Hindang Cave: the inside

      
    1^st cave
 

The big boulders of rocks in the entrance excites me

 

I was amazed by the colors of the rocks. There was gray and green because of the moss and molds

 


There were many chambers inside the cave with ceilings as high as 60-80 feet much like of a cathedral with stalagmites and stalactites in all shapes and sizes.

 

The first cave that we entered in is inhabited with bats and we can see the bats resting and hanging on the ceiling of the cave. There were lots of them. We can smell the awful smell of their urine and excrements covering the floor of the cave.

the dark color of the cave floor shows the bat dung

           The view of the rocks inside the cave is amazing. The colors, textures, shapes and sizes.the cave is very alive and active.

a stalactite formation (draper)

straws

 The Science behind the form



                                Questions like:     What are Stalactites?
                                                               What are Stalagmites?
                                                               How do they form?
           
Here’s how it works:
          The mineralized groundwater that flows underground passes through limestones. The water then dissolves the minerals from the limestone and drips very slowly on the ceiling of the cave carrying with it the mineral that came from the limestones (mostly calcium carbonates). The air from the cave contains carbon dioxide comes in contact with the water causes a chemical reaction and reverses the process. The reaction turns water into solid. This process goes on and on until stalactites will be formed hanging from above or on the ceiling of the cave. Or there may be times that the drips of water reaches the floor or the lower surface of the cave thus stalagmites are formed. Amazing isn’t it?.

the water flows to the tip forming a cone shape

the flow of the water makes the form like this on horizontal

newly formed stalagmites

there may be times that the chemical reaction didn't work

  We saw some insects inside the cave like crickets. And they are very healthy and grow to its full size as no other predator could disturb them. They feed on the insects that feed in the bat dung.

 

crickets grow for up to 3-4 inches in size

              

                            Some sections of the cave have narrow entrance and we may need to sneak or crawl to get into that section or chamber. There is no other outlet from the first cave so that means the entrance or the entry point is also the exit point. After taking pictures we proceeded to the next cave.

the trail leading to the second cave

2^nd cave

     

at the entrance of the second cave

with roger at the entrance

                                                       
                                                      some of the pictures inside

drapers

a closer look of a draper. If you flick it with your finger, it sounds like porcelain

                                                                             

 

an exit point that requires some rope

L-R : roger , me , brian

       

when stactites and stalagmites meet they are called columns, like this

    The second cave is much better than the first one maybe because for one thing: there is no awful smell of the bats inside. The second cave though is thrived with cave birds. A blacknest swiftlet bird called Collacalia Maxima. They build their nests using feathers mixed with their gummy saliva. The nest is lighter in color usually white or yellow. They nest on the holes on the limestones especially on the ceiling.

the cave bird nest mixed with some twigs and feathers in the hole of the ceiling of the cave

the black cave bird (right) nesting on the holes at the ceiling of the cave

The locals are harvesting the nests to sell it because the nest has a high market value. These nests can be made into a soup and has high nutritive values that will bring various effects to the body like:  boosting the immune system, enhances the rebirth of cell tissues or improves the functions of internal organs and the like….Based on my research that a bowl of bird nest soup costs $200 in other countries. It is very popular especially in the Chinese community. If you will soak the nest in water it will expand up to 5-8 times from its size.

the cave bird nest mixed with feathers. The white stuff is the gummy saliva

     This second cave has no very high ceilings but it has a long network inside and there is an exit point. There are much more rock formations than the first. There are many chambers that can be explored. Sometimes I get frightened by the birds inside as they were disturbed by our presence they fly around and might hit me. But they are not aggressive and totally harmless.

There are two sad things that I have observed on the cave. First, since the locals are harvesting cavebird nests they have big tendency of harming the cave. They climb on the sections of the cave to get the nests and they are stepping and staining mud into the delicate stalactites and stalagmites formations that takes years to form. Second, people getting into the cave are making some unnecessary writings on the walls therefore destroying the scenery of the cave. I only found out after seeing the pictures. It is my first time to get here, the next time I get here I will suggest to the local officials there to make a little orientation about the do’s and dont’s inside the cave to preserve it and avoid harming it.

the mud stains on the walls of the cave

the beautiful crystals stained with mud

We lost track of time. We didn’t notice that it’s already late afternoon and we already spent almost 5 hours in taking pictures and exploring inside the two caves. We spent more time specially that my buddies are busy getting cave bird nests for them to sell. We decided to go home before it gets dark as we have a long trail to take on. We went on to the exit point.

the steep slope to the exit point

                                                       

brian helping roger in going up the steep slope of the exit point

                                                               
                                                    

it is only after taking the pictures that i noticed the annoying writings

the narrow exit

going up

roger in action

                   


                                      we then headed home taking the same trail in getting here. 

 Brian rode me into his motorbike into the highway. Brian took me into another route in going to the highway which leads to lugait and it was already dark when we arrived there. I took a bus as i have to catch for an evening shift at work. wheew!! what a day.





What to bring : 

•  Flashlights, headlights or any lighting equipment
•  a good pair of shoes with good traction for the steep slope
• food. you might take more time inside the caves
• enough water. there are no water at the start of the climb or outside the caves
• ropes (optional)
• extra batteries for camera. you may use your camera flash all the time and it drains your batteries fast.