Chika Jonah Writes

Tag: travel

  • 10 Interesting Facts About Abuja

    There are interesting facts about Abuja that may or may not be interesting to you but are important we discuss about.

    Eagle square

    Having visited 21 states in the country and 15 more states left to achieve my travel goals of visiting the complete 36 states of the federation, I was excited about coming to Abuja, the federal capital territory of Nigeria for the first time.

    It has been one of my travel goals for 2021 and it’s beautiful how surprisingly, everything went smoothly. I packed my bags with my travel necessities ( if you know me, I don’t miss packing my travel must have’s for any trip) and began this journey.

    My exact thought was “its time to find out what is so special about this city that everyone has been making noise about.” And well, I didnt know I was in for a big surprise. laughs

    The interesting facts about Abuja I thought I knew from hearsays was not a fact at all. (E shock me)

    I was welcomed with clean air. Ah! Coming from portharcourt, clean air is a blessing since all we breathe in is polluted air. God help us! I mean my nostrils obeyed the calling of nature and opened its wide door to receive this breath of fresh air. It was absolutely soothing.

    I still dream about the Kunu aya (permit the spelling) I drank on my first day there. Fresh, rich, well packaged, completely natural and very affordable. A treat indeed! Also their street food which is; jellof beans and roasted yam with bole stew is a delight to enjoy. If you’re a lover of street food like me, just eat this food and you’d feel like staying in Abuja.

    I visited a lot of places like Wuse, Apo, Nyanya, Gwarimpa, Utako, Jahi, Katampe, Jabi, Jabi lake, and so on. I understand that my one week stay is not enough to judge a city that has existed for decades and their lifestyle. Yet, these interesting facts about Abuja, however good or bad is from a tourist point of view with a passion for traveling and a keen eye for details, so I do believe that you’d trust my judgment.

    These interesting facts about Abuja to be shared would stand as a guide, a watch word, if Abuja is a place you’d want to visit or live in the near future.

    Let’s get on to it.

