Actually, it was good to have the captain’s assistance inasmuch as none of the tours were offered in English. A guide led us through about six hundred meters of the cave. After we finished the tour, Croitoru approached a woman who seemed to be in charge of the guides. He greeted the lady cordially, removed a letter from his uniform’s coat pocket and presented it to her. She read it then stepped outside the cave’s entrance. After a brief conversation on her walkie-talkie, she returned and handed the captain his letter and a detailed map of the entire cavern.
He’d received permission to lead us through several portions of the cave that are off-limits to the public. When he explained this to us, Cortell beamed. The woman called and waved us over to a metal trunk filled with spelunker helmets
