THE EXCITEMENT OF VISITING IBENO BEACH

Wow! This is amazing and beautiful! Those were the exclamations of my belated friend, Juliana, when we got to Ibeno beach. I am absolutely sure, with the way she was excited, the scene would be playing over her mind for years to come!

We happen to storm Ibeno beach on her request that she wanted to visit any of the beaches within the country, to at least feel the aura of the sea-breeze and to have a memorable weekend escape before returning to her normal office bustling the following week.

When we reached Akwa Ibom, little wonder the state is called “The Land of Promise” as we unravel the beauty of the land, paved with clean streets and wonderful road networks. Akwa Ibom is a destination for leisure pursuits. The people’s culture is as diverse as the attractions- beaches, theme parks, monumental buildings and historic sites- complemented by a delightful mélange of things to experience.

As we unravel the wonders of the land, we journeyed up the eastern part bordering the Mbo Local Government Area, traversing the lovely Eket town, the Ibeno beach stretches to James town along the Atlantic Ocean.

The Ibeno beach is a long beautiful sand beach, and it is said to be the longest sand beach in the West Africa. Anyway, this I am not sure because I have not visited all the beaches in the West Africa to discover if actually what is said virtually hold.

The Ibeno beach is an eye-catching sea coast; and it is perfect for recreation and offers excellent opportunity to have fun at the water. That is if you are the type that can swim very well.

For those wishing to have a quiet day there, it would be impossible to enjoy a solitary time as the beach welcomes lots of visitors even in the afternoon.

At the beach there are also restaurants that offer good food. Visitors can have a taste of the local dishes like Afang soup and Edikan Ikong soup. You can also look forward to diverse shopping experiences ranging from modern shopping complexes, night markets to simple roadside stalls.

Wonderful surprises abound are more than enough reasons to make Ibeno your perfect getaway!

MY GURARA WATERFALL’S EXPERIENCE

                                             

We took an expensive trip to Gurara Waterfalls on the 19^th of Jan; 2018, a trip that shouldn’t have cost us much if we had embarked on it before the fuel scarcity that rocked the nation during the yuletide. Although the gravity of the energy crisis has lessen, compared to what it were during December and early January, I could still say the country has not been relieved from the endemic fuel crisis.

I think you should understand why I say the trip was an expensive one by now. God! It costs us more money in terms of transportation! But that didn’t dampen the spirit of adventure in us. Yes! That’s what I basically love to do- to adventure around!

My experience at the waterfall is far more than I could put down on papers! But you should permit me to say it was fantastic!

We reached Abuja from Enugu in an Audi Saloon car just around 5.15pm, and had to pass the night in a relatively cheap hotel at Gwagwalada Area of Abuja, so as to proceed to the waterfall which is about an hour drive from Gwagwalada the following day.

Although we got to the waterfall as early as 9.30am the following day, it was not without some challenges. In addition to the headaches we went through queuing for fuel the previous day, we had our car tyre punctured by the potholes-filled road, just about 35km when we’re almost getting to the fall. Amidst the challenges, we got ourselves amused, as the experiences were all part of the adventure stories!

As we approach the fall, the sound we heard was deafening and we turned to one of the guides leading us, who beckoned with smiles, telling us that we’re already approaching the fall.

On sighting the waters rolling from a top of a high cliff before falling majestically to the pools below, Cynthia, a fellow adventurer, screamed “ Oh, my God!” with her eyes wide opened. “You are amazed at this?” Suleiman, one of the guides leading us asked. “You only came when the waters are not in their full glory”, he said metaphorically. “If you come here at the month of July, probably you may be scared coming near the foot of the waterfall.”

The Gurara Waterfall is a majestic and a breath-taking waterfall located at Suleja, Niger State of Nigeria. It’s one of the country’s famous and amazing tourist attractions. The source, according to Suleiman, is from Gura in Kaduna and passes through Niger State into Yarba in Abaji Area Council of Abuja, then unto the River Niger somewhere in Lokoja.

