Posts Tagged ‘Travel’
Lome here I come!
These assimilated French people will never cease to amuse and amaze me with their lay-back attitude!
Despite the fact that Lome has expanded structurally, the people remained the same slow and sluggish in their mien even at these jet and computer ages! I remember in 1977 as a school boy, our guide, a french national on internship at the French Embassy in Lagos told us we were being too smart for the environment. The Summer Vacation camp of 1977 organised by the French Embassy for deserving students left an indelible memory and some of the exploits actually shaped my life. One enduring memorabilia of the camp, a rare school bag on which is written “chez nous au Togo”, meaning Togo, our Fatherland or Home, still hangs somewhere in my room to date. The phrase expressed the pride and faith of the Togolese in their country which they hold dearly. You dear not mention the name of the then maximum ruler anyhow without being challenged. We were opportuned to witness the reverence they have for their ruler and country as demonstrated nationwide on the 30th August(Trente Aout)-it was a rare carnival-like display of loyalty better witnessed than imagined!
Lome, in 1977, was a little better than a big village with Hotel de la Paix, said to be owned by our own General Gowon, being the most remarkable edifice around. The whole country could not boast of any University. The highest institution of learning then was Ecole D’Agriculture, Tove in the northern part of the country. About that time, Lycee de Toquin, a well established secondary school with facilities comparable to those of missionary schools in Nigeria, was being upgraded to what now stands as L’Universite du Benin.
It was in Togo that I cut my teeth in the art of partying and “toasting”. It was there I noticed that there’s a marked difference in the social outlook of the English and French speaking West African countries! While the English exhibit some restraint, the french throw caution into the wind in enjoying themselves.
Today, the story is different and levels have changed significantly. Gigantic buildings now dot the city of Lome with unimpressive skyline. Sadly, the hitherto magnificent Hotel de la Paix is now completely run down reminiscent of Hotel Bobby before the take over by LASG. Of note is the wisdom the authority to preserve their waterfront/shoreline for impressive hotels and resorts comparable to what obtains in Mombassa Kenya! Trust Nigeria where places like that have given way to new estates and city projects- it is all about money and blind-folding corruption with no thought of value added to quality life.
Social activities especially the night life seem to have been overtaken by the Naija experience. Commercial activities are booming with significant patronage from Big Brother Nigeria-a reversal of the situation of the 70s.
Unlike what obtained then, most billboards now advertise one product or service rather than eulogising the president.
Going to Lome posed the challenge of choice of means of transportation. With going by sea ruled out, one is left to choose between road and Air.
I chose to go by air. All the overtures made by my friends to convince me to change my mind would not work- once beaten, twice shy! Unargueably,
Lome to Lagos is not as distant as Ilorin to Lagos but the impediment created by the international border agents can be nauseating as much as they can be frustrating making nonsense of what should be an enjoyable Atlantic coastal drive with lots of sight seeing! In 1977 we had a good time driving through the borders with our brown West African passports affixed with ‘lessez passez’. Our various guides did not allow us to know what trouble they were going through and what level of corruption was being engaged in to secure our passage! In 1993, I went to Ghana in my VW 1600 with a lot of hassles at the various borders. Aflao border posed a special challenge as it was closed due to a diplomatic rift between Togo and Ghana. After some wads of naira and franc cfa notes changed hands, a border agent led us through a cultivated farmland to get to Ghana. As my beetle was tossing up and down over the ridges, my car caught fire under my father-in- law sitting at the “owners” corner. The battery terminals were bridged by the seat meshwork. As ‘you can’t kill the beetle’, I rushed to do the needful and the adventure resumed.
My recent experiences gathered in the course of our Cotonou sojourn sealed my aversion for road trip along West African coast. The travails of passengers at the boarders are getting worse by the day and are dictated by the level of corruption in existence.
