From last weekend till today, there has not been any day that passed without a downpour. It's the wet season after all and we are feeling the impact of this rainy era. The long wait for our cloth to dry, the constant usage of umbrellas, malaria and typhoid that comes with, etc. These are some of the things we experience during this season.
Don't get it twisted, this is a period that is well adored by Nigerians. We know what we face during dry seasons. Facing direct hit from sun appears to be the most dreaded feature of dry seasons. The constant sweating and discomfort that accompanies it when it's bedtime is also a red light. All this and much more makes the rainy season a better option for us.
You'd know that this is an entry to an adventurous contest. Eh?
In this episode of #dreemportchallenge, I decided to talk about a walk to a local market called Nkwo-Ogidi. Remember, we are in rainy season and I don't want to get wet. Lol. That being said, I will make this a quick read for you.
Taking a walk to Nkwo-Ogidi
Nkwo-Ogidi is not far from my destination. It's just 20 minutes walk away from home but I spent close to 30 minutes despite the fresh blood that is running in my vein. For the record, this has nothing to do with time spent on taking pictures. I couldn't take much because the road was too bad.
30 instead of 20 minutes? Let's blame it on the rain. Or not?
Even without rainfall, it will end up being too sandy so, the best that should have been done is to tar this road. Politicians often present get the money that should be used to work on this road, but nothing gets done until a new government comes up. And that marks the beginning of the same cycle.
Back to my walk, I was putting on snickers, juggers trousers, black face cap and co. I was not ready to mess up my shoe in that mud so, I had to watch my steps and also reduce my walking speed until I entered the market.
Inside Nkwo-Ogidi market
The first thing you need to know about this market is that you will never see a signpost or billboard or banner where it is written that you are in Nkwo-Ogidi. But we know where we are. Lol.
You know what's next. Eh? Time to feed your eyes with the type of stuff to expect when you get to Nkwo-Ogidi market.
1. African Palm fruit
Almost all local delicacies prepared in Nigerian have palm oil in them and that palm oil can only be produced from Palm fruits.
When it's cooked, it becomes very easy to squeeze out the oil which can also be used to cook Banga soup/stew.
2. Fresh Tomatoes and Pepper
Nkwo-Ogidi is not known as a place where you can get these fresh Tomatoes or pepper at a cheap rate. Stuff like these is transported from the northern part of Nigeria in a journey that lasts for 20 or more hours. Buying stuff like this here will warrant paying upto 40% above market value. Well, we have these sellers here because there are people that are ready to pay that much for their commodity. That's business.
3. Vegetables
Normally, these sellers get these from their farms and fill up their barrow. I'm pretty sure that the owner of this barrow has already sold more up to half of the vegetables she brought to market. One thing is for sure, she can get to the extent of selling these on a buy 2 get 1 free, just to make sure that she won't be going home with any of the vegetables.
4. Banana
Not the freshest you can get but I was not in the mood to go on a banana hunt. Lol. Despite the looks, banana remains a banana and it will always be sumptuous.
5. Groundnut
That's a cooked Groundnut. It's seasonal and are best enjoyed during rainy season. I like this type a lot but I often prefer to buy it raw and subsequently cook at the comfort of my home.
6. Garri, Rice and Beans
I know that many people will always prefer to buy a bag of rice or Garri or beans but not everyone can afford to do that. Some people's salary is not enough to get a bag of rice for so, anyone in this category will always depend on these wheelbarrow rice, beans and Garri. They save lives like magic.
7. Spices
Just call this a one-stop-shop for all spices used in cooking your rice or soup. The barrow contains tin tomatoes, sachet tomatoes, groundnut oil, red oil, Maggi, nutmeg and co. The good thing about this is that you don't need to know it all. Once you tell the seller what you are cooking, she will happily bring out every spices that is needed.
Remember, it's a rainy day but the rain wasn't enough to keep these people off their business. Talk about the things we do for money. God bless all of them ✌️.
An undeniable eyesore at the market
I had to think twice before deciding to send this image, but this post will be incomplete if I turned a blind eye. Here we go;
And you can see traders doing their thing beside this dirt. The sad thing is that this is causing traffic because the dirt is slowly spreading to some part of the major road that connects to Nkwo-Ogidi market. This time around, I don't know if the government should be blamed for this or the trade Union or the customers.
It's game over at Nkwo-Ogidi market. Time to go home.
Yeah, barring the bad muddy road and undeniable eyesore, every other thing was a good experience.
Actifit Time - It's time for our magical activity tracker.
I've been playing around with this App since last week and I'm enjoying every part of it. Sometimes, it skips my mind to check the App and today was one of those. I almost forgot to track my steps but I remembered before getting to the market. Here we go...
1610 steps and I'm proud of myself. But then, EKG (
Thanks For Not Missing Any Full-stop Or Comma
[//]:# (!pinmapple 6.152838 lat 6.865425 long Taking a walk to Nkwo-Ogidi on a wet Wednesday d3scr)