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It’s a dark, mysterious cave filled with man-eating vampire bats, was my first impression of the Green Grotto Cave in Runaway Bay, Jamaica. What’s worse was that before even entering the cave, the tour guide told our group to put on hard hats so that if rocks were to fall on us, we wouldn’t get sent to the hospital. He also added that we had to be careful where we stepped because there were lots of deep holes in the ground. I immediately thought of all the ways I could die in there, and treaded carefully. I was in middle school when my family and I visited the Green Grotto Cave. This is still one of my favorite attractions in Jamaica. It is both educational and fun for all ages. At the entrance of the cave, the tour guide reassured us that there are no vampire bats in Jamaica, and that the bats in this cave are fruit bats. My fear turned into excitement as I hoped that I’d get to pet one. He pointed the flashlight up toward them. I couldn’t believe how cute they were. They were huddled together within holes, trying to find the warmest place and avoid the bright light shining upon them. But, I felt disgusted when he informed us that bats poop upside down and their holes looked dark because they were stained with guano. We continued along our journey, venturing on bridges and swerving pathways. He taught us about stalactites, stalagmites, and different rock formations. I enjoyed seeing first-hand how water can affect the shape of caves. For our next stop, we all went down narrow stairs with the tour guide lighting the way ahead. When we reached the bottom, there was a deck surrounded by wooden rails. He told us to look over the edge of the rails. I was afraid at first, but I mustered up the courage and looked. What I saw was both frightening and stunning; there was a deep body of water, so deep it seemed to go miles down. The bottom was filled with sharp stones protruding out, ready to stab any careless diver. The water even had small fish and invisible things that sometimes reappeared to sparkle at its guests. When the tour guide asked us if we’d swim in the water, we said “no,” of course, fearful of sinking to its depths. He told us the water is so clear that it reflects the top of the cave, and it’s not deep at all. In fact, if we looked closely, we could see the real ground. When I paid more attention, I realized the invisible things in the water were, in fact, the ground. They were stones shining from the reflection of the light and the shimmering of the water. It was amazing, like seeing two different sceneries at once. That was when he mentioned that African American slaves brought by the Spanish had to navigate the cave without light. “Let’s see if you’d make it as slaves,” he said before turning off his flashlight. Shrieks and laughs echoed off the cave walls as the group ran up the stairs. Next, we arrived at an area where the cave opened up from above. Long vines hung beautifully down from atop the cave. Looking up, I saw the bright blue skies and long, skinny trees covered in greenery. They tried to hide behind each other, fighting to get away from people’s peering eyes. The last sight was the map of Jamaica. I was looking around for a sign with the Jamaican map painted on it, but the guide told us to look at the naturally formed hole in a rock. After a short time of turning our heads, the cave was filled with “ohs” and “ahs”. There it was, the big hole was the Jamaican map. It was shaped just like its country. When we had to leave, I was disappointed. My time there felt too short, and I still wanted to explore. But I have to say, my biggest disappointment was that I didn’t get to pet any bats.