₦airaland Forum

Sparkles003:
First cover catchy but only after a second glance.
Second cover,matured and certain to get more audience.

gaby:
Hello guys,due to the overwhelming support i have received from a seemingly innocent comment on a previous thread and in response to popular demand to create a separate thread to chronicle my experiences,i have decided to do this here.

However,i would like to point out and crave your understanding to the honest fact that i might not be doing a bare it all here. This is so because at the moment no one can tell where or when special interests might come knocking for my story.

I wouldn't want to have bared it all in here and be left with nothing to hand prospective suitors. ( everybody like money)

The experiences i'll be sharing here are going to be straight up first hand as it happened to me some 20 years ago,beyond and present as it might relate to my narrative.

To get a proper perspective i might have to do a background intro so you readers will better understand how i ended up venturing on this voyage of yes/no return as the case may be.

It is imperative to state here for the sake of clarity that i am doing this not for some cheap popularity or attention-seeking-ego-massaging trip,i am taking this up as a first step to finding me healing from all the trauma and also to pass on a lesson or two to you readers on the dangers inherent on this journey.

I'm naturally a pretty well private person who's known to bottle up stuffs a lot,this explains why this is the first time i'll be baring my experiences of some 20 years ago for the first time straight up as it is.

I'll hope you guys enjoy reading as i give the narratives but i'll prefer a question and answer session kind of. I even confuse sef.

Please note that my narrative here is not an expert advise on travelling by road or illegally,neither does it seek to promote or encourage same. I stand against and condemn all illegalities as it relates to travelling and otherwise.

Here's the thread that got us here

https://www.nairaland.com/4403645/share-day-never-forget/13#65950071

imhotep:
This is the self exile plan of resurgentxtian4

cc lzaa onyeoga

imhotep:
This is the self exile plan of resurgentxtian4
cc lzaa onyeoga

Sparkle777:
Wow,front page.
There's something about the first picture that makes you want to be on the guys side. He seems to be alone yet insistent on the perilous journey, i kinda connect with that. Unless we can get another picture of him but this time facing the Sahara sand dunes.
Freebie..z, pls come.
Just a thought,anyways.
Thumbs up,Gaby, ur story is going to be a hit.

ladycomfort:
.

Taku555:
you have not been following

gaby:
Thanks

bskyb:
Please mention me and make it public when the book is out. Some of us would like to buy

ladycomfort:
.

How??

rhajaan:
I would advise the second cover be kept...As Mr. Gabi did not go on his journey alone but went in a group.. It would just make his story seem isolated...And the silhouette and the red sand dune of sahara is just perfect..,My opinion though...

Sparkle777:
Wow,front page.
There's something about the first picture that makes you want to be on the guys side. He seems to be alone yet insistent on the perilous journey, i kinda connect with that. Unless we can get another picture of him but this time facing the Sahara sand dunes.
Freebiez, pls come.
Just a thought,anyways.
Thumbs up,Gaby, ur story is going to be a hit.

rhajaan:
I would advise the second cover be kept...As Mr. Gabi did not go on his journey alone but went in a group.. It would just make his story seem isolated...And the silhouette and the red sand dune of sahara is just perfect..,My opinion though...

gaby:
For the benefit of new followers the below post was what "opened" my nyansh and landed me on this hot seat.

This is going to make for a long read though but here we go..

The story about a day i'll never forget..

The year was 1999 and i was just 21,had dropped out of college and decided to migrate for economic reason from my home state in Nigeria.





With no pre-requisites nor sufficient finance to go legal by obtaining a visa and flying,i opted to travel by land through the desert onwards Spain via Moroco. There was however a snag as all i had was a map and a sketch of how and where to change vehicles at specific towns in each country i’ll be passing through. Fortunately on the night i was to board the check out bus from my small town of Benin City enroute Katsina State bordering Nigeria and Niger Republic,half the passengers on the bus turned out to be making the same journey so we all naturally gelled and formed a group.

We got to the border town the next morning and got smuggled into a vehicle that took us further into Niger Republic specifically to a town called Agadez.We did a couple of more days there until we got the next connection to smuggle us through the Sahara desert into a town (Tamaransett) in Algeria. Pertinent to note here that the ultimate target of our journey was to hit Morroco from where we can either Climb accross the razor fences seperating Morocco from either of Spain’s enclave of Ceuta and Mellila both on mainland Morocco.This is actually like crossing from Mexico into the US.

A lot happened on the travel through the Sahara as we did the journey in three days.From co travellers collapsing and been abandoned in the desert to having to survive on our urines. Travelling through the desert we did come upon a couple of human skeletal remains of a couple of unfortunate travellers.

Not to bore you folks with my epistle so i’ll leave out much of what i went through on the journey and continue from when we got into Moroccan territory or the border between Morocco and Algeria in a town called Magniya.Everybody journeying through that route actually get together at this jungle-a valley actually where we set up camps and wait to make up a certain acceptable number for the smugglers to take us on the journey by foot through the woods,deserts and jungles of Morroco to evade the authorities.On a good day with a good guide who knows the route well that’ll be a 2 weeks or thereabouts journey on foot.

