2012 Easter Break: My Trip to East: Abuja - Enugu & Anambra,With My Peugeot 605 V6 (1500 Km/932 miles)

After enjoying t-die's thread on his trip with his Lion, Peugeot 307, i decided to post a similar trip i did earlier this year (pictures attached), hence the Topic .


DAY 1 (06/04/2012)

I drove off around 6:30am. I got to Gwagwalada around 7:00am and met a terrible traffic. I spent more than 2 hrs there, with the engine running constantly (considering that i dont switch off my engine till i get to my destination, once am doing long distance motoring, unless an emergency or refuelling). By the time i passed Gwagwalada, it was after 9. That was when the main journey started on Abuja-Lokoja highway.

Ikenna.

DAY 1

About 1 hour to reach Lokoja, i met another terrible traffic jam, around 10:30am. This time, i had to switch off the damn engine. Lol! There was no movement for hours. The whole road was blocked completely. Everyone came out of his vehicle to stretch his/her legs, as you can see in the pic attached (Which was when it occured to me to start documemting the trip with pictures). There, we had no option than form a gathering and started discussing Politics, to keep ourselves busy. Lol!


By the time the traffic started moving, it was around 12pm or so. I finally got to Lokoja around at 1:30pm. This was a journey, if not for those traffic jams, i should have drove past Lokoja by 8:30am. Because of the long hours i spent at Gwagwalada hold up, with the engine running non-stop, the fuel guage was already indicating half tank. Well, i drove into a filling station in Lokoja, refilled the tank, and started heading towards Enugu (about 6 more hours of high speed ahead).

Ikenna.

DAY 1

I arrived Enugu town, eventually, around 5pm that day. A journey, if all things were equal, i should have been in Enugu by 1pm. But all things are not always equal on Nigerian Highways.

Well, i drove straight to visit a Cousin of mine at Trans-Ekulu (attched Pic taken infront of my cousin's house at Trans-Ekulu.

Ikenna.

DAY 1

I left my cousin's place and visited other people/places in Enugu town.

Around 6:pm, i left Enugu for my hometown, my village, in Anambra, where i would spend the Easter break with my family. The Enugu-Onitsha expressway, though with patches here and there, but took me less than an hour to arrive Anambra.

I arrived my father's compound in the village around 6:40pm. Pic attached

Ikenna.

DAY 2 (07/04/2012)

I drove off to Enugu town again, to inspect our Area of Land there. Just to be sure the land is still intack. Lol! (Pics at the land attached).

After the inspection of the land, i drove to Shoprite at GRA and fed my eyes. Went to other places and drove back to Anambra in the evening that day.

Ikenna.

DAY 3 : Easter SUNDAY (08/04/2012)


Well, time for the spiritual! So, I attended 9.am Mass at my hometown, St. Raphael Catholic Church, Awkuzu. I don't joke with my faith o!

Pics of me and my Lion, taken after the Mass, attached.

Ikenna.

DAY 3

Later in the evening of the Easter Sunday, I drove off to Enugu again via Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.

I got to Aroma Junction Awka and met a small traffic Jam (Easter celebrations, i guess). While at the traffic, I noticed that my temperature guage was reading beyond the normal engine operating temperature. By the time i got to Government House Awka, along that Expressway, the overheating warning sign was already showing. So, I stopped at Ikenga Junction, still on that Expressway . I left the engine running, came out of the car, opened the hood, checked what could be the issue. There! The 2 radiator fans were not spinning, which was why it started to overheat while i was at the traffic jam. So i then switched off the engine. Then it strucked me! Few months before i embacked on that trip, i worked on the abused radiator fan harness. The previous owner had the fan spinning constantly as soon as the ignition would be switched on. So I reverted it to factory. But I had to buy some new flexible wires to do the job. The quality of wires in our market is nothing to write home about. So i quickly checked those wires and there was the culprit: the fake wire! The wires were burnt. Hmm! Luckly, i have some spare flex wires with me in the car. I quickly changed the fake burnt wires, and started the car again and allowed it to idle to get to 90 degree C, since the engine has cooled off a little while changing the burnt wires. As soon as the temp guage hit 90-93 degree C, the fan started spinning again. Phew! The work didnt take upto 20 mins to diagnose and get fixed.

Pic of the car at the expressway attached, after the fans issue were sorted out.

Ikenna.

Nice one...
You travelling to the east this xmas??
Maybe you could do another pic story... Safely o...

DAY 3 (Still on my way to Enugu town on Enugu-Onitsha Expressway)


After Amansea Junction, i spotted a broken down vehicle, with an aged/old woman standing helplessly with the supposed driver of the vehicle, close to a police check point. He waved me down.Well, it was around check point, so it was safe to stop. Besides, i cant leave that elderly woman, old enough to be my grandma, helplessly there, since night was fast closing on them. Time for Charity!

