Hope died in August

Jos is 3hrs from kaduna, well 3 weeks  ago, no thanks to my chinco oga , i had to go to jos  with a client, she was not  as beautiful or as busty as my specification demands, so no shaking, but waoh, due to the nature of the assignment, i had to travel a journey which would take me 6hrs... ..trust me, I never miss an opportunity to test my sugar coated tongue , the journey began and i tried myself  and got the lady in question talking , was i in for a shock or was it me....life is such a great teacher !

The lady in  question is dark skinned and has a perpetual smile on her face , she giggles at the slightest opportunity and is so amiable...i asked the right questions and she began talking, 6hrs on he road and she talked the whole distance...... she told me basically about herself and her journey of life so far.....

As she spoke i wondered and counted my blessings ... i looked outside and her words brought tears into my eyes, she said her stories with smiles  and  chuckles,she told me about her mother,her mum is on a wheel chair , she has both legs amputated, hm mm it was the case of diabetes going bad , a small wound that just would not heal, it ate her up slowly, she told me the stories of the agony and pain, the moments when all appeared blink and one wondered whether there was indeed a God , in her words... i listen to all the graphic details, ...she told me also of the story of Hope , a girl she met in one of the hospital wards her mother was admitted in, Hope was a breast Cancer patient , light skinned and beautiful ,i hear she was soo busty....people like me would scream yeeepaaa ,but my friend says Hope had lost one boob , when she met her , she says she watched Hope gradually disappear, 1st the 2nd boob went, then her ovaries, then she lost the use of her legs, Hope she says despite all this had a perpetual smile on her face, and laughed and chuckled whenever she could afford it, i guess that was between the cries of agony and pain... well my friend's mum soon left the hospital and she(my friend )  went back visiting like a good friend and she was told ,Hope DIED IN AUGUST.....that was last year !

 

 2days ago I went into jos again, alone this time the journey was somewhat lonely , but that was was perfect, i looked at the vast savanna, and it brought memories, i was going at a time when all was getting to me, i was getting tired, tomorrow 15th June , makes it 3 months exactly, when this journeys began...Obalende is no longer a place to find solace, even benue state guest house( which reminds you of water front in ilorin ), which is so quite and windy,  a new joint my new found guide takes me too couldn't do the magic, i had started buying Tuesday guardian again...i was gradually walking into the zone of depression.....but 2days ago as i journeyed into what used to be Nigeria's most beautiful city,the beauty still abounds , but you need an inner eye to see it,you need to see beyond the  green, the rocks, the water falls, the people, to see Jos  in her beauty, this  reminded me of Hope, and realized that for so many of usHope has died, for many of us jobless,many of us in terrible emotional situations, for many of us working at jobs which we dis test, for many of us with sick siblings, parents and loved ones, for many of us with crisis ridden homes, Hopehas died, for many of us sinners like you  and i, Hope that we can ever find solace in God has died in august , now we go through life with bag gages of worries ,anxieties and doubt, we lack the strenght the knowledge that tomorrow all would be well gives to us ..we are bloody hopeless....Hope indeed died in August.....well for those who know , i do hope that a reflection on  tomorrow 15th as it affects my life,  will help you find the strength that Hope , that girl who was losing it all had to smile, laugh and giggle, that you see the truth of the statement that " alone you can do nothing; that we learn to keep our head in times of crisis, that indeed despite the fact that Hope died in august we constantly keep her dreams, visions and aspirations alive , for if Hope dies in us all ........what else is left!!

The journeys continue...

take care

Lots of Love

The Lagos Traveler 

Zaria: A bucket full of trick!!

Well believe me it has been a long month, I didnt know how long and how tired I was until my nights began to be a long  nightmare, the nights became characterized with tossing from one end of my very large hotel bed( any ideas) to the other......I was looking forward to a break, i needed to rest my head, rest my body and cool off , well May 1st , workers day .... i looked forward to it with lots of anxiety ...but trust the chinese.. some chap had a brain wave and stuck in the North I was, but by jove i was tired of the lonely nights in the hotel, I was beginning to talk to myself and seeing people who were not there ...to keep my sanity , i offered to go to Zaria, to handle the Jobs there for the weekend......my aunt stays there!

