My Travelling Saga

There was a time I became envious of those whose habit is travelling. These ones have turned their habit into a career that they travel every time and I wished I could make a career too because travelling is always fun and educative. You get to learn lots of things through your trip, meet new people, learn new languages, see beautiful places and marvel at the differences in cultures. Those were part of why I wanted to be a traveller also.

But as I grew older, my love and interest in travelling started fading, and it turned into my worst nightmare to ever travel especially with the issue of security in my country. No place is safe but God keeps everyone safe. Another thing that made me dread travelling is how I feel nauseous after sitting for hours in the bus or car and getting to my destination. I don't like a long journey but what do I do when it calls for it? But it's always fun.

---

I have experienced both the good and bad side of travelling, for the good experience, I would always look forward to having such a trip again and for the bad, I pray never to encounter such an experience because of how frustrating it would leave me at the end of the day.

The last time I travelled was in September when I went to the capital (Ibadan) for a teaching interview. One thing I enjoy about travelling from my current town to another since it's within the state is how smooth the road is but another thing is having lots of police and soldiers checkpoints on the road making a 3-hour journey turn 4 or more than that depending on the kind of officers we met on the way.

This is part of what usually makes my trip annoying and the worst of it all is how we would be squeezed into the bus like sardines as if we didn't pay the complete fare. Since I have a small body, I usually pray to be paired with the same individuals who are like me and do not have a body that will fit into what two individuals could manage, I am talking about the extra weighted people. They can make the whole seat inconvenient for you and my wish would always come through on some days and would be unlucky on other days.

---

So, on this day, I got to the bus stop called Ojoo, sincerely it's like revamping the whole place since they now have a terminal garage for all kinds of buses travelling to different parts of the country - to the east, north, west, name any state you want to go and you are sure of getting your bus or car heading there and the whole garage is always coordinated and neat. Thanks to the governor of Oyo State for making such preparation easier for lots of people.

As I boarded another cab from the garage to where I was heading, I couldn't stop appreciating the efforts of those who had made the road beautiful. Some places I normally see waste being dumped anyhow were clean and there had been new pavements in the middle of the road. There was another place where my interview was scheduled which is a common location, New Garage.

I had never been to that part of the state before but seeing it that day, it looked like a new America in Oyo State. I love the green plants and flowers used to decorate the road, street lights of different colours assembled by each other and the roundabouts were so beautiful, there were the FRSC officers who manned the road, ensuring all cars, vehicles and bikes were on their lane not causing any sort of traffic.

While in the cab looking out, I was in awe at such a beautiful place in Oyo State and I couldn't believe a place like that existed there. It's a nice place but moving inside and seeing other towns, it looked local and that brought me back to reality when I realized where I would be working if peradventure I was employed.

---

The exact location for the interview was in a remote area and it would be hard getting a bike to convey one from that place to the main road, at least one can still get such while coming from the main road to the location except for a miracle or that one has prepared for a personal bike riders to come to pick them up when they are closed from work. Also, it makes it easier for those who own cars or bikes themselves as they don't have to go through such stress.

I feel there could be a garage for bike riders at some places other than the main road so people could be comfortable finding any to take them back home and not wait forever for any bike that would come in sight.

As I finished my interview which didn't take more than 30 minutes, I was directed by a young lady who also came for the interview since she is a resident around the area, she walked me to a spot where she told me would get a bike to take me back to where I was going. I stood for like 10 minutes before I got one and even the rider was smelling awfully. Oh my God! I never expected this. Till I got down, I couldn't stop covering my mouth and making sure his back didn't touch me on areas that were bumpy because that could make it worse of a trip for me. Lol.

In the end, I got back to my base safe and sound, not excluding pains on every part of my body even though I saw the worst of it all when the driver of the bus I boarded had to swerve in unexpectedly into a bush without informing us ahead that he wanted to drop down some loads. Everyone screamed for fear of kidnappers thinking the driver must have been paid to bring fresh blood 😆. But I was just looking at them like in movies. I was smiling within me, don't know why I wasn't afraid because I knew such would not happen. Perhaps it was my strong faith, who knows!

---

^{Images belong to me}