    The Atrium Restaurant Utako

    10 Interesting Facts About Abuja

    1. Abuja is a well planned City. Abuja is not like Okirika where they just started any building that came to mind and called it a house. haha The city of Abuja began with a plan. An infastructural blueprint. No house was there by mistake. Not sure about the suburbs but Abuja Central was built with a plan hence the beauty, the gardens, the roadmap, the art.
    2. I love how the transporters, even the uneducated ones would speak English or pidgin first before they transition to Hausa in order to make communication easy for anyone. Throughout my stay I did nor have to shout at any driver or bike man that I wasn’t fluent with Hausa. This is a very good point for tourists. Not like Akwaibom that even when you tell them you don’t hear the language they would still rub it on your face.
    3. Transporters are probably the richest in Abuja. Ha! These guys are making money. One small place 200 naira. They would use their tongue to say “Its very far.” to lure you. But once you hop in, you’d realize it wasn’t far at all. Just get ready to spend all your money on transportation in this city.
    4. One of the many interesting facts about Abuja is that, this place is not for mad people. Even the drivers and keke pilots are civilized. Keep your craziness in Lagos, Warri and Portharcourt. Don’t bring it here or you’d be put to shame. Don’t shout. Don’t make noise. Don’t argue or fight oh. Don’t say I did not warn you.
    5. This city is boring. Everyone is minding their business. Sometimes a simple act at socializing can be misunderstood for something else. Although the city has a bubbling night life especially around Wuse area but If you don’t have cool friends and do not know your way around, then its going to be a dull & boring ride for you.
    6. Abuja is surprisingly Safe. hahahaha let me give you gist. When I was at “The Atrium Restaurant” at Utako for lunch and I needed to go get my friend, the waiter said “oh leave your bag.” I was like What? “Nooo.” He laughed out loud. “I understand but you can really leave your bag. Nothing would happen to it.” I was just shaking my head, it’s like this guy is high? (Make them move my phone and money.) How would I come back home if they stole my things? laughs Anyways, I did as he said and damn, my things were intact. I ended up leaving my stuffs behind every time I wanted to step out. Such freedom and security was beautiful to experience. Even when I was out late at night in Jabi, there was no street criminal out to threaten or rob you. Nobody got time for such rubbish in Abuja.
    1. Northerners have no knowledge about business at all. pouts An Igbo man with a small shop in Abuja would make more money from 7am to 10am in the morning while the average Northern man is still snoring. Kai! See me strolling to the market by few minutes to eight o’clock, only to find out that most shops were locked. (My friend warned me but I didn’t listen) But the Igbo man in the street I stay in, was open since 7am and had made over five thousand naira sales on provision that early morning. No wonder they strive everywhere. Well, I wish the northerners were a little business smart.
    2. Abuja is beautiful and homely. Abuja fine. Ah! Forget it. If you are a lover of nature then Abuja is blessed with it. If you’re a creative person then just carry your foam and live there. A lot of inspiration. A wide vast of creativity. A cool source of spirituality. And a flare of peace and tranquility. As long as you don’t get pressured by the wealthy.
    3. Abuja has a lot of enchanting places to visit. This is one of the many interesting facts about Abuja that is for tourists. From the many eye watering restaurants to the bristos, gallery, museums, garden, hotels, lounge, lake and more. TripAdvisor curated best places to visit in Abuja that may interest you. I also believe that, there are more places that you’d have to discover on your own as it is a large State.
    4. Abuja is an expensive place to live. This city’s lifestyle is not for a manager. laughs Till now I’m still calculating how my money finished. shocked To enjoy the goodness and graciousness of this city, you’d have to live comfortably and you can’t achieve that without a sustainable cash flow. In fact, no young person should think of living alone without a steady reasonable source of income monthly. Particularly I enjoyed staying in Jahi as it is easily accessible to anywhere in Abuja. The reason I could visit so many places in a short time was because I was staying at Jahi. And fortunately, Jahi is one of the less expensive part of Abuja Central for housing and accommodation. A self contain apartment goes for three hundred to five hundred thousand a year. An average price for accommodation at Maitama, Wuse, Garki, etc. (Check this article to read more on places to live in Abuja) If you’re visiting, cool. If you’re thinking of relocating like me, please fill your pockets. (Please ask for my account details) haha
    Jabi Lake

    Debunking some Myths About Abuja

    Having seen the interesting facts about Abuja, you’ve probably also heard of some things about Abuja that you believed were true but really isn’t in reality. Now is the time to debunk those myths.

    1. There are bikes in Abuja. In fact, a lot of bikes.
    2. Keke is a boss in Abuja. Don’t be deceived. Keke runs in the main towns in Abuja as well. Except for a few specific highways.
    3. There is also traffic in Abuja. Not as intense as other states like Lagos. But if you think there is no traffic in Abuja then you better repeat the first sentence till it sinks in.
    4. The road is smooth.
    5. Even the suburbs is clean
    6. Only perishable foodstuffs are cheap. Other food items and basic items are very expensive.
    7. There are poor people in Abuja as well. Poor people are everywhere sadly.
    8. Everyone is not fake in Abuja. There are no fake people. When did people who live comfortable and luxurious life become fake people?

    My question is why aren’t you traveling? Money? I have a guide on “traveling on a budget in Nigeria” you should see. Time? – you can always create time with proper planning. Stress? Traveling has been made easy with some mode of transport.

    Traveling is therapeutic. It refreshes your mind and eases your soul. It reminds you of the beauty of life and makes you see the life of others through gratitude. It exposes you to different culture and lifestyle. Brings you closer to nature and people.

    If Abuja is one of those places you plan on visiting or residing in, I hope this article has helped you establish some ground truths beneficial for your travel.

    All the best.

    Please leave me a comment.
    Also use the share button to share this post with your friends as well. Thank you.