The last time i was in Zaria was ten years ago , I do recall that my 1st visit was made during the hamattan period, i got into Zaria at about 5am of that day, it was so cold, and the fog was so thick that one couldnt see beyond a arms length, this time i got into zaria at about 8pm after a hard day's work, i wasn't   too happy this was the last friday of the month, in lagos , my people for don dey call, where we go hang out , i for dey with my padis and we for dey catch our small small grove till maybe 1am ,for morning before all go thier papa and mama house....here i was alone, no beer , no friend, just my bag and my phone as companions.....

 

But in life we never can tell categorically , what lies ahead!

 

Zaria turn out to be the idle get away....My aunt with her 9 children live in a small bungalow, on a vast field , the set up is a perfect picture of the farm houses we read about in books ( for the imaginative minds) ,she rears goats , chickens and  ducks , the area is quiet and you can hear the trees talk, the wind whistles at night and the birds sing in the mornings... my cousins, love me, not that they have much of a choice in the matter though!!!.....I got into the house that night and gees , i felt like some star , they screamed my name and i am sure in lands far away some old man  and woman enjoying the cool soothing breeze of the night must have heard !!!, food was made and served , my bed was laid , my cloths were washed and it felt so good cos i didnt have to pay for all this like i had been doing  in the last 6weeks , it was free without strings attached..can life get better.....

In 3 days i got so used to the stench of goat shit in the air and let me shock you , there was something very sensual about that aroma!!!!, Fura, the local yoghurt, became a delicacy !, and for you guys ....it does work wonders, ....there wasnt the large hotel bed, here i slept on this 4 X 4 bed and i slept well , i had fanastic dreams of  "you know Who"....and was it bliss or bliss!!, I awoke each morning to hear my aunt and 6 female cousins asking what i wanted to eat and when  and how....all i did was ...NOTHING!!!.... the  mornings rolled by and after visiting the sites which i had to go to , I always walked into the BAR( wetin i for do ) which my self appointed escort.( a gaurd at one of the sites) found for me, it is located in an area called PZ.. in Zaria city and una no go beleive ohhh the place tap, e tap pass KURAMO !

and there like a typical omo boy I drank the local brew: wilfore dark ale, and tiger Rock ( kemi na small I drink OH)....but I was glad to see people unwind , at night it looks like any nice joint in lagos where you can take good girls to, ironically here like obalende in kaduna , you hear the very OLD SKOOL ,.... the different kinds of P soup very available.......Again Zaria the supposed sharia zone shocks me.....true here unlike other states  there is the a strong influence of the islamic faith , but the people are still normal , i saw a few agberos , collecting there thing, the kind plank with nails wey these guys dey hold , u no  go argue, I saw poverty in the many almajiries walking the streets , I saw beauty in the fair ,innocent looking fulani girls and women , with there bodies adorned with all the gold in the world..I saw young people struggling to make a living, picking animal bones to make plates and glass utensils,I saw  the fulani herd man with his cattle, the care and affection which he has and shows his cattle only rivalled by that of mother and child, during this season of low rainfall , you can see him , picking friuts and giving to his cattle like any good mother would do !!, the sights of Zaria still blurr my Vision!!!

Something  also happen in Zaria, i went to church!!!!....Our lady of peace Catholic Church,ABU......this is something that had eluded me for a couple of weeks now and you can't imagine the peace i experienced when I walked into that Church, it reminded me of the catheral in ilorin and the church in UI, I felt like a lost sheep coming home and the priest...oh boy , na music or nollywood for be in vocation,anyway  finally the lagos traveller found God in a strange land......on a passing note , the girls in ABU have learnt to do wonderful things with the ankara material ,  for those who wish to know more  ?????????, please see me in person for details

I was back in Kaduna on the 1st of may, back to my hotel room, the large unused bed, the hotel helps who i have to pay for everything , and my Chinco OGA, telling me "how to do ", "what to do"....and again the boredom settles in.......Life and its many travails!!!

hope to see you guys soon !

stay in touch

the Lagos Traveller