Afam4eva:

Actually, when you got to control roundabout, you were already in Owerri. Nice narration though.

whao! i never knew this. thanks bro, I'd put that somewhere in my memory.

ayourbamie:
No more pictures?

there are loads of pictures on www.nomadicnegro.com just check it out and you won't be disappointed or you can follow on IG @nomadic_negro

funstufz:
Nice naration frm op.

This is different frm some usual lazy posters with 'open my thread and click my link'

One is tempted to click that link for more...

Promise me the next adventorus trip and i will click the click

thanks a lot for these words of encouragement. regarding my adventures, 4 of them have actually made the front page before now so you can just check for my username to get them all.

For when the next adventure will be, I think it'd be advisable you follow me and I'd follow back so u can get the update when ready.

In The Beginning…

The time was just 6:10pm, but I had to shut down my computer in the office to get set for this trip to Owerri. This is an unusual habit because I’m that employee who takes his job so serious like he owns it. But on this day, I can’t but just leave as early as possible so I don’t miss the bus. The excitement of traveling to a region I had never been also added to the eagerness.

My Travel Partner
_{He can be very troublesome…}

<br>
Since going with me to Osun, Dami has always been on the lookout for when and where the next trip will be, so I had to agree we jointly do this even though I love it solo.
Traveling all night in a luxurious bus is what I have never done, hence, I vowed to break that jinx.



I wasn’t new to traveling anymore, so it took me less than 10 minutes to get my bag packed. Save for my laptop which made it a little bit heavy, the content was as light as a new born.

with our bags strapped behind us, we flagged down 2 bikers who took us to the bus park at Jibowu from Onike where we hooked up.
Here are few tips I’d advise you take when preparing for any journey

-Take your bath before packing: This will enable you pick any/every thing you need for cleaning up since it’s been observed overtime that items like toothbrushes body cream et al are the most forgotten items during travel packing. e.g immediately I brush my teeth, I’d keep the toothbrush and paste inside the bag. same thing applies to my bathing soap down to my hair cream.

- Ensure you go to the toilet before traveling and ensure you don’t eat afterwards. you wouldn’t want to get your stomach upset in the middle of the night, would you?
- Lastly, don’t bother about taking along whatever you know you can get at your destination. e.g food. Remember, the bigger your bag is, the more your vulnerability.

<br>

_{Tickets were handed over to us immediately payment was made}

So we set out towards Jibowu, one of the most popular bus parks in Lagos (especially for inter-state and cross-country travels). E.EKESONS BROS was the bus company we patronized since it was amongst the few who had luxurious vehicles en route Owerri that night + their fare was affordable too. #5,000.00 was the cost of Lagos to Owerri.



Armed with our tickets and bags, we proceeded towards the waiting bus where the tickets were checked at the entrance to confirm everyone on the queue was destined for Owerri. Once your ticket gets checked, you proceed up the stairs of the same bus to meet a security guy who’d check your bag and body to ensure you aren’t carrying any dangerous item.
Though we weren’t the first to get to the park, we were handed seats 1 and 2 respectively. Unknown to us, these two seats were the worst of all seats in terms of convenience but it was too late to protest as the ignition had been turned by the driver and with a thunderous ‘amen’ from more than half of the passengers on board (signalling a prayer session), I could tell the journey had long started, so I conceded.


_{What the interior of the Bus looked like}

While our pastor on the bus rolled out prayer points like CBN monetary policies, I watched over Dami who was already nodding his head in an uncoordinated manner to ensure he was at least a bit comfortable. I was so sure the prayers will be enough to cater for all of us in the bus since I felt praying for the same thing at the same time might disturb God. This made me focus more on being my brother’s keeper s I padded Dami’s head gently with my left arm.

The time crept slowly towards midnight, pastor was done by then and Aunty Felicia stepped to the middle- the same spot pastor had had his session. She was a robust and had enough confidence and control of the English language, enough to draw our attention. Thinking she wanted to start another round of prayers, I was ready to sleep off on her, but she didn’t. She had rather come to sell some drugs and mixtures to all passengers on board, only that her approach was different. Aside the aforementioned traits, ‘mommy’ (an alternate name she said we could call her) unlike other drug sellers inside ‘molue‘, was well dressed in a flowery gown and I could perceive the sweet strawberry scent of her perfume from where I sat. she had a portable microphone strapped on her head which was connected to a small speaker hung on the luggage compartment just above her seat. Since she was behind me, I assumed all eyes must be on her while she switched from English to pidgin to the delight of her potential customers.


