Caving In The Dominican Republic

We're far away from the safety of Punta Cana's golf resorts in the Dominican Republic, when I question my decision to take a taxi so far from cell-phone range. Our cabbie, Danny, speaks no English. I met him at the Iberostar Bávaro Resort, where I'd asked for a rare DR adventure. Danny parks and we walk to a cave known as La Cueva de Rulfo. Bats skitter overhead as we enter. I follow Danny through four rooms, and past patches of light where ferns sprout. After about an hour we rest, surrounded by dancing crepuscular rays. My senses must be heightened in the dark, because for some reason I recall the reverent sounds of a church choir and feel the presence of another body. I turn and jump at the sight of a man intently reading his Bible under a ray of light. It's triumphant for me, knowing we have come to the same place, an hour under the earth, to find peace from the outside world.