Here are some of the touristic features ascribe to the fall:

·        Ideal for fun-loving adventurers. If you’re the types that love climbing rocky and hilly landscapes, then you’ll find Gurara Waterfall an interesting place to be addicted to. The place is too rocky that requires good hiking shoes, unlike the ones Ifeanyi, one of us wore, and you have to trek along a rocky road down to the waterside, as there are still plans to develop the roads to the waterfall.

·        Perfect scene for romantic re-union. Aside being a good place for adventurers, the waterfall can be an interesting place for couples to rekindle their love. You could both have a bath in the pool together, splashing the waters against each other, or chasing each other while swimming together in the pool. You could also cuddle each other as you sit on the rock watching the beautiful waters fall into the pools below before returning to tranquility. But it is safest to swim in the dry season when the waters are calm and clean, as Suleiman said.

·        An excellent spot for film-making. The waterfall is simply an amazing site to shoot films. The beautiful and impressive green environment that surrounds the place; the small streams that run softly around the rocks make the place an excellent spot for all kinds of movie making, especially movies on epical story. I still wonder why our Nollywood people have not identify the waterfall as a nice place for this!

·        A rich ground for intellectual learning. The waterfall presents ample areas to be explored from. Students can go on excursion to unravel the history of the waterfall. Only few who had visited there knew that the waterfall was named after two deities- ‘Gura’ and ‘Rara’, but did not know the source of the waters, and how its flows! For scholars of Geography and Geology, the rocky and hilly landscapes of the area offer them a good research thesis.

·        An enticing place for perfect picnicking. Maybe you are the types that enjoy picnicking a lot, and then you ought to consider visiting Gurara waterfall with your friends, families, or colleagues on weekends or during the holiday periods for a fun-catching escape! The waterfall has a vast land where visitors can explore. You can stage a DJ music competition for the group on tours. You can also have a nice bird-viewing and other activities you had planned to make your picnicking memorable.

To cap all, the fresh air, the green vegetation, the waters rolling from the tops of the cliff and falling mightily below the pools, are all mind-blowing experience you wouldn’t like to leave in a hurry! To have an enriching experience of the waterfall, it is best to visit the place in the raining periods at least to see the waterfall in its amazing glory!

“Zimbabwe” in Nigeria: A Beehive of Touristic Activities.

The popular Zimbabwe Tourist Village found at Uke in Nasarawa State, along Abuja-Keffi Expressway, began as a palm wine joint, at a detached location over twenty-five years ago before it was relocated to its current place, as its former location could not contain the influx of visitors who came to enjoy at it.

The Tourist Village was named Zimbabwe by a former school teacher who was fond of the place decades ago. According to one Dan Masani of Uke, nicknamed Lo-Africa Vani, the former school teacher who was also a non-indigene that taught in one of the secondary schools in the village, would jokingly tell his colleagues that he was going to “Zimbabwe” to enjoy himself. That was how the name of the place was known as Zimbabwe.

At Zimbabwe, there are also petty markets where palm wine and burukutu are sold. The palm wines are supplied fresh to dealers by the palm wine tappers. The palm wines are usually without adulteration.

Today, the tourist village has grown in heaps and bounds. Its landmass has grown into hectares, and it houses over 300 shops. It is also still booming with its original pride, palm wine. As early as 6am on a daily basis, palm wine tappers are already at business. The retailers buy from them and sell to consumers and visitors who want to relax in the village. A litre of palm wine is about N300. Other food items being sold at the centre are bush meats (both prepared and raw), pepper, yam tubers, food stuffs, tomatoes, live fowls, roast chicken to mention but few. Beers, soft drinks, whisky, red wine as well as pounded yam and other African dishes are sold.

Zimbabwe Tourist Village is located close to a quiet following river. This made the place fun for fishing, swimming and even bird viewing. Many tourists do go there to catch fun. The whole settings of the environment are all natural and highly ventilated.

