The Amazing Race: Fourteen Falls edition

If you love reality shows, especially reality game shows, then I'm sure you've heard of the Amazing Race. If you haven't, then you're missing out! 'The Amazing Race' is simply a competition that couples sign up for; it could be friends, spouses, partners, siblings, or parent and child. A location in the world is picked and the game requires the two people to work as a team and travel around that location with the aim of getting to their destination before the other teams do.

Well, I had my own taste of 'The Amazing Race' when I visited Fourteen Falls near Thika yesterday. I'd been dying (okay, not really) but reaally yearning to go to Fourteen Falls, particularly with my boyfriend. So you can imagine my joy when he surprised me with yesterday's trip! I was elated!  Now, keep in mind we really weren't 100% sure of how to get there but we were up for the adventure...and that's exactly what we got!

We took a matatu from Nairobi's CBD headed to Thika which took us about half an hour. From Thika town, we had to ask for directions, so we decided to ask one of the matatu drivers standing nearby. I've always loved how Kenyans give directions :) so helpful. When we asked the driver where we can get matatus going to Fourteen Falls, he asked us, "Mnajua Yushop?". My boyfriend and I looked at each other quizically and said, "Ati?"
         "Yushop! Hamjui?"
 When we replied in the negative, the driver then embarked on giving us directions, Kenyan-style, with lots of   pointing and gesturing and help from his tout.
       
        "Mchukue ile barabara..main road na muendelee nayo, for about 100m, mpaka mfike round-a-bout kubwa. Mpite iyo round-a-bout alafu mtapata bumps mbili alafu mtaona petrol station inaitwa Kenol. Hapo kwa petrol station, hapo Kenol, mtaona magari."

And so after stifling our smiles and offering our thanks, we took to the kind man's directions, and after what seemed like a long stretch on Thika's 'Kenyatta highway', we got to the round-a-bout and from there we could see the Kenol petrol station. Thank goodness for good directions!

The matatu stop had a board with its destinations written on it. I still can't get over how they'd written Fourteen Falls :D
      "F4 Falls"
Should have taken a photo! Anyway...

We got one a mat that was almost leaving but still had empty seats. Fare was 100kshs per person so we figured Fourteen Falls must be quite a distance away from Thika town. It turned out to be just as far as we imagined it to be, though the distance may have been a little exaggerated by the rickety, overcrowded 14-seater matatu with heavy goods on its already sagging roof. And do you know we ended up coming back in the same matatu? But let me not get ahead of myself.

Eventually, we got to the entrance of Fourteen Falls and squeezed out of the matatu. What we saw before us was like a scene from a western...three buildings, all deserted but in good condition, and one woman, sitting alone just outside one of the buildings. My boyfriend went to speak to her and thankfully, she was another helpful citizen. When he came back I asked him what she said and he told me,"She said we follow this dirt road until we hear a mighty rushing sound. Then we follow that sound and we'll be there." We were amused by choice of words, 'mighty, rushing sound' but understood them the instance we heard it for ourselves. Just like it is with many water bodies, you hear them before you see them. The falls are no exception.

The entry point where you're charged 

Once you're in and you've sweet-talked your way out of the ridiculous camera charge, your first view is a big rushing river and people gathered in groups, enjoying themselves or looking for customers/guides. My boyfriend and I stood looking at the river, wondering what to do next, but we didn't wonder too long. A local guide approached us and asked us if we wanted to do 'the adventure'. When we asked him what that was, he said it entailed crossing the river on foot, going down to the falls where he would dive for us, then leave us to picnic. After weighing the risks of drowning, slipping on the rocks, dying young...yadidadidada, we decided YOLO right? ;)

That's River Athi...rushing River Athi

Crossing that river was no easy feat! We all had to hold hands, go very slowly, step carefully and imitate the guide's footholds. Most times the rocks underwater were slippery with moss and we almost fell a couple of times. At some points the river was knee-deep, at others, thigh-deep. I was the one in the middle of the two men, Bahati (our guide) and my boyfriend so Bahati kept telling me, "Madame, onyesha mister pahali pa kunyanga." Whenever I'd slip he'd say, "Wee! Madame, usituangushe!"
     Occasionally, he'd remark,"Madame! Usimwache mister!" and I'd reply, "Sitamwacha!"