So on this day my group and i got prepped to embark on this journey.We had gotten our standard supplies of barguettes,sardines and milk to survive on just enough not too heavy to burden us on the long walk.

We journey only at nights for cover.On the first night we covered a couple of km’s in between some guys and ladies already dropping by the way side not able to keep up pace and exhausted,nobody even cares it’s either you ship in or ship out. So we continued until i eventually took a short rest and afterwards got sperated from the group and i knew not what way to continue on.

Out of frustration,hunger and desperation i decided to come out of the woods in broad day not a single scare of the police as i would have gladly ran to them at this point if for nothing at all just for something to eat and a place to sleep.I started begging for food from some locals who were so kind God bless them.These locals will actually get into trouble with the authorities if it becomes public knowledge that they are habouring or didnt report seeing an alien.But these guys will take me in,make me ‘shai’ morrocan tea and bread then hide me until night time then show me how to go and avoid the cops.

So i continued until i got to Nador.This town actually borders Mellila one of the spanish Territories on Morrocan soil.Meanwhile as a group,our original destination was Rabat where we have a decent population of fellow immigrants on the same journey,where we could gather and map out the next strategy on how to cross into spain either by ferry on. a dingy across the atlantic/mediterranean or scaling the razor fences.

When i arrived Nador i was lost for how to proceed being alone.Mind you it was 2 weeks plus already since i got seperated from my group.I hadn’t showered all these while so you can imagine what i was like. While thinking about my life and how to proceed a bike drove up to me and asked i hopped on,i was hesitant but he insisted and i obliged.He drove me for about 5 kilometres and stopped then asked me to keep left and climb a super mountain across that if i did that and kept to my left i’ll get close to the razor fence.

I thanked him and started on the journey of climbing the huge mountain.From my reckoning i started ascending at about past 8pm when the.man dropped me and when i got to the peak of the mountain where i could see all around Nador and also look into the spanish territory it must have taken me about 3 hours but i became so fired up that at least i’m close to spain.

While i was still basking in the euphoria of my new found luck and planing on where to attack from,the heavens gave way and it started raining cats and dogs with no where to take shelter.

I decided to just keep walking with no particular direction until i happened on a cemetry.When i got to the cemetry at about 12–1 am i couldn’t hold it any longer.I just broke down and started crying my hearts out thinking about my family and friends and how no one knows where i am at what i was passing through. Afterall and the rain had subsided i hadn’t the will to continue that night i just laid on the closest grave to me and prayed for the person resting there.

Pretty tough journey i must confess but had to leave out most parts for easy reading.

Thats it folks a lil story about my life.

Thanks for your time and for reading.

emmancecute:
My thought exactly!

Freebiez:
As my lady wishes.

Curvydick001:
Hit me up bro when the book is ready. Thanks

Sparkle777:
Thanks Freebiez. If its not much of a bother,can I see the sand dunes going on and on and with a twilight red colour. Not as a mountain and let the guy be seen.
Sorry for the stress,I just want to have varieties.
I ll be getting in touch with you.

gaby:
I could keep a secret for Africa and the world at large but the out pour of supports and urge- ons ultimately betrayed my vows of secrecy with no regrets i make bold to say..

You'll read more folks...

Sparkle777:
Keep it coming, the message is timely. No more secrets,let it all out. You owe it to yourself and humanity. Our youth needs to know the inherent risks and dangers of living life on the fast lane. Best of luck.

Sparkle777:
Keep it coming, the message is timely. No more secrets,let it all out. You owe it to yourself and humanity. Our youth needs to know the inherent risks and dangers of living life on the fast lane. Best of luck.

pejuakinab:
Gaby had really suffered and saw hell in the name of traveling to Europe by road.
I hope every intending travellers will learn from Gabby's sojourn.
Only few are lucky, the category Gaby belongs, to have had this chance of writing his story is a testimony.
The chances of scaling through is 30%.
Meanwhile, the route was still better with less dangers as at the year Gaby left.
Don't dare the journey!!

gaby:
You know at some point in life,you get dealt a hand deservedly or undeservedly and you hope to find succour amongst supposed friends and family and all you'll get is talk downs,mockery and outright insults.

But when you know who you are deep down, and in spite of the possible lack of self confidence,you look and just shake your head at the mockers and under raters.

This story about my life is obviously gone out of my control and i'm cool with it so long as i'm able to pass on a message and teach some lessons.

I'm not some pseudo,moniker or faceless one i've always enjoyed anymore and i can live with the unwanted scrutinies and criticisms this might attract.

I dey my house make dem cum beat me...

Sparkle777:
Ooh dear, I can definitely relate with what you've been through. No therapy like speaking up. You're a brave one.
No one dares come to ur house for trouble.

tillaman:
Mr Gaby, I salute you for making out time to create this thread, wherever you are I pray the God be with you, but I want you to elaborate more, this ain't no boring epistle it's like an eye opener, thank you

gaby:
I'm not some pseudo,moniker or faceless one i've always enjoyed anymore and i can live with the unwanted scrutinies and criticisms this might attract.

I dey my house make dem cum beat me...

agabaI23:
Are you planning to take off?

Nazeren:
Really happy for you.