Wednesday 8 February 2012

An Optical Illusion?

Wild horses cannot drag me out of our 'awesome'(it's the top word used in the children's school!) abode and I am specially reluctant to leave the house on Sundays.But a few months ago we had heard about a remarkable phenomenon that occurs in a place which is around an hour's drive from Nairobi.Friends from our Dar Es Salaam days had told us about it and since then we had been agog to view it ourselves.So when they invited us to join them last Sunday, we were more than ready.
We had heard that there is a spot on a hill called Kituluni Hill a few kilometers from the market town of Machakos,which was a Kolonial administrative center and is a few years older than Nairobi.It is also called 'Magic Hill' and this particular stretch of a few meters is said to defy the rules of gravity!We were finally getting a chance to test it ourselves and become eye witnesses to what is termed as a miraculous sight!
We set off from Nairobi by mid morning and this time we were going in the direction opposite to the one we had taken to go to the Great Rift Valley.As we left the outskirts of Nairobi, gradually, the landscape began changing.The hilly contours of the city that is our current home gave way to flat,arid land.All we could see were small,stunted Acacia tress and,sometimes,scraggly Eucalyptus trees that still managed to look stately!Even the maize in the fields we passed had turned yellow in the hot summer sun.
We are now so accustomed to seeing green everywhere,dappled with bright splashes of Nairobi's beautiful flowers,that I began feeling strange even before we had reached the 'strange' spot!And there were no giraffes or zebras grazing casually by the roadside as there had been on our last trip out of Nairobi!Puffy white Cumulus  clouds stretched across the sky.A few grey clouds hovered over the horizon but it did not seem as if it would rain that day!
As we entered Machakos town,we could see green,terraced hills once again and soon enough we started going up a gentle incline.The car climbed steadily up for some time and then around half way up the hill we were at our destination.We parked by the side and were surrounded by the local people who were eager to demonstrate the weird phenomenon.They took a plastic bottle,filled it with water and gave it a push to make it roll down hill.Instead,before our very eyes,the bottle began rolling uphill!We had to blink twice to reassure ourselves that we were not seeing things!My son,being the typical analytical Aquarian that he is,insisted that the strong breeze was pushing the bottle in the wrong direction!So one of the men opened the bottle and poured the water out on the slope.As per all known laws,it should have flowed down the incline.It began snaking it's way upwards!My son was dumbfounded!I had finally found something that shut him up!!
Then they asked us to get into our car and put it into neutral gear and release the brake.Logically we should have begun rolling backwards,something that makes me panic even today after a bad experience we had on the old Mumbai Pune road when I was a child.Today,however,I had nothing to fear as our car began climbing up the slope in neutral!Wow!
There are many legends surrounding this place,one of which says that a woman who had two husbands lived here and the husband who lived uphill had a stronger attraction towards her and so pulls things towards him!Polyandry seems to have funny repercussions here!Another story says there are certain minerals buried deep in the hill which are exerting this pull.There is a similar spot in Ladakh in North India which is manned by the Indian Army and has been termed Magnetic Hill.The same phenomenon has been observed here though magnetic compasses show nothing unusual.
 Scientists in other parts of the world insist that this is an optical illusion and what we see as a road going uphill actually has a downward direction.Only the surrounding topography gives us the illusion that the road is curving up.I only know that what I saw with my own eyes defies what I have studied and I would not have missed it for the world!



10 comments:

  1. Hi,
    I spent more than 2 years in Ladakh. As a young signal officer (telecommunications) in the Army then, in the mid 70's, I was mostly on foot. I have moved on foot in the areas of Nubra, Kharo,Nyoma, Darbuk and Khali. As per reports this so called Magnetic Hill lies about 30 kms from Leh on the Leh Kargil Highway.I never saw this kind of thing, nor did I hear any stories from Locals about this phenomenon.I must have traveled through this particular area at least a hundred times. All of a sudden I hear about this from my daughter Anupama. Incidently she too made this trip at 9 months age right through there with my wife and I. It may be an optical illusion as some claim, but unlikely as it should have happened to us then too. The mountains don't change whatever. I personally feel it could be a case of mass suggestion or something like that. :D

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  2. Hi,
    No question of it being a mass hypnotism or mass suggestion!You cant suggest things to a car!google anti gravity hill machakos and you can see the video of this strange phenomenon on utube!

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  3. Great entry and great journal Anupama! I've enjoyed reading. There is a place about two hours from where I live that has similar phenomenon. It is called the Mystery Spot and the person who owns the property has turned it into a park that is always filled to capacity. I have yet to be able to find tickets. It was sold out last time. Of course, there are so many explanations surrounding that place too... I can't wait to see it!

    Thanks for sharing!

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  4. Thank you so much Gunee!Is the one you have mentioned called The mystery Spot?Sandeep's friend has visited it and sent me a link after reading my blog today!It looks really good and weird!You must go.And do plan a trip here,all of you!

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  5. Ganga ulti kenya me bhi bhethi hai
    It seems during the monsoons water flows up the slope!
    Must check that one out

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    Replies
    1. Yes we should go when its raining!Will be cool!

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  6. Wow you really had me captivated. I would love to see this one day!
    New follower!
    http://newyearsresolutionexercise.blogspot.com/2012/02/couponizer-giveaway.html

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  7. Thank you for reading and for your comment!Yes,it is worth a visit!

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