The Deadliest place on Earth? Surviving Cueva de los Cristales - The Giant Crystal Cave

It's 50oC and has a humidity of 100%, less than a hundred people have been inside and it's so deadly that even with respirators and suits of ice you can only survive for 20 minutes before your body starts to fail. It’s the nearest thing to visiting another planet – it’s going deep inside our own.

The pictures are amazing - the crystals are much bigger than people. It looks like the set of some scifi movie.

Nigel and I intrepidly stepped forwards – to say that the heat hit us like a wall would be an understatement, my glasses steamed up and their metal frames almost burnt me - I had to leave them at the entrance. A slightly fuzzy view however did not perturb my sense of awe. I was dumbstruck. A torrent of sweat streamed from my head, my energy was being sucked away, and my breathing became heavy. The view was enthralling, my eyes led me forwards but my body wanted to retreat. I was dwarfed by a forest of giant gypsum crystals, some up to 12 metres long - the largest crystals ever discovered, some estimated to weigh as much as 55 tonnes. It was something that had to be seen to be believed and I was doing just that... however within just five minutes I had gone from a reasonably fit 30 year old to an asthmatic 60 year old – it is the antithesis to the elixir of life!

Congratulations Erin!

I've seen a show about that cavern, it's amazing.

Oooh, pretty.

I am eating Chex Mix for brunch. I just finished the lesson plan for my tutoring session today (musical notes as fractions), when I found out it was canceled. Just as well, as I should get dressed and start cleaning for the Beatles Rock Band gathering this afternoon.

I've seen a show about that cavern, it's amazing.

Yeah, in the link they talk about being there to film it. Perhaps that was the show you saw....

I was doing the preschool drop off and commiserating with other moms about coin swallowing.

Now I'm writing a column trying to mine this experience for comedy gold.

I forgot to subscribe to the new thread, that's where I was.

Neither work NOR public school was cancelled by our dusting of snow, though half the state seems to be closed (to be fair, they seem to have actually gotten some precipitation on the roads elsewhere - ours were dry.) To celebrate the bitter cold, we're going to weatherstrip our front door (that you can see daylight through) this weekend. Whoo.

The other day my sister-in-law posted this:

I think I just saw a Checkers ad that had a chicken/*double* cheeseburger sandwich. Really? Cause they're just not enough individually??

She lives in Baltimore - so you guys have a Doublemeat Palace? Because "It's a meat process" immediately sprang to mind when I read her post.

It's snowing here, but not likely to accumulate more than an inch or two. (There's a little on the ground in Brooklyn, none at all in Manhattan.)

I'm here. I just mostly lurk. Speed: intimidating!

weekend - not a lot of ideas

sat - karate (after 2 weeks off) proabably fast food with at least a couple of the other kids in the class, hopefuly no last minute bum rush into a playdate

sun - church, then I think treat myself to a nice lunch while my brother has mac.