TRAVELS: What a trip!
Have you travelled by train? Very liberating! Want to experiences places and really feel people? Train or coach it is!
My trip to Bauchi from Port Harcourt was my first train-travel experience. A perfect North-South trip. Our coach was a typical Nigerian one. No windows. Very old and rickety-devoid of care and maintenance. We departed Port Harcourt Rail station at 5.30am. Fell asleep immediately don’t know for how long …must have been hours though. I woke up when I felt the train whistle and then jolt to a rude stop! Pitch black darkness greeted me! Loud murmuring and a sprinkling of moisture-rain-came through the window frames. Curious, I searched for my torch and looked outside the window frame. What greeted me sent shivers down my spine!
A very large tree –probably an Iroko tree-with fire coming from the base of its trunk with dead animals strewn around it and on some of its branches. Blood dripped from the hanging carcass and it suddenly dawned on me that was the moisture I felt on my hands and face a while ago. Scared and nauseated by this I reached for my bottle of water. Washed my hands and face then stopped to listen for the other passengers. I was gripped with raw fear when I realized I was alone!!!
From outside the coach, I heard a deep growl! The kind that announces ‘dinner’. I switched off my torch and moved away from my sit quietly to a part of the coach I felt was safer. The growl followed me and seemed closer. At this point, I had wet myself and was getting ready to move again when a large furry hand touched me on the chest! I looked up and two yellow eyes starred pointedly into mine followed by sharp fangs that were definitely ready to have me for dinner!!!!!Drool and blood dripped from this creature’s mouth. I was cornered, trapped! The only effort I could make to salvage myself was to scream. With strength I had left in me, before this animal rips me to pieces, I screamed…so hard I seemed to scare the creature. It looked confused at first and then regained composure. It crouched and then leapt into the air towards me. “Oh my God, save me” I whispered to myself.
A strong hand shook me vigorously. ‘Wake up! Wake up!’ a voice spoke to me. I opened my eyes and realized I had been dreaming. As I gained consciousness the passenger next to me whispered,’you had a bad dream, Cheer up and brace yourself we’re crossing the River Benue now’. ‘It’s just the railroad no barriers. Hold still don’t move. We could topple over into the River Benue if we disturb the train’.
I was scared and very uncomfortable. Great! Just what I need. I had come out of one nightmare and entered another. What was comforting to know was that we were closer to Bauchi. We had entered the middle-belt of Nigeria. This gave me a sense of achievement. I had the option to travel to Bauchi by road or even fly direct from Port Harcourt. I wanted to experience a journey by train and I finally did. One I won’t forget in a hurry. To commemorate crossing the River Benue we were advised to throw something into the River. Still had my bottle of water tightly clutched in my palms. Won’t need it anymore.