The Zimbabwe Tourist Village, Uke, is always a beehive of activities at festive periods and weekends. At least, ten thousand holiday makers visit it at weekends alone. A handful of tourists also rest at it on daily basis.

A holiday maker, Ando Yusuf, whom was met there, said he does visit Zimbabwe to while away time anytime he was on work break, because the environment was conducive and natural. The abundance of fresh air, fresh fish, fresh palm wine and roast chicken has always been the enticing factors.

It is amazing to know that the Zimbabwe Tourist Village has a state capital called Swamphill Harare. A worker at the place, James Ina, said Harare is akin to a State Capital. Swamphill Harare is unique and serves as the home of the influential people that come to Zimbabwe. Because of this, things sold at the capital city-Swamphill Harare have some minute difference in price to the ones sold at Zimbabwe. The Swamphill Harare is mainly for the elite class.

The Zimbabwe Tourist Village has hosted a large number of visitors and is still seen as a place for relaxation due to the pure African hospitality it gives to every visitor.

The amazing story of Ara Rock

No doubt, Nasarawa state has always attracted many holidaymakers nationwide. The      reason is not only because it is a peaceful state, but also for the fact that it is the ‘Home of Solid Minerals’. The state is richly blessed with abundant mineral resources, like marbles as well as various tourist sites capable of boosting Nigeria’s eco and cultural tourism. Nasarawa state is multi-ethnic. Research indicates that there are about thirty ethnic groups in the state alone, each exhibiting their distinctive languages and cultures. Among them are Ebira, Eggon, Marma and Gbagyi. One of the most fascinating and important structures which could catch the interest of any visitor to Nasarawa state is the Ara Rock. Located at the heart of Nasarawa local government area of the state, the Ara Rock has had its share of tales from mysterious ones to the most fascinating.

The Ara Rock is highly linked to the tradition. The natives do not seem to let out its mysteries to strangers and researchers with ease. And there lies its tourist essence. In fact even to catch a glimpse of it, a non-native must be identified by a prominent native as well as a clear definition of the objective of such research. Whatever criterion that one uses to get to the surroundings of the rock, one dare not go very close to its foot.

“You can’t get very close to the rock. It has been like that from the time immemorial,” a source had told this researcher.

Even the Madagi, by name Gbagudu, who is currently serving in the chief’s cabinet, cautioned against going to the foot of the rock.

The history of Ara Rock holds that a certain hunter named Akwa Chidodo was the first person to inhabit it. It was from the rock the he carried out his hunting expeditions. He was reputed to have used his marksmanship in hunting to become very popular in and around Ara as long as he lived. After his demise, his son, Ojila, took over and continued the hunting. Ojila stayed in the rock with his people where they later made him king of the place. He was reputed to be the pioneer king of the people. His era was characterised by wars, and it was before the coming of the Europeans.

It is said that the rock provided the natives the refuge during those wars. In March every year, sacrifices are conducted on the rock to appease the gods to avert calamities for the natives and also to attract success to them. Goats and cows are always slaughtered during the festival. It is always a beehive of activities. During this festival, young men and women do run to the outside and inside the village, brandishing wooden swords and knives similar to what gladiators exhibit during wars. The essence is to keep and maintain peace. Also, it is at this festival that it is said that a spirit climbs the Ara Rock and then lands on the ground unhurt. It is a part of their tradition that their chiefs provide them with goats and cows for the festival. After the celebration, the people are then assured of a problem-free year.

There are mysterious holes at the rock which no one can enter, except the Dansarki and the Magajira, who are the male and female core adherents respectively. They usually enter the holes during the slaughter of the animals used for sacrifices. It is said that the people who had entered there in the past used to disappear.

The Ara Rock, surrounded by miniature rocks and evergreen vegetation, is an untapped tourism potential of Nasarawa state. The road leading to the village depicts that of the Golgotha where Jesus treaded upon. It is stony and galloping. The villagers call for relevant authorities to come to their aid to make the rock a befitting tourist centre.