Page 120 - AGC-Journal-2016
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AGC JOURNAL 2016
Returning To Cave
In The Abode Of The Clouds
By Lieutenant Colonel Toby Hamnett
On this sunny day in to 12 inches wide, steeply descending the
February, Benetto, an Indian cliff face with the occasional view through
the jungle to the valley floor, almost a
teenager, was in a good mood kilometre below. The flip-flops seemed
and smiling broadly. He to make his rapid descent easier, rather
had started to look into the than harder. I, amongst the three teams
of cavers, followed slowly and carefully
caves a mile or so from his down the path in walking boots or wellies
village a few months before. with survey equipment on our backs. We
stopped in a small clearing, changed into
Word of the exploration caving gear and headed into the complex
possibilities from the foreign maze of Krem Puri to show Benetto the
expeditions to the area had Krem Puri Survey. The ongoing survey showing 8.2 km of cave he had seen by firelight and further
on, far beyond his previous limit.
spread. Aside from the thrill Krem Puri. Drawn by Yoxz Burgers
of exploring, there were Krem Puri The Expedition
possible commercial tourist However, he had been talking in the For a second year I had been privileged to
opportunities for the local corrugated iron shack which was the be invited by Simon Brookes and Thomas
villages. His torches, made local tea shop where he had met the Arbenz to join the Caving in the Abode of
expedition who had recently arrived and
from burning bundles of who were enthusiastic to learn of his trips the Clouds Project expedition to discover,
explore and map the caves in Meghalaya,
bamboo, provided enough underground. They also had powerful North East India. The focus of the
light for twenty minutes electric lights, far outlasting the burning expedition had moved from the Jantia Hills
bamboo. Together with the cavers and
of the previous year to the Khasai Hills,
of caving. At that point, dressed, as usual, in jeans, tee shirt and south of Shillong, overlooking the border
progress became difficult, flip flops, Benetto left the partially tarmac with Bangladesh. Mawsynram, the nearest
road and set off toward his cave, Krem
not only because the torch Puri. The path to the cave was about 10 town of note, was famous, or perhaps
infamous, for receiving more rainfall than
had burned out, but the
passage had filled now with
impenetrable smoke
The campsite with tents on the platforms in the jungle Krem Tylong Siej. A cave with multiple entrances
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