Few observations and tips to note when traveling at night via luxurious buses
– Get there on time- (with the look of things, not more than one bus plies one route per night).
– Pay close attention to the people selling stuffs around, there might be something(s) you’ve forgotten to bring along.
– Be kind and nice to whoever you encounter at the bus terminal- you know not who your seat partner will be.
– Be attentive & avoid roaming about- announcement is being made once the bus is about departing.

The car breezed through the Lagos-Ibadan express road while Aunty Felicia continued with her marketing. Aside the discomfort, one would barely know when the bus jumps into a pothole and this must have been why majority could sleep comfortably. Some were fortunate not to have any seat partner so they converted their seats to sofas.

I had drained the energy inside the power bank I bought for #1,000 before boarding the bus, so I decided it was time to take the much-needed nap. Truth is, I don’t even know where we had gotten to. All I could see was our bus piercing through the lonely forest without any other bus in sight. Many crazy thoughts ran in my head but I ditched them all while my heart skipped at intervals. Dami’s head was already escaping through the window so I tilted it a backwards a little to enable me shut the window.

Read about my experience while traveling to Ogun state and Badagry.
It was 2:47am by the time, Aunty Felicia’s voice grew fainter as I heard her ask her audience engaging questions such as how long a real man is supposed to last on his woman. While some said the first round shouldn’t be more than 20 minutes, some opted for 45, but she said all of them are lazy, adding that a real man is supposed to last up to 4 hours on any woman he claims to love!

Eh! “won’t the men go to work the next day?” I blurted from my corner and the men supported me while the women were strongly behind Mommy.



After series of argument and opinions, another question on who ought to wake up first between a man and his joystick was asked and this one was debated for over another hour before I finally decided it was time to sleep, but beside me was a woman who bothered less about who was watching as she rolled up her gown (revealing her pants) while she scratched and fanned herself with utmost joy. I couldn’t blame her, the lights were off, the windows too were shut- making it somewhat difficult for proper ventilation and being chubby must have made life that unbearable.

This made me finally shut my drowsy eyes, opening them many hours later to discover we were still on transit. It was few minutes to 7am, some of the passengers had alighted, making way for some more to join the bus as he atmosphere got clearer. Dami was awake too, he had also bought a bunch of chewing sticks for us for #100 from the hawkers on the river Niger Bridge.


_{The River Niger Bridge in Onitsha (also known as the Onitsha Bridge), connects southeastern Nigeria with western Nigeria over the River Niger. It is linked to Asaba in Delta State, Nigeria.
History
Between 1964 and 1965, French construction giant, Dumez, constructed the Niger Bridge, to link Onitsha and Asaba in present-day Anambra and Delta States respectively. It cost £5 million to build. Construction of the bridge was completed in December 1965. During the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 – 1970, in an attempt to halt the Nigerian advance, retreating Biafran soldiers destroyed the River Niger Bridge at Onitsha, trapping the Nigerians on the other side of the river. After the war, the bridge was rehabilitated…}

So we continued the day in Asaba- Delta state whilst in the bus- on transit to Owerri. Since the same route leads to Portharcourt, we alighted at ‘control’ (another popular bus stop where one of the largest catholic churches in west Africa is situated). From whence we boarded a tricycle to Amajieke- a popular centre where the bus destined for our final destination (Atta- umuduru Imo) awaited us.


We were finally in Imo State Nigeria!



See what I actually went to do in Imo here: http://www.nomadicnegro.com/my-experience-in-imo-state/

some deaths are avoidable though:


here are 5 ways one can escape dying in a road accidents

http://www.nomadicnegro.com/escaping-road-accident-deaths/

hello,
Imo is next, but I am doing it solo.
a fan however requested I did LCC so I don't know if you'd don't mind joining me.