Air travel, the safest but most dreaded means of transport, the Nigerian experience, to Lome may seem uninteresting because no sooner you take off and the aircraft stabilizes you’ll start descent into Lome, but you will appreciate the trouble you’re saved of when you hear the expected tale of woes from road travelers. My colleagues were not spared despite the ‘indept knowledge’ of the terrain by Adeagbo, their driver!
It would not be a bad idea afterall to see the skyline of another neighbour if only for comparison or to approach the city by air haven made previous visits by road.
The 9th West Africa Project Fair, the main reason for our going to Lome, from the onset showed the laid back ways of the francophone west africans. I could appreciate the frustration of Auntie Bas in getting us accommodation. At this age and time, their hotels are not internet registered such that it was impossible to do any form of electronic fund transfer. It then became cash and carry and first come first served!
More frustrating was the need to pay the registration fee at the conference venue only in local currency of cfa francs with non availability of bureau de change in the vicinity.
The conference bag is just another one containing the usual stuff but this time around, the conference brochure left so much to desire. Most annoying is the blurred picture of our District Governor.
Gbagada missed the cocktail of Friday evening with something more important to the bargain of compensation. Our meeting with RC Lome Zenith which took place at the prestigious and magnificent Sarakawa Hotel was highly successful to be modest. The club took twining to a very serious and well defined level. One cannot but appreciate this with the constant reverberation of the success of our Global Grant project at Cotonou, a project worthy of emulation and a biproduct of our twining with RC Cotonou Palmier. It was gratifying and most satisfying to hear the project being cited as an example at this fair with both clubs becoming reference clubs.
On the whole, the fair was a huge success despite the hiccups encountered here and there. The international partners came in large numbers as compared with what obtained last year. Can you blame them? When gold rusts, what will iron do? When Nigerians don’t feel safe in their own country, what do you expect of foreigners? Here in Lome, everybody feels at home! And you know what! Here at Hotel Copa Cabana, life is so good, no power cut!
An outing to the beach became almost irresistible as we are close to the Atlantic. At the beach it is all fun and no body is worried about how to get back home.
Right now, we are enjoying Lome and we are looking forward to that day when we’ll be proud to shout loudly “chez nous au Nigeria”
Windy
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The last leg of my European tour and of course, the last few days of my working vacation took me to the Eastern side. I’ve had the most eventful vacation of my life so far lived. I started out with a self development training, moved on to Rotary affair and now professional development all in a relaxed mood. I have maximised the value of my miserly Schengen visa!
With a combination of sign language and wisdom of brandishing the print out of my hotel reservation and conference venue, I was able to pass the necessary information to the cab driver who took me through what appeared like an endless journey to Hotel Askania close to the city centre of Prague. On our tortuous way, I managed to fight off the devilish sleep consequent upon early rise for which I had to request for wake up call. I could not read any word close to english in all the sign posts and road sings and directions written in Russian language. And with that I thought I was in for a difficult time.
WONCA (World Organization of family doctors) Conferences are held 3 yearly and since I joined in 2004, the same year that I joined Rotary, the meetings are, somehow, coming on the heels of each other and coincidentally the last 2 were held in the same environment. This was responsible for my missing the 2010 edition held in Mexico, four weeks ahead Montreal Convention. Despite missing 2 days this time, I still had the urge to make it. My enthusiasm though damped by the poor attendance recorded was compensated for by the quality of papers presented and speakers on hand. I thank God, I made it!
I had no problem navigating the city of Prague with basic understanding of the transport system that is characteristic of most big cities of Europe. You have the bus, train and metro (underground) transport systems serving the common man and their expensive taxi cabs for the elites and unsuspecting tourists or those who are just not bothered about cost. With minimal information, from the hard faced Czechs, I wangled my way through their clean city with rusty looking medieval buildings to the conference Centre, Prague Congress Centre and back.
To have the best feel of the historic city and to save me the headache of language, I had to go for a guided tour that is not part of me! I like going around my own way and at my own time! I learned a lot!
