Creativity in the dark
Deep within the cave lay an "art gallery" containing sculptures molded out of the omnipresent mud. The mud was sufficiently sticky to cling to the walls of the cave. Natural protuberences became the foundations of gargoyle faces, no doubt inspired by an initial touch of pareidolia:
There were dozens -- perhaps hundreds -- of sculptures down there, ranging from crude little lumps to more elaborate things like this rather friendly-looking horned creature:
Since the air in the cave is cool and humid, the mud never dries out. The leader of our group said that some of these sculptures have been around for decades.
I was touched by this crude rendition of an Orthodox Cross (note the burned-out tea light balanced atop one of its arms):
Unfortunately, however, I certainly never got an opportunity for stillness and prayer within a circle of lamplight myself. The group that I was with saw the trip as an adventurous athletic activity, rather than an opportunity for contemplation, or even just thoughtful sight-seeing. The group's leader set quite a brisk pace, and most of the other participants were young and boisterous. I often found myself scrambling just to keep up (in movies, the monster always picks off the stragglers, right?).
There were dozens -- perhaps hundreds -- of sculptures down there, ranging from crude little lumps to more elaborate things like this rather friendly-looking horned creature:
Since the air in the cave is cool and humid, the mud never dries out. The leader of our group said that some of these sculptures have been around for decades.
I was touched by this crude rendition of an Orthodox Cross (note the burned-out tea light balanced atop one of its arms):
Unfortunately, however, I certainly never got an opportunity for stillness and prayer within a circle of lamplight myself. The group that I was with saw the trip as an adventurous athletic activity, rather than an opportunity for contemplation, or even just thoughtful sight-seeing. The group's leader set quite a brisk pace, and most of the other participants were young and boisterous. I often found myself scrambling just to keep up (in movies, the monster always picks off the stragglers, right?).