  • 2020 ain’t over. Achieve those goals

    By this time last year I was already planning my travel diary. I don’t just wake up one morning and do something big. I plan. Almost always.

    At that time I was planning for just three cities to travel to but when it was time, I ended up visiting five cities and damn! it was amazingly fun as you all can remember, since I shared every experience with you.

    Now I’m sitting at home wondering how the world has been turned upside down. How something untouchable can shake the world and withhold the freedom we thought we had wrapped around our fingers.

    How a mere going cross cities was no longer an option.

    And I’m humbled.

    Yet, I wrote down two cities in my journals

    Yes! Two cities I’m going to be traveling to this year. It may even increase the list as the spirit leads laughs

    But wait!

    What were you thinking? That I would give up and leave everything till next year? Hell No!

    Its still the peak of the year so why shouldn’t I?

    Six full months are still left off of 2020 and a lot can be achieved in this time.

    So I’m going to draw up my calendar and plan. I don’t care when they lift up the travel ban but I will keep planning and working towards the goal.

    So my question for you is, why have you ruled this year out?

    Don’t give me the excuse of a pandemic, recession, lack etc. Its too lame.

    There’s more that can be achieved this year. Its not about the year, neither is it about the time. Its wheather you are even working towards the goal or not.

    Its if you’re strategically putting everything in place regardless of what month and what year.

    As long as your goal is achievable then it can happen if you continue.

    Don’t lay it off for next time when you can work it out for right now.

    Go back to those plans you’ve put off and please…start executing them.

    What are those achievable goals you haven’t given up on? Share them in the comment.

    I’m always rooting for you. Thank you for stopping by.

  • 5 Travel Must have’s necessary for that trip.

    During the course of my trip I got a lot of questions about my travel necessities. And I figured out why. Nobody wants to embark on a journey missing the necessary things and end up regretting later why they didn’t have those things. These things are so little yet so important if you are going to be traveling on the roads of Nigeria. Especially during this festive season. So here are my four travel necessities for that trip:

    1. Earphone/earpiece

    You don’t want to forget this item. The journey is long. It would get boring. Everyone may end up sleeping around you. What would you be doing awake. Music or movie? And you can’t listen to any without a good earphone. So this is a must have on any type of journey at all.

    2. A Book.

    While some may not see the need for this. This is my favorite travel item. I can’t go anywhere, even if its just a mile away, without a book. If it’s a long journey like the one I just had then I go with two books. A novel and a business/Christian book. While music is good for the soul. A great book is great for the mind. And sometimes earphones can cause head ache, and when it happens like that a book is your saving grace. It helps you feel good about yourself. It gives you that feeling that you’re gaining knowledge and not wasting the time just staring at the driver or the road.

    3. Purging Medication

    This is the most important item on the list, yet often ignored until the storm begins and you regret why you didn’t take this drug. Once upon a time I ignored this meds and my fate was worse. My stomach raged war for more than 12 hours in a two days journey. That day was the most embarrassing day of my life. Oh God! (laughs) You don’t want to hear the full story. Just know that it was bad!!!! Very bad!!!! I don’t know what works for those outside Nigeria but in Nigeria its “Flagyl” that does the magic. So guys, before you pack your cloths, put your purge medication inside your bag. Because when it starts, God will not save you, only that tablet would.

    4. Tote bag

    This is for both ladies and gents. You don’t want to pack your shoes, toiletries, cosmetics and deodorants together with your cloths. That’s not right. Your tote bag is best for these items, to give you easy access and to avoid them ruining your cloths. I have the worst tote bag ever, because my things keep falling off (laughs) but it works for me because it carries my non-wear necessities remarkably well. So get yourself a good tote bag and enjoy the ride.

    Some of you are still debating if you should embark on that trip. I’ll tell you take it. If you don’t have all the time, take it once a year. Its an opportunity to unwind, create new memories, engage in conversations, see new places and gives you the best time and moment for yourself

    I hope you found this post useful. Tell me about your travel must have’s that is not included in the list in the comment section below.