The fantastic journey started from Wencelas Square, one of the very many squares of Prague. It is located in the heart of New Town from which we proceeded to the historic Old Town under which lies another historic town in which the mysteries and secrets are hidden. The torture and execution chambers which date back to the 12th century and beyond, the darkest days of the city, lie underground and hence the cliche “The Truth is Down There”. The tour also took us to the mysterious Jewish Ghetto with its famous synagogues, before crossing the Vltava River via Charles Bridge, one of the 16 bridges across the river, to get to the picturesque Lesser Quarter located on a hill and from which one could enjoy spectacular panoramic views of the city. We also visited the iconic Prague Castle which now houses the seat of government.
The tour was made interactive and I was able to catch some facts of the the history of Prague that is riddled with executions and executioners who were revered and held in awe, prisons and prisoners, a past both glorious and tragic. I had an history lesson in which the buildings, monuments and streets tell the captivating and horrific story of a city through time. I was almost weeping to hear the horror and terror of Nazi occupation and the bloody and gruesome fight to rid the city of the invaders!
For exploration and expansionism reasons of that time, most European big cites were built around rivers which now have high tourism value. As River Thames is to London, so is Seine to Paris, Tagus to Lisbon and Vltava to Prague. Our tour ended with a dinner short dinner cruise in a Luxury boat on Vltava. Against the night sky, Prague’s spectacular water front panorama revealed its splendour! As I jumped off the boat feeling satisfied, I asked myself what have we made of all the various rivers and lagoons especially in the “state of acquatic splendour”?
Generally Prague strikes me as an old Soviet city which still reeks of the consequencies of communism! The people still wear melancholic faces of the typical Russian. Unlike portuguese ladies who are in all sizes and shapes, beautifully well endowed, sometimes fat and luscious, the Czech ladies wear the mean look and manly structure of Martina Navratilova, the famous,female Lawn tennis icon of soviet extraction!
The fear of the executioner was something that I believe must have got a deep root in the psyche of these people and as such responsible for the level of societal discipline and very low level of crime!
Another offshoot of communism is the simplicity of their dressing and other ways of life. As recommended by law, the minimum wage in the country is about 130 dollars and average income is about 350 dollars per month on conversion of their cherished currency, the Czech Krowne(Kc or CZK).
To the Czech, Efficiency is the first word! Aesthetics comes much later!
I could count on my finger tips,the number of blacks that I saw to be residents of Prague. Maybe ten including two Nigerians of Ibo extraction! Trust them, ‘Igbo Kwenu’ This is quite understandable from the stand point of colonization history! While the West were colonising Africa, australia and the Americas, the Eastern Europe under the firm grip o the Soviets went for the far and middle east. I need to find out how Britain still got to Hong Kong, Malaysia etc almost meeting the Soviets halfway!
My dear friends, as the WONCA conference ends this morning, I can’t wait to get back home! I’ve missed my family, my “shop” and the larger Polybonde family, you my friends and patients/clients as much as I miss ‘Amala and Abula’ and pounded yam with vegetable soup!
Windy
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone from Etisalat. Enjoy high speed mobile broadband on our easyblaze and plans for BlackBerry. Visit http://www.etisalat.com.ng for details.
“I made an attempt to get on a crowded bus but was irritated by the noises emanating from within and while contemplating whether to go in or not, I saw Obama beckoning to me to wait for him and not to be in a rush. I was glad to see him and to kill time while waiting for the next bus, we started talking Politics. I warned him not to reverse the decision of the court that jailed Belusconi and to hands-off the whistle blower issue! He smiled as we entered the next bus telling me that I should put myself in his position. The bus jerked suddenly and I hit my leg against one of the poles meant to give support to standers”
Oh la la! I woke up with an excruciating pain in my right big toe and some epigastric discomfort! I had been dreaming! I must have hit my leg against the woodwork of my queen bed and suffering acid reflux from late night beer!
Such was the fun that characterized Restaurados, the section of the city centre where our hotel was located!
