Defying Gravity

Our first week here at ABO, some of us were going on a short walk before dinner. During our walk, a local man stopped us and began chatting, asking many questions about where we're from, where we're going, what we're doing. After appropriately long introductions and an adequate amount of (awkward) small talk, he asked if we'd visited the place where "water runs uphill." Yes, that's right. He told us there is a place in Machakos where water runs uphill. 

Now I've never actually taken a physics course, but I'm pretty sure water naturally running uphill defies the laws of gravity. We were intrigued and asked where we could find this local attraction. He said, "Ask any driver. They will know the place." Obviously, we were anxious to see this phenomenon with our own eyes and made tentative plans to do so on one of our off-days.

Most days at ABO are packed with class, lectures, and the occasional ministry outing to learn more about local culture and customs. This doesn't leave much free time to rest or get off campus. Over the past ten days, we had one day off. And after spreading the word about "the uphill water," many of us knew how we wanted to spend our free morning!

We loaded up two big Land Cruisers with curious adults, excited and confused children, and jugs of water to see this mystery for ourselves. After about 15 minutes, we pulled over on the side of the road at a nondescript location. "Is this the spot? Are we in the right place? How will we know?," we asked. But within seconds, men appeared out of nowhere, and began running toward our vehicles holding large bottles of water. Yep, we were definitely in the right place.

 

walking up the hill

one of the vehicles parked below

 We piled out of the vehicles and followed the men up the road a little ways. They proudly and confidently explained that "this is the only place in the world where this happens." Someone refuted that statement saying that, actually, there is also a place in Canada where water can run uphill. "But you can't believe that one," the Kenyan man joked. "It's so cold in Canada, the water freezes as soon as you pour it!"

What happened next is hard to describe, and photos really don't do it justice (as you'll see). But I can now say I've seen it with my own eyes... The water really did run uphill! We poured it on the road, and rather than running down, it slowly but steadily trickled UP the hill.

What was maybe even more amazing than the water was when the vehicle rolled uphill, as well. Even loaded down with 10 people, when the Land Cruiser was put in neutral at the bottom of the hill, it slowly began to back up the hill with the driver touching nothing but the steering wheel!

I have no explanation for this amazing phenomenon. Some doubters among us said it's all an optical illusion...that the road looks like it's going uphill, but it's actually downhill. I think that's one thing you can clearly see even from the photos, though. We saw it and walked it, and that road was most certainly going uphill!

Others simply refused to believe on the basis on physics. The laws of gravity cannot be defied, therefore, even though I saw the water and vehicle go uphill, I don't believe it.

I certainly can't understand what happened there, and I know it's not normal, but most of us were happy to just accept the novelty! Call us easily amused or blatantly naive, but I'm okay taking what I saw and experienced at face value. Chalk it up to one of the many amazing and unexplained mysteries in this world (unless someone out there has an explanation for me... which I'd greatly appreciate!).

Regardless, it was a great way to take a break from our daily routine and see something so "famous" in the area!

Do you believe it?