Marengo Cave, Indiana

Next time you are in the Louisville area, it's worth taking the hour or so drive into Southern Indiana to visit the cave at Marengo. Although nowhere near as big as Kentucky's Mammoth Cave, Marengo certainly offers a fun way to spend an afternoon.

There are two basic tours of the cave, one lasting 45 minutes, the other an hour. I suggest taking both, as each explores one side of the cave, both meeting in the middle. Yes, you'll hear a lot of the same information twice, but the formations in each half are quite distinct due to different levels of humidity.

Our tour guide Sarah at the Dripstone Trail entrance. 

The cave was discovered by a young brother and sister in 1883. The Crystal Palace Tour will show the original entrance that they discovered and recreate their candlelight exploration, making you more than grateful for modern lighting.

By the turn of the 20th century, Marengo was a popular tourist destination and you will find many reminders of their visits, both in the gravity on the cave walls and through the damaged stalactites, broken off by many as souvenirs. It was even a popular site for dances in the years leading up to the Depression.

Now the site is a National Landmark, open daily for short tours and longer underground crawls.

So whether you're an experienced lover of the underground (such as I am) or if this is your first time, Marengo is worth a stop on your drive through Kentuckiana.

Reflections at Mirror Lake

Final Day in South Africa: Subterranean at Sudwala and a Fishy Nibble

Maybe it's my hermit nature but I love caves. There is something so refreshing about being underground, in the darkness, constant temperatures, away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. So when I first heard about the caves at Sudwala, I knew they would probably be on my itinerary at some point. With one day left to explore, I set out to see a little of underground South Africa.

Deciding against the all day caving expedition that is available once a month - after all, my clothes would get muddy and I had little left that was fit to wear on my flight home as it was - I settled for the regular hour long tour. As luck would have it, I arrived just as one was beginning.

Our excellent guide Owen explained the history of the caves to us. During the 19th century, they were a hide out for Samcuba, related to the king of the Swazi people. A giant flow stone near the cave entrance was used as an alarm bell to warn his people of possible attackers. One whack on the stone could be heard throughout the cave and on the land above. A variety of tools used by the Swazi people remain on display in the cave.

Later explorers suspected the cave of being the hiding place of the Kruger millions, a massive amount of gold bullion that went missing during the Boer War. Despite excavations, the gold has never been found, here or anywhere else.

In the 1960s, Philippus Rudolf Owen bought the land above the caves and decided to develop the underground caverns as a tourist attraction. He even built an underground amphitheater, taking advantage of the cool temperatures and excellent acoustics. Stars such as Miriam Makeba  have performed concerts in the amphitheater.

Of course, one habit I have once I get into a cave is taking tons of photos of random patterns and designs within the cave walls, hence:

Impressionist Art or Cave Ceiling?

Once the tour was over, I decided to skip the neighboring Dinosaur Park and make the most of the onsite fish spa. Having enjoyed a garra rufa pedicure during my last visit to England, I wasn't about the pass up the chance to let fish nibble on my feet again. And what a nibble. Apparently four weeks of flip flops and sunburn had taken their toll, and for the next hour, dozens of fish happily ate all the dead skin, much to the amusement and chagrin of everyone else in the spa. (One woman joked that all the fish were so busy feeding on me, they had none left for everyone else!)

If you've never tried one of these pedicures, I highly recommend them. It is wonderfully relaxing and my feet felt fabulous after.

Feeding all those fish did make me hungry though, so before I left, I made sure to visit the restaurant for a smoked trout salad and an opportunity to admire the view.

This was certainly a relaxing end to a memorable trip.