Death is inevitable but death in road accidents can actually be avoided.
see these 7 tips I came up with- having traveled all my life by road.
http://www.nomadicnegro.com/escaping-road-accident-deaths/

decatalyst:
Nice compilation...

Put your life in God's hands

THE SUREST OF ALL

nawa4naija:
Patiently waiting for it to hit the front page
Then i will add mine
Lalasticla. Mynd44 this is a very useful post. We need to educate fellow nairalanders.

lol...
I pray they do

nawa4naija:
.......

have some more to add?

Oh! you actually opened this post? So you too don’t want to die now. Hahahahahaha!

Don’t let me lie, what will kill every man will surely kill him, no matter how hard he tries. But on the flip-side, it is often said that though death is inevitable, some of them are avoidable.

This is what brings me to writing this short piece about what I feel is the major reason why many Nigerians would rather remain at home than traveling by road.

Without wasting our time, here they are:

1. Take an alternative

I mean using a train or better still going by air. It’s that simple, since they are by all ramifications safer than traveling by bus.



2. Avoid Night travels.
Do all you can not to travel at night due to common reasons like bad roads, unnoticed bumps, crazy bends and night attacks. And for trips that will spill into the night try having a stop-over.


I was just 16 when I traveled alone to Maiduguri and I was cautious enough to pass the night in Lokoja (from where I continued the trip very early the next day).



3. Sleep is an enemy
img]https://i2.wp.com/www.nomadicnegro.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/by.jpg?resize=198%2C254[/img]
why?
1. Your driver is human too, you can be the one to tap him in case he sleeps.
2. You would be slow to respond to any accident (if at all any occurs).

4. Avoid the most dangerous places on the bus.
These are:
a. Front and back seats– because most buses either collide or get hit from behind.
b. Window– in case the bus lands on its side.


5. Caution your driver
Most Drivers like moving at a terrible speed level with the thought that they are pros. Funny enough, their speedometer barely works, therefore, nothing is available to tell them how fast they are running.


See, nobody will crucify you for this, shout at him till he slows down but don’t do this when the car is struggling for balance so as not to confuse him.
Don’t be shy to do this because it works. your driver immediately gets back to a reset ‘mode’ the more you say it.


6. Check your bus
Before traveling on any bus, try as much as you can to check the condition of such bus, Don’t just hop into it. If it means you boarding another one, please do.

Remember, it’s better to be late than to be late.
Tire that does not have plenty teeth, is that one tire?

With all the above said, its worthy to note that what will be will surely be. I just decided to write them because I feel fatal road accidents are actually avoidable.


7. pray

To whatever you hold in high esteem: it could be God, your Mum, your head, it could even be your bae. Just manage to mutter few lines.

That’s all I can think about for now.


I want your contributions, share your thoughts via the comment box.

stolen from www.nomadicnegro.com






CC: mynd44, lalasticlala, rocktation and farano

Richardabbey:
nice post , I comment my reserve

Thanks boss. I really appreciate

Electronzeez:
I can relate to everything up there .

Just last week a conductor joined me in an unceremonious marriage with a lady (a beautiful one ). He gave us 100 naira to take fifty naira each . As I was thinking about how we are going to get change very early in the morning . The lady asked if I was going to ojuelegba I quickly pointe to the building I was heading to , naso she say don't worry , she come give me the whole hundred naira ...see as I de happy, for this recession .

mine was different, I had to buy something i didn't really need just to give my wife her change

fistonati:
Funny lagos

it indeed is

mynd44, lalasticlala, rocktation and/or farano, this isn't beyond your capacity. Nairalanders will love this on front page.

arsenic33:
Make I go confirm from NURTW.. I dey come o

lol

This specially is for anyone who hasn’t been to Lagos or those who stay in Lagos but haven’t had any real experience whatsoever about the yellow and black beasts called Danfo.



1. Here in Lagos, our Danfos have drivers and conductors, but as against popular belief, drivers aren’t always the boss.


2. Take him less serious whenever he tells you he doesn’t have change, it’s a reflex statement no matter how strong his eyes are.

Don’t mind him, just stay mute.

3. He might be serious with the above at times but the worst that will happen is forcing you into either a gay marriage by pairing you with another male or female passenger depending on the situation.


