If you ask any of my friends “would Sue climb and crawl into a dark hole in the ground to explore a cave”, most (if not all) would say no way, no how.  I would tend to agree in most cases – dirt, bugs, yuck.  Easter Island changed that for me.  I was joined by the UK couple from the plane and we were exploring without a guide.  We had read and inquired about the Easter Island cave called the  “cave with two windows” and Paul, our guide/hotel host, would tell us to never go in a cave alone and never without a marker in case of emergency which tells other travelers the cave is occupied.  So armed with food, water and torches (flashlights) were started our quest.

The three of us spread out to find the hold in the ground as the entrance to the cave.  The side of the volcano held many lava tunnels, this was one of the more famous as it had to openings to the cliffs with a view of the water.  We found the cave only because the couple in the cave had left a bright striped shirt outside.  We waited for them to emerge from the cave before proceeding ourselves.  They said it was dark, sharp and small that you had to crawl in some parts.

So with a bit of peer pressure (is there any better motivator?), I acted like a seasoned explorer ready to go.  Of course, I would let the other two go first, it seemed the polite thing to do while I watched carefully how they maneuvered their bodies to enter.  I was thinking about my big feet, hips and hoping not to get stuck along the way.  Thankfully, we were doing this together, as a solo traveler with zero outdoor skills per se, I wouldn’t have done this alone.

I left my teal scarf outside under the rock to let the next group know we were inside and then stuck my big feet down and shimmied along the sides until I could get inside.

Once my feet were on the ground and I walked a bit away from the sun coming in from the entrance, it was dark, and of course, I hit my head first which then made me bend down the rest of the way. There were pointed edges of rock all around so I was taking things slowly.

The trek inside was slow going and I was aided by vocal cues from the couple ahead as I was led to the two windows of the cave.

Each window had a different shape to it –

 

Climbing in the cave definitely gave you a different vantage point to understand the island, one that you needed to work a bit to get to but was worth the adventure.  Seeing the steep cliffs, the rocks, the power of the water, gave you even more insight into Birdman competition challenges.

After the climb up and out of the cave, another couple was waiting to start their adventure in the cave.

As we walked above the caves, along the cliffs, you could look back at the coastline and know the windows are down there but not see them from above.  It was a great adventure to add to my visit of Easter Island.

As for my friends (and me), here is proof that I climbed in a hole in the ground, through the dark in a cave…..a cave with two windows on Easter Island.