A Rough Diamond
14 February 2011 - by
The highlight of our discoveries in 2009: the Cave of The Three Chimneys (Cave Bellony).
Haiti, in all respects, is like a rough diamond that needs to be chiseled to reveal its beauty. It’s not your typical tourist destination, and therein lies its uniqueness.
Similarly in our caving explorations, as we crawl our way in, rub our butts on slippery ground, and walk precariously on unstable rocks, cautiously descending into the bowels of the earth, I feel like chiselers at work, discarding the rough parts while hanging on to the hope of a fantastic discovery. When our torches illuminate in all their virginal glory the spectacular formations and draperies of the cave, we know we have reached the core of a magnificent diamond.
The awesomeness of it leaves us speechless.
Covered with an array of formations resembling angel wings, a spectacular 36ft tall chimney is quickly named Chimney of Angels.
Suspended from the ceiling, fragile translucent draperies hanging down in wavy sheets of calcite, numerous long stalactites and other strange cream- and peach-colored formations capture our gaze for the longest time. What beauty!
Strangely enough, while underground, I feel close to heaven! Surrounding us is an eerie quality of spirituality as one can sense in a cathedral or other religious building. Hard to describe.
Carole Devillers