June 12, 2002 - Budapest

(part 2, caving)

A group of 8 of us gathered together in downtown Budapest and ventured out into the countryside to enjoy what we thought would be a leisurely stroll through some caves.  After 2-3 hours of sweating, cussing, being half-blind, squished, about to fall 40 feet, and generally just abused, we had a new idea of what "caving" actually meant.  It was such a great time and I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything.  If you notice some distortion in the pictures, it's because my camera's battery started to die partway through the caves.  I am still sometimes amazed that I was able to get that thing through there with no permanent damage.

From left to right...Skye, Chris, John, Missy, Iain, Allan, Julie, and Bella. This was right after we got dressed and were waiting to head to the caves.

Waiting for our guide to lead us deeper

Missy's ducking low to make it though this passage

Bella (left) and Skye (right) waiting to proceed

Skye waiting to slide down

Julie (rear) and Bella (middle) follow Missy down the slide

Allan and Julie on their hands and knees

Allan working his way through a tight squeeze

Iain is close behind Allan

Our guide looks on as Bella worms her way through the "wedgie," the smallest passage in the cave

John making his way out of the wedgie

Skye making her way out of the wedgie

Missy making her way out of the wedgie

Iain making his way out of the wedgie

From left to right...John, Skye, Allan, and Julie enjoying a good sit

Missy sliding again with Iain close behind

One of my favorite pictures from the caving trip, John helping Skye up through a hole in the ceiling

I apologize for the poor image quality, but this is the only picture I have of the 40 foot drop that we had to shimmy across. This was the scariest part for me...not that I'm afraid of heights, just afraid of falling.

Skye (left) looks on as Missy (middle) and John (right) work their way around a large rock

Finally, a picture of me!!

From left to right...Skye, Bella, Julie, and John wait at "Winnie the Pooh", the smallest hole (not an actual passage) in the cave

Bella and Julie wait as Iain (blue helmet) and Missy (white helmet) enter the cavern

From left to right...John, Chris, Skye, Missy, Julie, Bella...this was supposed to be our "in-cave" group picture but somehow Allan and Iain got cut off

Our guide wiggling through Winnie the Pooh

Iain showing just how small the Winnie the Pooh hole actually is

John enterering "the sandwich", a very narrow passage between two slabs of rock...not for the claustrophobic

Here I am entering the sandwich

Missy poking her head up at the exit of the sandwich

Sitting around at the exit of the sandwich...very close to the end now

Back row from left to right - Allan, Iain, Chris, John --- Front row from left to right - Julie, Bella, Skye, Missy...this was supposed to be our second in-cave group picture to make up for Allan and Iain being absent in the first one. My camera's battery was so low at this point that it's almost completely distorted.