I learnt the joy and restlessness that comes with travelling by road then. We always started out excited. My dad would check the car and papers to make sure everything was fine, we would pack snacks and drinks and i would worry about NOT needing a bathroom break. I hated the thought of needing to go on the road!
We usually started off singing, joking and telling stories. Then one after the other, we would fall asleep till only the person driving (i hope) was awake.
And then just as it felt like we could not take it any longer, we would see the famous turn welcoming us to Ijebu Ode.
I loved it!
In school, i once had the 'pleasure' of travelling by road with boys and girls from two other schools to Abuja. I remember bits and pieces of the journey to and fro- getting acquainted, conversations about nothing, the stops we made and the things we bought, having the soda i packed in my bag burst open and ruin my clothes, giving out awards and just loving it.
Then there was NYSC and my trips on commercial buses. First you had to get to the park early enough, then get a good seat, and then hopefully tune the world out. I loved stopover in Benin; i would browse through novels, stretch my legs and wonder again why i was doing this? Once in a while there was a fear of being waylaid or the bus breaking down but all that would go away as soon as i saw the "Welcome to..." signs and in Lagos, my daddy's smile.
I have had to go by road to a few other places and one thing i know about travelling about road is it is better experienced with friends or at least a great book!
If you can bear the cramps (which can be eased by light exercise in between), the learning to drink enough to stay hydrated but not so much that you need a million bathroom breaks (hands down the worst thing about road travel for me), and the carsickness (eased by meds or simply chewing gum), travelling by road is full of fun, awesome scenery and erm..erm... that's all i have got.
What do YOU like about travelling by road?
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