Cave visit.. or is it??

Another fun feature provided by Intercontinental Golf and Spa Resort is that they run different types of activities every day to entertain their guests.  Snorkeling, city visits, island hopping, and a visit to a nearby cave that dates back to over a million years ago.  How very interesting isn't it?  I thought so!

So we signed up for this exciting trip which they promised would take no longer than 2 hours.  Where is this cave?? In fact it's on an island which is literally five minutes walk away from our resort.  We just needed to wade through some corals in low tide and we stepped into a whole new island.  Beautiful...

This island was built up from volcanic rocks and centuries ago was the centre of some kind of war... please do not quote me as I was too busy oogling at the beautiful scenery rather than listen to our guide talk.  Anyways, the war is long gone and the island is still inhabited by the Fijians who now rear goats and pigs on this land.  

The waters surrounding the island was super crystal clear with plenty of tiny tropical fish swimming around.  Unfortunately there was no signs of Nemo nor Dory among these corals.  After trekking some distance on the edge of the island, we entered the forest where the guide proceeded to show us some plants which the locals used as natural remedies for different ailments.  Funny how one of the plants look suspiciously like "chilli padi" to me... 

So as the guide continues to tell us about this cave we are about to visit, he brags about how there were many tunnels in this cave and how very dark it is.  In fact his ancestors used the cave during the war to hide out from their enemies.  He did warn us that when we see the lighted end of the tunnel, don't run to it because it is a cliff at that edge.  OoOOooo.... doesn't that just sound incredible???

Believe it or not, that's the entrance to the cave that we're suppose to visit... Yup.. I kid you not.  As my vietnamese counterparts joked, it looked more like the Chi Tunnels in Saigon!  It's just about the right size too! :)

After duck crawling for a distance of 5 metres past this entrance, we emerge in a large dark room.  Our guide only brought a measly flashlight for our group of 7 and I am not ashamed to say the moment he asked who wanted to hold the flashlight, I immediately volunteered.  Last thing I wanted was to walk into a spider web!!  

Finally when we all entered the room, I shone the flashlight around and my first reaction was "THIS IS IT??"  That room was no bigger than this apartment that I am living in right now and how did the guide come about with the theory that this cave is over a million years old??  No, there weren't any cave drawings (well there were some but I am pretty sure they were relatively new...) and there were no prehistoric bones, only one femur which apparently belongs to an animal and looks suspiciously planted there.  This cave is over a million years old because of the stalagmites, or was it stalactites... I ain't no cave expert.

The reason why I couldn't get a group picture inside the cave was because there just wasn't enough space.  As dark and small as it was, it wasn't very exciting nor spooky and to be honest I was quite disappointed!  In fact the scariest thing was probably the guide's toothless grin as you accidentally shine the flash light in his face in the darkness of the cave.  

The "cliff" was quite real, cause the end of the tunnel leads straight to a drop off.  But don't be scared.  At a height of no higher than one and a half storey, you will most likely only break some bones.  The sand below will no doubt break your fall. 

So after 5 minutes, we crawled back out through the same entrance as we entered.  Have you ever tried duck crawling?  Again, one of the best workout ever.  You work out your quads and your butt, your thighs and your calf muscle!  Only problem is trying to stand up after doing the duck crawl.  Not recommended for many people... :)

Thus ends our cave visit.  Although I must say that they neglected to mention a very important fact in their brochure.  They neglected to tell you that you have to walk 15 minutes after this cave, under the hot Fijian sun, along a stinky track littered with horse poo to get back to the hotel.  Slippers are definitely not advisable.  I should know, cause the only souvenir I got from this trip was a massive cut under my foot from tripping over some sharp rocks.  

I have to thank Bert, who immediately took on the role as a paramedic as he attended to my wound as I bled helplessly.  I would also like to thank Jacq for sacrificing her water to wash off the blood.  And I would like to thank Phong for holding my hand.  :)