The Real Borat

So caving is kind of terrifying, right? I don't mean like Lavatubes caving (by the way why the fuck do the Flag Lavatubes have a facebook account), but like holy shit this is a real cave with stalagtites and bats that will eat your face and an underground river.

I sign up for a tour yesterday of the caves with a little Jessie thought bubble coming up which might have said something like this "Oh, cool. Walk down into a cave with a guide. I haven't spoken more than 50 words in the last two days so I might as well have some human interaction." Old-school timidness showing through. Anyways, I show up this morning in good spirits learning that it won't be a private guide but instead I am going to be accompanied by a large Hungarian man with a bald head and a mouth that would have him thrown out of any public area in the Western world. We make our way down to the cave (15min walk from town) and then into the cave where we promptly have to squeeze through incredibly tight spaces. Not a problem for me, a real problem for our friend the self pronounced "Hungry Hungarian." The guide and I snicker as he frequently exclaims "fucking bastards" with as much gusto as he can muster while being wedged between two rocks. Then the exciting part commences. We must lower our selves down into the cave using a plastic rope that has a few knots in it. The guide, who must weigh no more than 120 pounds has to basically carry the 220 pound Hungarian down. It was fabulous. After arriving at the bottom we find a sweet swimming hole and another Jessie thought bubble pops up: "Fuck yes!". As I strip down to my swimming suit I am harrassed, no tormented, by this Eastern European man-child who offers me 20 pesos for the "show". That continued till exiting the cave.

Borat(clearly not his real name, but this is literally what the Filipino guide began referring to him as by the end) although macho as anyone could be ended up being pretty entertaining company. We ended up hiking to a pottery studio after the cave adventure and talking to the lady who ran the place for an hour. Good day all in all. Tomorrow I hike to Bontoc and then to Banaue. The next day: back to Manila and then to BANGKOK!!!!