Leaving San Juan: A Cave to Remember – Monday, May 5

After staying up late last night, doing laundry, and getting everything packed and ready to leave, it was now finally time to depart San Juan. It was a melancholic feeling to have to leave so soon since we had just started to get used to it. However, I was also excited to be engrossed in more parts of Puerto Rico’s culture. We packed everything on the bus and set off at around 8:35 a.m. I ended up taking a nap on the bus, but I do remember how the bus driver was playing Bad Bunny’s music really loudly. It was fun and it really lifted the mood inside the bus for me.

When I woke up we had arrived at a place called Aventura Cueva Ventana or Window Cave Adventure. Many of us had never explored a cave before, so this was an exciting moment. The tour guides were also phenomenal: They were funny, informative, and very patient. They were called Dany and Chris, and they were wonderful to have guiding us. The path was slippery, full of rocks and steep at times, but it was a fun path to traverse still. When we reached the first of two caves, birds started flying over us as we reached the peak of the stairs. Along the entrance of the cave, we got to admire petroglyphs, some little faces carved into the wall that were made by the Taíno people over 500 years ago. The cave was cold and dark. There was an eerie feeling that followed me throughout, and it was only exemplified with the roaches. The first cave was small though, and we quickly made our way out and regrouped.
The second cave was the aforementioned Cueva Ventana (Window Cave). The cave was completely pitch black. We ended up having to use flashlights that they handed to us. We also encroached upon the den of the bats. We were told to turn off our flashlights and one of the tour guides turned on a red flashlight so as to not disturb the bats. As the light leads up to the ceiling of the cave, hundreds of bats are revealed as they huddle in groups. It was surreal to witness an animal that many people fear, lay so peacefully still.

Beyond the bats was a narrow path. After shimmying through the path, a bright light shone through begging for attention. As our eyes started to adjust to the new light, we were greeted by a breathtaking view. We were 680 ft. above the ground, staring into a valley. After taking it all in, and some pictures, we went back out of the cave and returned to the buses.
We then stopped for lunch at a little restaurant. They didn’t speak English at the restaurant, so that’s when we knew that we were deeper into Puerto Rico. After eating, we got back on the bus and traveled through the curvaceous mountain roads. We eventually made it to a hotel in Adjuntas, and we ended our day there.

Gustavo