DESTINATION CROSS RIVER

For someone who loves the idea of travel, I am not one to travel much. In fact, I have barely traveled to the 6 geo-political zones in the country. Besides the North-central, I can’t claim to know any many places in Nigeria. That, accompanied by my phobia for air travel, I find myself only traveling to locations that are only a few hours from my home. Surmise it to say, I am an untraveled northern girl. To make up for this shortcoming, I love to read travelogues, because through them I have been able to see the world from other people’s eyes, and to say the truth I have enjoyed living through them.

However, a few months ago I decided to truly start living and to explore places with my own eyes. So a few friends and I planned a trip to Cross River State to have a taste of the south, see the cultural array at the renowned  Calabar carnival, as well as enjoy the exotic cuisines of a different land.

Due to the influx of people returning home for the holidays it was a hassle getting a direct flight to Cross River so I went through Akwa Ibom. Upon arriving at Akwa Ibom International Airport, there was a dramatic change in the weather. It was a breezy, windy and chilly morning.

I had struck conversation with the lady who sat beside me on the flight. The conversation starter was a book I noticed her reading on the flight by an African author that I had been willing myself to read for a while. I garnered that she was on her way home to see her parents after being away for a long time. She was excited about seeing her father but I could deduce a reluctance that she didn’t want to be away from her boyfriend for too long. *a woman’s sixth sense* lol.

While we conversed, I told her I was visiting the south for the first time and she was excited to give me pointers on places to visit while I was there. And when I told her I was proceeding to Calabar as soon as I land she began to make contact with people who can assist me on my onward journey to Calabar. When we landed, she had a friend of hers who had come to pick her from the airport to take me to the state owned Road Transport Company which would convey me to Calabar. While en-route the car park, the young man named Alex was happy to take me through the town while he highlighted the destination places in Uyo to me. We passed the Ibom Tropicana, the Nsikak Eduok Road, the ring roads and the renowned Akwa Ibom stadium! And then they dropped me off at the car park, waited for my car to pull out before they left. I had just gotten my first experience of Southern hospitality.

When I arrived in Calabar and the hired taxi deposited me to my lodging, I was eager to get to know my surrounding. So with trepidation, I walked around the area, drinking in the sights and sounds. I made an effort not to wander too far lest I get lost. But what I found amazed me. We were right in the heart of Calabar. For those who know Abuja well, it was like residing right on Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, and for Lagos, like staying in VI. Marian road, was that for calabar. Most of the cool places were a walking distance from our lodge. And when my friends arrived the next day, we easily walked to the best Lounge in Calabar “Beverly Heels”. And while we were having lunch at a nearby restaurant, and conversing in Hausa, we found that the owner was a Fulani lady from Yola. Imagine our surprise in finding a Fulani lady in Calabar who spoke Efik and cooked southern dishes remarkably well. We had found our own northern sister in the south!

On the day of the carnival, everywhere was bursting with culture as the

bright colours of the south arrayed the streets. Barricades were put up and as the procession began my friends and I couldn’t hold in our glee. From the colorful masquerades to the beautifully clad ladies in ruffles and feathers, to the top celebrities who graced the festival.

P-Square regaled us for hours with live performances from several albums while atop a moving stage cum truck. They danced “Shoki” to the uproar of the crowd. While Jim Iyke, Kate Henshaw, Mama Bakassi (Sen. Florence Ita Giwa) and several other VIPs - well adorned, danced beside them. The crowd was joyous, we walked up to the celebrities, had our photos taken, danced with them and even took selfies! The larger than life images we had of them dissipated that day. They, like everyone else, loved to have a good time. After the procession, we gathered every night at the stadium for 3 days of performances, by MI, Tuface Idibia, Iyanya and so many more.

We visited the Marina Resort and took a tour of the slave museum. Even a heart of stone would melt at seeing the graphic illustrations of the inhumane treatment that Nigerian slaves went through while crossing the Atlantic. Packed like sardines, chained, beaten, and killed. Most people had tears in their eyes at the end of the tour. We later went on a deep sea boat cruise with our vivacious captain Sam who gave us a tour of the water way and how we could navigate to Cameroon, Akwa Ibom etc, while he played party jams in the boat for us to dance to.

At Tinapa Waterpark, we found it a beautiful experience. With the enthusiasm that characterizes tourists, we prowled the vast land. Drinking in the hills, mountains, the EbonyLife TV office structure, the Malls, the clothes! *eye candy*.

When we returned, a new friend we made at Calabar had his wife prepare a lunch of Pounded Yam and White Soup and they invited us over!

The hospitality of our neighbours was beyond measure. They fed us and invited us to a sit out barbecue one evening. We also met a nice young lady who stays in Abuja but schools in Uni-Cal. She was happy to take us to the Beach market where we got crayfish and stock fish at ridiculously low prices that will leave your mouths hanging agape.

One place I was sad to not have visited is the Obudu cattle ranch. It is situated at least four hours outside town and we couldn’t make the trip. However, that gives us a reason to have a return match hopefully next year!

Cross River is a beautiful town to visit. It is indeed the people’s Paradise!