The flight to Lisbon from Gatwick was right on time in a brand new Airbus 320. A first time traveler will hold his head in fright for the take off and landing. Perhaps the Pilot was still mastering the new machine!
A lot of things have changed at Gatwick with the change of ownership. The place is now owned, albeit under a lease agreement, by our own Bayo Ogunlesi, heading a financial consortium based in New York. His father is the renowned Prof. Ogunlesi, one of the pioneers of medicine in Nigeria! Who says Nigerians are not great! Gatwick is much cleaner, better automated and of course, better patronized and busier. Perhaps because of the state of affairs at home, Bayo has not sought an opportunity or offered his expertise to the powers that be. Perhaps he cannot navigate the murky waters of Nigerian business deals leaving the likes of Wale Babalakin who understand the language better, even without any claim to the slightest know how or professionalism, to handle similar projects at home. He probably won’t be able to stand the nepotism and god-fatherism that characterise and are demonising the award of contracts in Nigeria! He might have foreseen the truth or wisdom in avoiding riding on the Lion’s back not to end up in his stomach! I feel very sorry for Wale in his predicament and I pray he survives it and gets wiser!
The aerial view of Lisbon shows a well laid out city with draught-like layout of Washington DC around many monumental structures appearing like Adebisi Compound of Idi Ikan, Ibadan. Landing at Lisbon ‘Aeroporte’, looking somewhat quiet at a time when you expect a bee hive like situation gave me the impression of a laid back city and country. The ineptitude of their embassy that embarrassed all Rotarians in Nigeria reenacted itself right from the passport control where there was only one officer on duty causing unnecessary delay. At the Luggage claim area, only one conveyor belt was in use with an inept, carefree attendant who remained on a phone call that gained his attention more than his duty of sorting the luggages.
TY and I by coincidence were on the same flight and it just became economically beautiful for us to hire a cab to our hotel. If not for language difficulty we would have been an easy prey for our cab driver with whom we argued with some Nigerian aggression that we were just not ready to pay more than 35 euros when the innocent and, maybe, God fearing man was telling us with a crooked accent that our journey should cost roughly 15 euros that we took for 50! It took the intervention of a policeman who also was as dumb as the cabman for us to simmer down and continue the journey as we kept our eyes on the meter.
We got to Restaurados with the meter reading a little less than 15 euros. The short and stocky driver feeling vindicated took us right to the doorstep of our hotel located on the second and third floors of a an 18th century building.
As we alighted from the cab, we were greeted by an air akin to a carnival! Even before exploring the area, we knew there and then we were in for the fun of our life. And we were not disappointed.
Staying at the city centre gave us an opportunity to have a good feel of Lisbon. The transport system is amazingly easy and cheap. The Metro(Underground) is the easiest even for an illiterate. There are four lines(linha) red, blue, green and yellow! To get to the convention centre and return cost a little less than 3 euros and took about 30 minutes. From Restaurados, Blue line took us to Sao Sebastiano where we changed to Red line that took us to Oriente, where Feira Internacional de Lisboa, the Rotary International Convention centre is located. An expansive compound of massive structures, Feira is comparable to the the past convention centres and swallowed the rather unusually thin population of Rotarians. Though I don’t have the figure of attendance, with my experience of the last 8 Conventions, I could estimate fairly well.
The convention, though conventional in outlay and program content, was not as bubbly as expected. The few plenary sessions I attended paraded some powerful speakers. The break out sessions too had a lot to offer! The House of Friendship was beautifully decorated but sparsely occupied! The convention closed yesterday, devoid of the usual nostalgic feelings, with lots of Rotarians hurrying out of Lisbon to avoid being caught up in a proposed civil demonstration for fear of it escalating into an unrest and strife!