The group ahead of us, taking the daring river crossing!

It was sooo much fun but it needed a lot of teamwork. I was constantly warning my sweetheart when the rocks were slippery, telling him to step where my foot is even if it meant he would step on my toes. It's amazing we had time to take photos!

Us and our guide, Bahati

Finally, we saw what we'd journeyed all that way for...the Fourteen Falls. I'm not sure what hits you first; the sight of the water or the sound of it. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen and if I may blow my own trumpet, I've seen a lot for someone my age. There's big black rocks everywhere and the closer you get to the falls, the more you feel the fine mist in the air. Amazing.

THE 14 (sometimes 20+ ) FALLS

Elated :D

Our guide asked us to count the falls and tell him how many we thought they were. I counted 15, my boyfriend counted 16. Bahati (the guide) told us there were more than 20! He said that often happens when it has rained and there's lots of water. It's during the dry season that they reduce and remain 14. There's your 'Did you know?' for the day!

Side view of the falls

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, despite the long journey there and back (in the same rickety matatu I might add!), walking on hot rocks barefoot, the heat and the dust. I would definitely do it all again, in a heartbeat.
That's why I would advise you all to go see the Fourteen Falls. You don't have to take 'the adventure' if you don't want to, but please do try and go out of your comfort zone, even if it's just a little. You can take a boat ride or carry your costume and swim. I promise you, it'll be fun!!

Just a piece of advice...ladies, dress in something you won't mind getting wet, dirty or torn. So leave the dresses, skirts, jumpsuits, heels, dressy sandals and other unnecessary, uncomfortable paraphanelia for another day.

Men, this is a perfect excuse to hold the hand of the one you love as you help her navigate those rocky paths! ;) Also, there's something about nature that just calms you and gives you peace of mind..the perfect recipe for romance. ;) So why waste what God has freely given us?

A guide doing a back flip into the water

 Go to the Fourteen Falls! Don't take any unnecessary risks. Enjoy nature, keep healthy as you do it and stay happy!!


   

View from the boat

And we stumble on...with Your help

For the first few years of our lives, we don't get to decide on most issues concerning ourselves.
We're dressed, bathed, told when to eat, what to eat, what not to eat, what to wear, where to go, how to walk and talk. We're shown the good spots to 'hang out', warned against friends who are 'bad influences' and pushed towards those who are 'good influences'.
Then slowly, we're given over to our own devices...for some, it takes longer than others, but it always happens eventually.
Finally, we can pick our friends, pick what to wear, where to go, when we can go. No longer do we have to give a detailed description of our day. We can just say," It was really great!" and then close up again.

The thing is, I doubt we really understand how to make these choices for ourselves. After having had them made for you for so long, I don't understand how they expect us to just take over and be right all the time.

It takes a lot of trial and error, stumbles and scrapes but eventually we get there. We're faced with a hurdle, manage to jump over it successfully and feel so proud of ourselves that we look around to see if everyone noticed. We look around, no one was watching; no one noticed. Disappointed, we go on with life, feeling like nothing big has happened, because that's exactly how the world regarded it.

We like to tell ourselves that we're different, but really, we're all the same. We all face the same issues, go about tackling them the same way. All of us human beings came from the soil, and we'll all go back to the same soil. The things that differentiate us also identify us and we definitely should embrace our unique qualities.

We all go through the same motions; we're born, raised, or in some cases, raise ourselves, gain our independence, fall in love, get hurt and/or hurt others, eventually settle down. Then comes engagement, then pregnancy (for us women) and your status changes. You're now a husband or a wife. That's not always the order, but it follows through, one way or another.

If all goes well, and you've found true love, you live a long life together, raise your family and probably die within a few years of each other.

And then what?