are so amazing that although we sat right in their exit path, one would never hit us, did help quelch our fears a bit. And the sight of the bats was truly amazing. As nasty as they are- they are quite extraordinary. Reminiscent of Hitchcock's "The Birds," there were swarms of bats heading directly for us. Had they changed their minds and gotten real pissed at us for invading their space, we would all have been in real trouble. They seemed to all wake at the same moment,appearing in masses from the cave's darkness, dancing around our heads. We bobbed and ducked, and did certainly feel the slight brushing of their wings now and then as they tried to dodge us. ("Bat freak" was wrong). It was certainly one of those experiences you are happy to have just once in your life,as twice may be a bit too much. Jon had the courage to enter yet another, darker, spookier cave in the days to come. Mandy took a rain check on that one. |
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