Generally, Lisbon, an old city of over 2000 years represents another european cultural heritage with laid back population who try to be friendly but appear less so perhaps as a result of their indolence in learning other languages. I cannot understand the basis of their proposed strike of 27th June! Is it in conformity with their peers in Brazil? It is in Portugal that I’ve heard of reverse brain drain! It is an irony of fate and history that young men and women in Portugal now seek opportunities in Angola, Mozambique and the Congos that were formerly Portuguese colonies! The global economic downturn is not sparing any nation And from my own assessment, life seems to be relatively good in Lisbon! I feel they can live life the way it is, rather than the way it ought to be, a Nigerian perspective you will say! Maybe there’s more to it than meets my innocent and short sighed eyes. Whatever he outcome of the strike is and whatever the fate of fellow Rotarians especially from Nigeria caught in the web unprepared is, time will tell.
Windy
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone from Etisalat. Enjoy high speed mobile broadband on our easyblaze and plans for BlackBerry. Visit http://www.etisalat.com.ng for details.
Here’s another;
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Fellow Rotarians and loved ones,
Your various comments on and praises for my previous pieces are appreciated and serve as the tonic for this and future articles. Please enjoy.
As I took my seat in the almost empty Coach J of Virgin Train, a First Class coach courtesy of my friend of over 30 years and host, Ayodeji Osobu, on my return trip to London yesterday, I remembered that I slept all through my outward journey to Manchester on Friday. I decided to stay awake this time, to have a good look at the Country side. And that meant fighting off an almost inevitable nap consequent upon the hang over of an eventful Friday Night.
Beyond that, I am specially blessed with ease of falling asleep even in the noisiest environment and most awkward position. Glory be to God!
Manchester typifies the northern England cities with easy life, no hustle and bustle characteristic of London. With my experience in Harrogate, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham etc in the past, it is easy for me to make this conclusion. No wonder you find more of Nigerians in tangible professions making their living there leaving all the riff-raffs in London. A comparison of this situation with Lagos versus Ibadan and Abeokuta can only suffer on the basis of economic activities!
Trust Nigerians! There’s a joint called Roots in Central Manchester that serves “Ishiewu”, “Nwongwo”, “Shawa” among other Nigerian delicacies! That was our port of TGIF! Cold drinks, Beers and stout originating from Nigeria abound with Naija hip hop emanating from the juke box of a DJ with typical Ibo accent. Before I knew it, the joint transformed into a nite club by 12 midnight with influx of young men and ladies in “hot” dresses! As I watched all sorts of things happening inside and outside the joint, I couldn’t but wished to grow younger!
At my instance, we left the joint with a lot to talk about at about 3am.
Ayo lives at Imperial Point, a magnificent, beautiful. block of serviced apartments in Old Trafford overlooking a canal across which Manchester United Stadium stands out in what looks like an industrial area. “Old” because there’s a new Trafford that is closer to the city centre. The Old Trafford, I was told was originally occupied by shanties built by merchants and fishermen. Like it is happening at Ilubinrin in Lagos, Old tafford now houses magnificent buildings among which is The Imperial War Museum and industries with jetties along Salford Quays!
To keep me awake, I ordered for a cup of Cappuccino which was delivered promptly and with the typical courtesy of Virgin establishment. Just then, the train left platform 5 almost unnoticed. No noise, no jerk except the driver’s (mind you, they no longer call them engine drivers because they don’t operate locomotive engines)announcement and relative motion that accelerated to what I believe was between 120 and 140 kilometers per hour speed. I sipped the coffee with strong faith as the train sped on with so many things on through my mind while gazing, through the window at the beautiful and spectacular countryside!
The countryside reminded me of the exciting picture I had while in a similar electric train from Paris to Lille way back in 1978.
All the way from Manchester to London I could not see an expanse of land up to a plot that was left uncultivated except close to towns and villages. There are agricultural settlements all the way with various arable crops at various stages of development giving a beautiful jig saw of various colours! Those at the flowery stage giving red, yellow and pink, puple etc while those already harvested and withering off present brown and grey within the ubiquitous green also of various shades! Whao! What a scenery! There are also grazing portions for cattle and sheep!
Compared with the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, you will have to contend with the various Religious Camps and Trailer Parks with their attendant nuisances! Nigeria is fast becoming a country where there are more churches than factories and more Pastors than Managers!
