My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
October 2nd 2025
I was very excited to visit the Underground River. Not only did it sound cool based on its name alone (to be fair, ‘boat ride through a cave’ would also sound cool) but Lauren had gone several years ago and she highly recommended it.
I got the lowdown from the people who had done the tour the day before, so I knew what kind of water shoes I needed.
We drove about an hour from where the ship docked reach a boat that would take us to a beach. We would climb out of the boat into the water, cross the beach, and walk through a forest filled with pick-pocketing monkeys. From there, we’d board a smaller boat that we would take us into the cave.
They gave us a wand with headphones. The tour was prerecorded. Since noise would disturb the animals in the cave, this allowed us to learn about our surroundings without making any sound (well, some ooh’s and ahh’s did escape – it couldn’t be helped).
Most of the photos I took inside the cave didn’t turn out.
Being in the cool, quiet cave, accompanied by the music and the soothing stories made up about the rocks dripping and rising all around us, put me into a surprisingly meditative state.
I came out of the cave feeling deeply happy and peaceful.
They took us to a resort for lunch.
After our local lunch, the owner showed us around the property.
The underground river surpassed my hopes.
The boat rides satisfied my thirst for adventure, but the peaceful sense of bliss that filled my spirit was what truly surprised and impressed me.
On the ship, I race around trying to get as much work done as efficiently as possible. Ashore, I try to see as much as I can in the limited time we have. So having my mind slow down—without me even intending it—felt like an unexpected massage for my soul.
It’s definitely an experience that I highly recommend.