The above are the worst you can do when this happens.

4. Oh! did you just notice the messy wires beneath the steering wheel. fret not. We are used to that here. Noting will happen.

There are worse ones sha.

5. we only use seat belts to evade LASTMA here not for preventing accidents.So don’t worry about the types of outworn seat-belts you’d come in contact with.



6. Don’t leave the bus because his mouth smells, you might never find another bus with a difference. Our conductors and drivers get their inspiration from them.


7. In case either of the driver or conductor strips during a scuffle with any of the uniform guys, he isn’t at all mad, it’s another cost-effective method of evading arrest.



Let me allow you do the rest.

How many of the above can you relate to? In case I missed any, kindly add yours.


You can get more from www.nomadicnegro.com

So I embarked on the journey with surplus expectations, not forgetting to take along my most objective state of mind as I journeyed through the lousy environs of Obalende and Falomo down to 19B, Adeyemi Lawson street where this branch of Cafe Neo dwells.
Ambiance
Saying what I saw was synonymous to a hideout in a highbrow neighborhood wouldn’t be a misyarn. jeez! ….. if green, simple and classy are the words I decide to use in describing what I saw, you sure will show me your thumb, but in a downward position because those words aren’t at all enough to tell the real truth.

pictures don’t lie

so I proceeded into the cafe to see what’s concealed therein since I have been told overtime that books shouldn’t be judged by their covers.



Cafe Neo Ikoyi is so clean true or true?… this is what the walls looked like.

I wanted coffee but a part of me yearned for a selfie, while another wanted to call Floxy- to inform her about my arrival. I eventually decided to stick with my first instinct, so I strolled to the ordering corner located directly in front of the main entrance.

Service
If you read my review on Cafe Neo Yaba, you’d see how I spoiled the attendant with praises. since I have determined not to be a philanthropist this time around, I maintained a straight face while the more-than-lively dude kept smiling in a way that almost made me returned the same gesture but for my determination.


One amongst the wall designs i really fancied.

My encounter with this lively attendant on duty made me realize 2 things about Cafe Neo:
1. It is either they carefully select the best of all alternatives for the customer service or
2. They spend a lot in training their attendants
At his desk, I told him I wasn’t here to buy anything, that I just wanted a place where one can enjoy privacy with my bae who’s on her way. Instead of frowning, he further lightened up with his smile and pointed a corner to me adding that I should meet him in case the place isn’t comfortable.
This humbled me.
Florence who happens to be a loyal customer came in, we exchanged pleasantries and she headed straight to the counter to place our order after telling her I wanted anything aside cappuccino since that was what I took the last timeout.



Food

Florence came back with 2 cups, but while hers was carrying her name, while mine wasn’t. This made me spring up, headed straight to register my displeasure. He laughed while he requested for my name and poof! mine was engraved too!


Our customized coffee cup

The L+S on my cup indicates sugar has been added to my caffe latte but her own is without sugar. According to her, “you have the choice of either taking your latte with sugar, honey, cream or nothing”. I sipped from her cup and almost spat on the floor due to its bitterness but the clean floor was too precious to be defiled.

I continued with my L+S and sipped every bit from the cup even though it wasn’t really different from the Cappuccino I took the last timeout. or who knows, my taste-bud might have forgotten what my last experience tasted like.



Side Attractions
While we drank, Florence mentioned something about loyalty form, which i wasted no time before heading yet again to the attendant who i was sure will attend to my worries. he didn’t disappoint as he explained thus:
Cafe Neo loyalty form
Any interested customer can fill this form to enable him/her get 10% of any purchase made transferred into his/her loyalty account. What this means is that a customer can decide to buy anything with this bonus at any time and this also certifies you as a real customer. *winks
I signed up and was more than elated I did.

Oh! I almost forgot, remember I told you about my hero whom I met the last time out? I ran into another again. His name is Segun. He owns Amplify– a payment solution company where Florence works. see how small the life we dwell is?
I fell for Segun’s charm since I stumbled upon him at an event last year. he was one of the panelists and his confidence and oratory prowess were what swayed me.
to cut the long story, I shook his hands happily while Florence looked on. Since I already had his card during the networking session at that event, he told me to shoot him an email or place a call whenever I need to talk to him. see how i met two of my heroes in Cafe Neo?