Thick forests that harbour criminals also abound especially beyond Ibadan and Ijebu as you move into the hinterland! Nigeria was once described by a French diplomat friend of mine as a forest because that was all he saw from Lagos to Ibadan in 1977, just before the expressway was commissioned! I took him up, albeit with a baseless argument!
Visiting France a little later opened my eyes!
My little son, Bayonle was to corroborate, on a lighter mood, the Frenchman’s assertion in 1997, 20 years later! My father then kept this unusual pet, a crocodile! My son seeing it for the first time raced to tell me with a lot of excitement, ‘this Lalupon is a forest, daddy’ just for sighting a croc. I laughed my head off!
The train just went past Milton Keynes another quiet town, towards the north, about 30 minutes from London by rail maybe 1hour by road, when there was an SOS announcement for a doctor to come to the aid of a passenger in Coach C! Pronto, I was there to see a young man in his late 20s, most likely an Arab, complaining of palpitation and chest discomfort. He looked anxious, sweaty and somewhat distressed! His pulse was pounding and heart rate about 120 beats per minute. I threw some probing questions and in no time was able to arrive at a diagnosis of Drug- induced Tachycardia! The stupid boy had taken a powerful chinese aphrodisiac earlier in the day! He reminded me of the recklessness of the driver in Frankfurt! Is recklessness an arabian culture? I advised he be taken to the nearest hospital for detoxification with an antidote and intravenous fluids. Getting an ambulance to pick him up at the next station cost us extra 30 minutes.
As we got to London Euston station, I could count not less than ten other Virgin trains waiting to be boarded or discharging passengers! My mind now wandered to this ubiquitous company that has its hand in virtually every essential need of life and also making a success of it! From Virgin ‘tooth pick’ to Virgin Airline! Is there anything that Virgin does not do other than party politics? Virgin India, Virgin America, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin everywhere are success stories in the Aviation industry. My conclusion is that Richard Branson, the founder and CEO is an avid, incorruptible and diligent businessman who cherishes his integrity! In a conservative environment, he has built a large, reputable business empire. His withdrawal from Nigeria, perhaps his first sad story of failure, was not unconnected with CORRUPTION, an entropy that gives me palpitation and missed beats each time it crosses my mind! And it does so many times!
A man of immense means and vision and style, I heard, Richard Branson has an ISLAND to himself in the Pacific Ocean from where he will probably be smiling at the lot of Nigerians who are in a prison.
May I call on all of us to rise up and never get tired of trying to get out of our PRISON where there seems to be no doors or windows but only concrete walls and barbed wire fences.
Disasters are looming in our society and we all owe it a duty to. speak up and speak out! As Wole Soyinka warned us, “The man dies in him who keeps quiet in the face of injustice”. Corruption is the greatest injustice in our land converting it into a prison manned by vicious warders!
Happy Sunday to all and I wish the convention Goers an exciting time in Lisbon.
Windy.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone from Etisalat. Enjoy high speed mobile broadband on our easyblaze and plans for BlackBerry. Visit http://www.etisalat.com.ng for details.
My Pops; Ajasa as I fondly refer to him is a traveler. He takes his time out every year to travel and he loves it.
Here’s a Story he Sent to my mailbox and I thought I should share.
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As soon as we were referred to the German embassy for Schengen Visa to Portugal, it occurred to me that it could be an opportunity for me to visit Germany for the first time and exploit the opportunity it may offer. Pronto I got in touch with a colleague, a German, I met 2 years ago at the Conference of IFRS, International Federation of Rural Surgeons to which I belong, that took place at Eruwa, Oyo state. The guy assured me of and arranged a guide for my one day tour of Frankfurt.
My night flight to Frankfurt on Friday, the 14th June was uneventful and right on schedule. The aircraft, an Airbus A330-300 was comfortable with adequate leg room and filled up and the cabin crew, very courteous and caring. To my greatest surprise, not up to 10 of the over 300 passengers actually entered Frankfurt, to the effect that on my way to passport control area, I felt lost despite the obvious and unmistakable directional signs.