I asked the man what was the issue with the car. He said he didnt know. All he knew was that the vehicle just stopped moving, even though the engine was still running. Well, I entered the faulty car (Nissan Bluebird, manual trans). I started the car and the engine was running fine. But when i tried to move, there was the culprit: Slippery clutch. I asked the man how come he drove the car with a failing clutch plate on a highway/for a long journey, knowing fully well it must have been given him signs for ages before that day? He said he just bought the car few days before that day and that he didnt know much about cars and signs of failing components. Well, "the way out?", he asked. I simply told him the car couldnt be fixed that day, at that hour, since the engine will have to be separated from the transmission to replace the failed clutch plate, if not pulled off the engine. So, he asked that i drop off his mother and his son at Umuoba Ndiuno Juction, along that expressway road, since i was travelling to Enugu. Of course, i happily let the old woman and his grandson in my car. He said he would find people to help push the car to a nearby fuel station, and would take a public transport. He offerd me money for helping and of course, i refused to touch it. After all, the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible is not only meant for the Samaritans. Lol!

Well, they transfered all their luggage to my car boot and I drove off with the grandma and his grandson. Got to their location, stopped and they got out. Though it took sometime for the woman to gradually climb out, with help from the grandson, which you can see in the attached pic, which i took where i dropped them and their luggage in the boot. So, i continued on my journey to Enugu town.

While i was driving, after dropping them off, i then realised the reason why i had that radiator fan issue. God used that issue to delay me before i could get to that spot where i met them. If i havenot had that fans issue, i would have driven past that spot before there vehcile got spoilt. He delayed me to help people in need. Sometimes, when we experience vehicle breakdown on journeys, we just start blaming God, without knowning why He let such disappointments befall us.

Ikenna.

DAY 3

So I got to Enugu town around 5:30pm or so and drove straigth to NNPC Mega station (@ entrance of Enugu-Porth-Harcout expressway) and refilled my fuel tank, against my Journey back to Abuja the next day from Enugu.

Pic taken while at NNPC mega station attached

Ikenna.

DAY 4 (JOURNEY BACK TO ABUJA)


Well, I woke up early the next day, Easter Monday, prepared and started heading to Abuja, at 6:15am

About 3 hours into the journey, i took a pic while driving (Pic attached). It was in Kogi state, before Lokoja.

Ikenna.

DAY 4


I arrived Lokoja around 11:30am. Didnt bother to stop, still on the full tank from Enugu. Since i have all the edibles i needed to keep the body and soul together on the journey in the car, on the passengers seat, i fired on.

My V6 was just moving smoothly. A joy to travel with it.

Attached Picture was taken while driving on Bridge after Lokoja. The same bridge Flood covered few months ago, which stopped my planned trip to East with my 505 V6 in September, 2012.

Ikenna.

DAY 4

Attached Picture was taken after Abaji, along the Abuja-Lokoja highway.

Before me in the picture was a VW Golf 3 station wagon and a commercial Bus.

Ikenna.

DAY 4

AT last, back from where it started, my house in Abuja, as you can see in the attached pic the 605 V6 packed beside my BABY, 505 V6.

I arrived my house almost at 1pm sharp, on one full tank from Enugu. This time, there was no traffic jam met. It was a smooth drive. V6s can be so sweet to do long journeys with. Trust me!

Ikenna.

So, there you have it!

Now, I have another trip to East to do next week, for the Xmas holiday. But then, am yet to choose which car to use for the trip. Am in love with two women but dont know which one to choose! Lol!

But am strongly thinking doing it with my BABY!, the Peugeot 505 V6. I love its character when in action on highway.

@ t-die,
Yes, am travelling to East for this Xmas holiday. Will document the trip with pictures as well.

Ikenna.

Love this. Wish I cld have places to visit lyk dt. Have a safe trip from and to abj. Can't wait to read d fun.

Everyone is now road journalist. Na wa o

OP I love that your eyeglass and shoe.

Please what's the name of the shoe? I want to buy it for my father in-law
.

Nice pishures btw.

Ajala travel!

freecocoa: OP I love that your eyeglass and shoe.

Please what's the name of the shoe? I want to buy it for my father in-law
.

Nice pishures btw.

You dont love your father in law.

if to say u carry machine(solid car) u for no get time for all these pictures and stories.

miteolu:

You dont love your father in law.

What are you trying to say now? That the OP's shoe is not good or what?

miteolu: Everyone is now road journalist. Na wa o

ew0 nigeria

I see another car talk topic dying from the "front page"

freecocoa: What are you trying to say now? That the OP's shoe is not good or what?

I know the original will be very costly.

@ ikenna,
nice one.I enjoyed reading and watching the pictures you attached. you and mr sienna made me change my perceptions about v6 engines.

safe journey on your next planned trip.

Dondav: I thought you were robbed!
You just snap forest full everywhere... Na wa o!

Hahahahahaha abeg Help me ask am. I tot he was kidnapped or so! Lol

miteolu:

I know the original will be very costly.

Wucked you.

quote author=Etumgbe]if to say u carry machine(solid car) u for no get time for all these pictures and stories. [/quote]
U when dey talk. Which motor u come get??