The last major travel I engaged in was in September 2023. It has been over a year now and quite unusual when compared to previous years where I traveled at least twice within a year. I do some intra-state travel, but none has been tedious or prolonged.
I wish I could say that I have taken a flight before, but I've not, and I don't look forward to it. This is mainly because I enjoy the experience of traveling on Nigerian roads, such as conversations that spark among commuters, which can circle politics, family, or even the road. In addition, traveling by road is way cheaper than flying, even though there could be cheaper alternatives such as trains. Traveling by bus is not my favorite as most of them are poorly maintained and usually overloaded, causing avoidable body aches. The Sienna vehicles are preferred, especially when it is regulated on the number of people who can sit in a row. The shock absorbers are usually strong enough to cushion the effect of impacts from entering potholes.
Beyond cutting costs for the journey, I prefer to break my journey into two, especially when it is long-distance travel. The journey I went on last was to Nasarawa State.
The journey was roughly 12 hours by road and could be less if the roads were good. My brother stays at Minna, about half way to my destination, so I took the decision to stop by at his place and bond a little. In my attempt to be frugal in my expenses, I took a vehicle that took off late and would stop about two hours before my brother's place. Unfortunately, logistics made us even take off later than I envisaged, and I was left with minimum choices. I have experienced terrible road travel, but that very day was a hell of a journey for me. The second vehicle I took almost crippled me; apart from packing us in the salon car like sardines, the lights were bad, something about the alternator, battery charging, and all sorts of excuses by the driver, and unfortunately, this was noticed after we took off. As though nature was equally against us, it rained cats and dogs. The driver of the car drove for about 1 hour without a headlight. I regretted being on that road and continually rained curses on the government. I got to my brother's place quite late, and the purpose of bonding was defeated since I had to take off early the following day. We spent a few minutes talking and catching up before I slept off.
My intention was to take off early, but alas, I ended up leaving my brother's place around noon. I wouldn't blame it on the previous day's exhaustion. I didn't get a straight road to Lafiya, the capital of Nasarawa State, and had to take a vehicle to Abuja. Then, I took another vehicle heading to Nasarawa State and eventually arrived at night, somewhat around 9 p.m., thanks to many drops the drivers did and even dropped us for another vehicle. It's a common practice for you to board a vehicle to a destination and end up entering two or more vehicles before reaching that destination. Most drivers would not tell you they aren't headed there, but they'll pick you up and hand you over to another driver. I experienced this on two occasions while on the single journey to Nasarawa.
You can imagine how frustrated I was while I traveled through Nasarawa. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the nostalgia of seeing my alma mater high school along the roadside some distance before Abuja. Seeing the high school I graduated from brought pleasurable memories, and yes, I took a few snapshots.
Equally, the popular Zuma rock remains an edifice to attract one's attention whenever one is entering or leaving Abuja, and yet again, I marveled at the masterpiece of nature.
That's definitely a no-no for me. I was too exhausted to be excited and only went ahead to the program I came for. Unfortunately, I didn't have friends there and had to stay within the continent of the hotel I lodged. Thankfully, my head of unit paid for my transportation back to Abuja after the program.
In all, I spent much less than I would have spent if I took a straight road, but I paid dearly by risking my life and comfort for the hazardous trip.
ALL IMAGES ARE MINE
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