The expansive Terminal 1 was looking deserted, perhaps because it was early hours of Saturday. But then I had been in even Nairobi early in the morning to talk less of Amsterdam Schipol. I started to wonder what kind of people are these Germans!
On my way out to London yesterday however, it was a different kettle of fish. The airport was somewhat busy with no black man in sight. I started feeling like a fish out of water.
To the credit of Germans, I must remark that Frankfurt airport is the most automated airport I have visited to date, even up to baggage drop. You hardly see any counter officer except for a few helping people like me who may have difficulty because of first time use. Very soon technology will drive everybody out of job, I wondered! Or is it another German miserly gimmick! I started remembering the “visa palava” again!
Getting my bag took no time and I was out of the terminal building to find what my cab driver described as a beautiful weather. Days before it had been disturbingly rainy! I decided to take a cab to minimize my headache with language in describing my hotel. The driver, a middle-easterner, maybe lebanese, started speeding like someone possessed even as he was telling all sorts of stories. This breath-taking speed forced me to literarily beg him to slow down when the speedometer read 240 kilometer! You can imagine his accent and mien in telling me that in Germany, there’s no speed limit especially when you are on autoban meaning highway, which looks and feels very much like the tartan race track of our famous Liberty Stadium in Ibadan.
In no time we got to Meninger Hotel, about 25 kilometers from the Airport at the periphery of the city Centre. Close to it is Main Convention Centre, a massive structure comparable to the Mc Comic Convention Centre in Chicago!
Hardly had I settled down did my guide, Dave, a dry, unfriendly looking but business-like young man came with a bag from my friend Dr. Kholner. I quickly changed and set out for what I thought was going to be an interesting outing. Dave took me in a sparkling Audi A8 which he claimed was a gift from my friend. Taking me around was like a pay back time! He was such a useless guide that I had to make up my mind to release him as I was the one asking questions some of which he was unable to answer satisfactorily about a place of his birth! What a shame! I wondered whether it was deliberate. The guy was just driving me sluggishly round and round the beautiful and clean city of Frankfurt. I discharged Dave with a Thank you note on my complimentary card to my friend.
By 1pm, I was back in my hotel and trust Naija man! “We no dey carry last” I decided to make the best of my stay! I hired a bicycle for 12 Euro to look around the developing suburb of Franfurt. My bicycle was equipped with an ergometer. I could calculate how much calories I was burning and what distance I had covered! I had a wonderful time cycling round the well paved roads of Main and its environs. I covered about 22 km all together in about 3 hours.
I went round some developing areas and to my amazement, Strabag was the only familiar name I saw on a few of the many gigantic building and civil engineering projects going on there!
The almighty Julius Berger that holds sway in Nigeria was nowhere to be found! I then started thinking. Could it be that JB is not known at home? Or could it be that it is holding sway in Nigeria because it “speaks the language” of corruption better than the others? Let the clients tell us!
I was about to sleep when I now remembered that I had not checked the contents of the bag sent by my friend from a remote village off Hamburg. On opening the box, I found a note which reads:
“Dear Dr Windapo,
As discussed, please find these items which have proven efficacy as the “secrets of German machine” which you craved to have. (LOL)”——–
Kirk.
Please when next you see me, ask for the secret! It will be given for a fee! It is professional!
Cheers!
Windy.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone from Etisalat. Enjoy high speed mobile broadband on our easyblaze and plans for BlackBerry. Visit http://www.etisalat.com.ng for details.
31. Something I Miss
Posted on: December 31, 2012
Whoop! We Made it to the end of 2012; something to be thankful for. I hope we all make it into 2013.
Something I miss is having so much lounging time.
Lounging is when you’re just all over place, lazing around without a worry in the world. Now, when I try to watch one common episode of Big Bang Theory, I think of all the Microbiology powerpoints I should be studying. Guilt.
