Getting ready for my day I sometimes listen to Good Morning America. Meteorologist Ginger Zee loves adventure. She reported on a stunning cavern only just discovered in 2009. Quang Bihn, Central Vietnam, one of the world's largest caverns inside a mountain. The trip took several days of traveling by many different modes of transportation, and was dirty and very dangerous. The filming was about 400 feet under ground. The crew were all wearing headlamps with ropes guiding each step. You had to hold onto the ropes or you would fall to your death. From my vantage point, they were walking, crawling, ducking, climbing, and panting (on occasion) each step of the way. The path was very narrow, grueling, with pools of water below, boulders above, and it was not for the faint of heart.
They traveled on foot for more than an hour, and then a world opened up, like from a scene in the film Avatar. A hidden world, the planet's largest cavern (largest 'known' cavern), and visited by fewer explorers than in outer space. There was a jungle inside this hidden world, with trees and plants, and animals - under a giant skylight, more than 800 feet below the surface. The scientist/guide said you don't normally get trees and jungles in caves, that's why it's quite different. Plants and animals have adapted to this unique subterranean world. One of the mammoth craters was big enough to park two 747's inside, and tall enough to fit an 80 story skyscraper! The caves, with a flowing river, has been carving it's way through a limestone mountain for 2 million years - forming the largest underground chamber on earth. "More than 1.3 billion cubic feet of subterranean beauty." And 5 months out of the year, this underground marvel is under water. What else is out there?
At first glance, I thought how fabulous to go there and be part of this crew. But the moment they descended into the cavern, and it became dark and completely enclosed, I lost interest. Actually, I felt myself getting nervous just thinking about the claustrophobia. Claustrophobia is defined as the abnormal fear of being in enclosed or narrow places. Yep, that's the word I was looking for. We can no doubt look forward to a special to air on ABC.
Thank you, good night and God Bless! Aleta
"There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self."
Aldous Huxley
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