Read about my review of the most popular restaurants in Unilag
Downsides
Though this took me a lot of time, but here are my observations:
– just like the Yaba branch, some customers can be lousy when discussing, so this makes it difficult for someone who really needs a calm place to meditate and work.
– its pretty much easier for a first timer to find the way to hell than finding Cafe Neo. no signpost whatsoever to indicate the location. But google map recognizes it. I feel something should at least be placed outside to help novices like myself as this will save us the stress of asking people up and down the long street for Cafe Neo.

We rounded up around 5:30pm long after I had finished my coffee but wasn’t willing to leave. Florence had to leave me to return to her office (close by) while I sat back to admire the simplicity of the interior.

I suddenly went moody when the thought of abandoning my customized cup crossed my mind. ‘i should have come with a bag” I thought within myself.

When you have to leave your customized cup behind.

I finally stood up, bade my guy goodbye and flagged down a bike destined for Falomo

Here is my verdict

Staff/service= A

Place/ambiance= A

Food= B

Shortcomings= D

GPA= 4.1/5

Assumptions adapted for calculation:

-The first, second and third courses are 3, 2 and 2 unit courses respectively.

shortcoming(s) automatically attract(s) a ‘D’.

Is there a destination you want me to review, feel free to reach out ASAP.

www.nomadicnegro.com the blog that deals perfectly with travel adventures.

Bflexing kindly send your mail to tunde@nomadicnegro.com

in case anyone wants to join me in my next trip. see this.
reach me on 08021031732 if you are willing.

megareal:
Yea, I remember Owu falls. Went there during my service year as part of corper excursion things. We spent almost a day there but it was fun.

The road wasn't so bad then as we used a bus and only walked part of the way. I still have great pics from it.

please kindly share them naw.. biko

mayoor15:
Just watching that guy that said the place is 30 minutes in 3D

rakazytee:
I'll love this experience o

shoot me a mail at : tunde@nomadicnegro.com
we will sure organize a low cost travel down there soon.

Dhermelawler35:
OP, You have good writing skills.. u actually made me read the write up till the end.. Nice one...

really!
thanks for reading. thats how i actually write 99.9% of my travel reports on www.nomadicnegro.com

horciglowri:
I want to go, hw much is d total cost frm lagos?

shoot me a mail at tunde@nomadicnegro.com and you'd me amazed at how cheap I travel

rakazytee:
Wonderful, I'll try n convince hubby so that I can ve this experience too.

please do. you wont regret the action.

jumich1:
I like your never say never attitude, keep it up for that's the mark of successful people.

Btw I didn't see any falls o, all I could see in your pictures is water drifting from rocky mountain to nearby river. That's not waterfalls

it was easy to take this shot because the picyure you posted is just few metres.
sir, Owu falls is the tallest in Nigeria and one of the tallest in Africa.
I think this should help.

missioner:
you didn't tell us what actually took you there...
or you just left Lagos to take pictures

www.nomadicnegro.com is a blog I launched for the sole aim of exploring everywhere possible and come back to write about my experience

bluejean:
thumbs up to our op. u made dt nice n easy to read with the command of english n sense of narration.

At d bk of my mind is touring wch i will do someday

really!
while I wrote, I considered you and everyone who'd want to read

phemolala07:
I serve in Dat local govt(isin local govt) kwara state back in 2015. Owu falls is Just underrated.but d place far no b small

i somewhat loved the journey to and from there though.

saintdennis:


Actually ITS BETTER to embark on such journeys alone...

If they were two or more...I guarantee you he wouldn't have reached the waterfall that day.

Infact it's more dangerous walking in groups

@obalorla blame the state government not FG. When Donald duke turned c/rivers to nigeria's tourist capital it wasn't via magic but vision.

When last did anyone see any advertorial on print or electronic media on yankari game reserve?? Erin-ijesha waterfalls? Obudu? Ikogosi springs? Etc

Like u rightly noted, they'd rather use scarce resources for political campaigns

Its really a painful thing, I swear.