I also miss Owambe crawling with my dad.
Traveling with my dad every weekend.
Watching my dad doing surgeries.
Gossiping with my mum.
Frustrating my brothers.
Going on holidays and longing to go back to school.
Getting tired of sleeping.
Having too much food to eat.
Really, I miss a lot of things. Damn you med school!
24. My Day
Posted on: December 24, 2012
Sorry this couldn’t come up earlier; Technical Issues.
3.00am Woke up + Ordered dinner
After Dinner Watched Episode 5 to Episode 7 of The X Factor US
7.30am O.R Tambo ported + Luggage Hustle + Ran to gate D6
9.00am Another Luggage Hustle + Ran to give my mother a hug + Ran to the nearest restroom
9.30am Finally got home. Bants with the brothers; They kept on saying I looked + smelt like a farmer.
More bants.
12.45pm Pinelands Library. Borrowed 4 books; Ted Dekker’s Skin, Stephen King’s The Shining, Mario Puzo’s The Sicillian and the last I can’t remember. My mother stole it from me.
Later Howard Centre; Paid for Bolaji’s internet subscription, Found my lost ATM pin and Found a micro sim for mummy’s iPad.
2.00pm Mummy’s Office, tried to help her get a new iTunes account and download the new version off iTunes. Internet baled. We baled.
Few Moments Later Checkers. Last minute Christmas gift shopping.
3.30pm Kenilworth Centre. Argument over parking space. Window shopping. Scheming for what to buy after the new year, Bought popcorn for the brothers.
4.00pm Back home. Tried to read. Slept off.
10.22pm Woke up thinking it was Christmas day. Pinged Dami Merry Christmas.
Later Realized it wasn’t Christmas day, Went to get dinner + Watched The Nanny and The George Lopez Show with the mother.
Much Later Devotion time. Slept off during devotion.
Around 2.00am Picked myself from the couch to my room.
Really uneventful day.
Notice How I comfortably didn’t take a bath. x_x
2. My Bucket List
Posted on: December 1, 2012
A bucket list is a list that contains the stuff you wish to achieve/do before you kick the figurative bucket.
I know many of us saw that ‘The Bucket List’ movie with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson if I’m right.
I haven’t given my bucket list so much thought but now that I’m thinking about it, what are the things I really want to do before I die?
1. Go Bungee Jumping and Skydiving. I’m not an adrenaline junkie or anything but I’d love to try them out just because.
2. Visit as many as 50 countries on all the continents. Traveling is one of my favorite things but I can’t travel as much as I want because I don’t earn any salary. So I appreciate whatever my parents do for me. My daddy is a frequent traveller and he visits at least 3 new countries each year. We call him ‘Ajala’. When I start making my own money, I’ll travel to so many countries and I’ll make sure I visit all seven wonders of our beautiful world.
Pilgrimage inclusive.
3. Feature In The British Medical Journal. The British Medical Journal is known as BMJ. It publishes research, clinical reviews, recent medical advances amongst other things. It would be such a feat.
4. Write A Book. And get it published. I wrote one really cool story book that never saw the light of day. My art teacher just shoved it aside. I’ll try my hands once again.
5. Be A Newspaper Columnist. Just because its what the cool people do. I’ll like Tunde Fagbenle’s spot in ‘Sunday Punch’.
6. Host A Radio Show. For more cool points.
7. Go on an African Safari. This is in line with my travel plans.
8. Learn at least 2 new languages. Spanish and Italian are the first ones on my mind. I picked up a little Italian while reading John Grisham’s ‘The Partner’ or was it ‘The Broker’? One of them sha.
9. Call one of the people searching for love in the newspapers. I really dunno why.
10. Buy that Fela Thingy. There’s this compilation of the complete works of Fela that is on sale for about 40 thousand Naira. I plan to use my first paycheck as a House Officer to buy it.
That’s all I can think up for now.
New additions will be updated later.
Ciao.
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