Waterfall/Independence Hunting

One of the most difficult things to adjust to here has been the lack or at least the lessening of independence. Thankfully, the school where we work puts absolutely no limitations on what we can do. Some Americans are here with NGOs who don’t allow them to walk on the streets or ride in taptaps. We don’t have any of those kind of restrictions, just the ones that naturally come with living in a new, unfamiliar city where you don’t know the language, roads, culture, or have a car.

Over the last couple of weeks a few of us “new kids” have felt the cabin fever rising up in us and the need to get out and explore (explore even more than where we have been exploring) had become too great. So, we decided that we would go on a waterfall hunt. We knew there was a waterfall about a 20 minute drive away and, with some directions, landmarks, and a general idea of how to get there, we were sure we could find it.



We tried to find where we were headed on the map,
but it wasn't on there...usually not a good sign.



So, off we went on Saturday. After fueling up with a delicious cinnamon roll from baker-extraordinaire, Tiffany, we walked down the street and hopped on a taptap. We were lucky to have a Haitian friend with us who knew the taptap routes and knew Creole. We rode a ways and hopped off when we got to a busy street, Rue Frere, where we began walking. We walked and walked and walked. Occasionally we would check our map to see if we had passed any of the known landmarks and then continue on. Our map (hand drawn by one of our crew) was not drawn to scale so we weren’t exactly how close or far we were from our destination at any point. We got to a split on the road where one way was paved and the other was rough and rocky. After checking with several locals we, in true Robert Frost fashion, took the road less traveled.

When we turned onto this road it was as if we immediately entered a different world. We had left the world of concrete and dirt and entered a land of lush green grass and thriving tropical plants. We walked down this road for a bit, stopping every once in a while to ask someone what direction the waterfall was. As we were walking down a thin, muddy trail we heard the sound of running water and, a little farther down the trail we entered a large river bed. There was a thin current of water running down the wider river bed and peppered along the way were women doing their laundry in the clean, running water.

We made friends along the way!

Following the water to see where it leads.

We followed this for a while and after a small bit of climbing we turned the corner and saw what we had been searching for…the waterfall! Success!

Josiah and I wanted a better view and a little more adventure, so we climbed the slick muddy trail to the top of the fall. We then slipped our shoes off and climbed further up to see the several smaller waterfalls that fed into the first. When we reached the end (or what was our end) we saw a slick, steep wall that looked impossible to climb. Josiah gave it a good try, but had to admit defeat. We made the climb back down (much more difficult than going up) and rested at the bottom.

Climbing to the top of the waterfall.

View from the top.

Using some of my rock-climbing skills to move up the falls.

Katie and I took a little shower under the falls and it is hard to imagine anything more refreshing.

We had a snack and dried off a bit and then began the long trek back. Going back, we took a taptap for more of the trip and decided it was much easier than walking.

We arrived home very tired but very satisfied with our day and our adventure. Any venture outside of our walking zone is a small step toward a little more independence. It was great to get out and see a bit more of the city and relax in a nice, cool oasis nestled in among the cinderblocks and smog.