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Let me tell you about...traveling by road

Since I’ve been in Nigeria, I’ve gone on quite a few interstate journeys. Some have been via plane while others have been via road. I will discuss airplane travel in a different post. As of now, let’s stay on the roads. Nigeria has an issue with roads. I don’t understand why it seems like every state has a stream of horrible roads. Don’t get me wrong, they are some fabulous roads in Nigeria however, the bad seems to outweigh the good in this case. I’ve traveled by road about five times and during those trips I’ve learned a few things.
 
      Wear a good bra. This one is obviously for the ladies. Ladies as you travel these Naija roads, you must properly secure the girls. Failure to do so will lead to serious and unnecessary bouncing which causes undue pain. My suggestion is, forgo the cute bra with no support and settle for the grandma bra with full coverage and support or just wear a sports bra. 


  If possible travel in an SUV. Traveling in an SUV is good for two reasons. One, there’s ample leg room and two, the SUV can withstand the potholes. When I’m traveling anywhere by road, I prefer not to stop, unless absolutely necessary. Most drivers are like me, so you want to be extremely comfortable in the car.

       If you can’t take an SUV, opt for a luxurious bus. The luxurious buses are long buses with ample leg room, comfortable seats, and working AC. If you haven’t noticed, I’m all for comfort. My suggestion is you don’t take the shorter busses, because you will be tightly packed. However, if being packed like sardines is your preference, then by all means go for the shorter bus.

   If you are taking public transport, do not expect great customer service. In all my time traveling, I think I’ve met maybe five bus station worker that were nice to me. Expect bus drivers to be rude and conductors to rush you. 

     Expect the unexpected. Since the roads are not great, it causes frequent car trouble, so expect some car issues. There’s no AAA or Roadside assistance so if your car should have any trouble you are stuck, unless you can get a bike to take you to the nearest town to get help or someone stops to help you. Funny story: on our way from the village, our car skidded into a gutter (ditch). Thank God we were all okay but trying to get the car out of the gutter was something serious. With no tow row in sight, the great people of Etome village, gathered to lift the truck. That’s right, they lifted the truck by hand from the ditch. Take a moment to clap for them!!


Few rest areas – when traveling on the road there are few rest areas and the short buses do not have toilets, so if you want to go be prepared to go on the side of the road. Going on the side of the road is quite normal here. However, if you are shy, there’s plenty of grass and trees to cover you as you handle your business. So go out and pee in public. J 

      Food on the road – the best thing about traveling by road is by far the food. As you travel, you’ll pass many communities and each community has something to offer, in terms of food. It is very common to see individuals hawking water and cold drinks as you pass or stands filled with fruit, meat, vegetables, or simple snacks. Travelling by road, exposes your taste buds to the best of Nigeria. As you embark on your journey, there is no need to pack a meal because you can always purchase something delicious on the road. 



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