Visiting Vietnam

Vietnam had been on my bucket list for such a long time and I was excited to go with some friends. 

The visa application was online and more straightforward than I imagined it would be. Between the application and the visa being granted, it all happened in a week.

Getting There

As with travelling, a few things did go wrong and I remember saying this was one of my worst trips (the travel part) recently. I don’t remember when last I went on a trip that was this stressful! 

I arrived at the airport and was told that I could not be checked in as the airport I was meant to transit through required me to go through immigration, so I needed a transit visa. I’m not sure how we missed this when the ticket was booked, but I got rerouted on one leg and bought another ticket on the spot, and all this was happening before 6am. I was originally to leave at 6am and arrive at 11:30am, including the lay over, but the trip ended up taking the whole day. I got to my destination around 9pm.

Can we get past this?

I think I have just the right person for you. You are smart and beautiful, I wonder why no one has taken you off the market yet. 

Boma was on Vee's case, they had been friends for a long time and she had been married for 15 years, a feat they were currently celebrating. Vee was beautiful and successful but this part of her life had been on a standstill for as long as Boma could remember. Vee was a loyal friend, as she stood there attending to guests, Boma could not help but be grateful for this friend of hers. The anniversary party turned out to be much more fun than they anticipated.

By the end of the day when they all settled down, the ladies did the usual, analysing different scenarios and laughing at some. It was always fun for them. All of a sudden, with a matter of fact look on Boma's face, I meant what I said earlier today she said to Vee. I do know someone I think you might like. Vee was not opposed to being set up, so asked for all the details. 

Shocked into a kiss

They were attending a seminar and he seemed to have an eye for Anita. On the other hand, another colleague of hers, Sonia, had an eye for him. Anita was oblivious…what a love triangle!

The two ladies got on very well and were fun loving people. They worked hard but also partied hard. Over the years of them working together, they had cultivated friendship between one another. They worked in different locations, so each time they saw themselves, they made the best of it. This time was no different as they were attending a regional work conference.

After a long three days of many sessions, they all went out for dinner then dancing afterwards. As the night progressed, alcohol flowed and the giggles were more than usual. Each person showed their skills on the dance floor, it was interesting to watch. When the whole team was calling it a night, Bruce offered to drop Anita and Sonia, it was his town anyway. Sonia settled in the front seat while Anita sat behind. Sonia was to fly out the next morning while Anita had a day to discover the town.

Friend poaching

A friend shared the photo below with me as she was not pleased about a certain friend who would always corner every new friend she introduced and exclude her from activities. I wondered whether the friend made plans with the third parties when she was unavailable for instance but according to her, that was not the case.

On the other hand, I have seen a number of posts where people mention that friendships these days do not seem to have any depth, or how loyalty and integrity seem to be missing.

Dijon, France

When most people think about visiting France, the first thought is usually Paris. Why not?
Beyond Paris, it's worth noting that there are many other places to see in France.

I visited Dijon for the first time and found it to be a charming place. La porte Guillaume is a historic monument leading to into old Dijon/the city centre. The arc has a significance of freedom for the city and it is from as far back as the 18th century.

 Once you walk past the arc, this is the view.

Strasbourg, France

I visited Strasbourg in 2014 and was excited to go back this year. The last time I visited, I hardly documented my trip. We were so excited and all over the place. We woke up tired each day but kept moving. This time, I knew to take it easy as I was not going to have time to rest on my return.

I arrived on my birthday and my friend (Vivian) and her husband being the amazing people that they are, had their friends over to make my day.

13.10.2018

Vivian knew my arrival time so she, her husband and their baby were at the train station to collect me. When her husband swooped me into a big hug saying happy birthday, I knew I was going to have a great day. She was so excited that her husband beat her to wishing me a happy birthday.

As we got home, seeing my photos on the door and the effort they had put into welcoming me warmed my heart.

As we walked in, the smell of food was everywhere, she was cooking up a storm while he gladly ran all the errands.

Beaches and snorkeling in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Please read my previous post on how the trip started 😊

While I was looking for a hotel, one of the things that caught my attention was the fact that the owner has a private boat and the reviews I saw talked of how much it was a delight to have a private boat which would provide the flexibility the guests needed.
I mentioned this to the other ladies and everyone was happy with it + there was a variety of options of things to do. Snorkeling was top on the list, then an evening boat ride to watch the sun set.

This watch tower was in between our hotel and the turtle aquarium

Our amazing guides

Finding spices, tortoises and doors in Zanzibar, Tanzania

There has been so much hype about Zanzibar, but at the same time, a few people weren't particularly thrilled. 

Being in the country, I knew I had to visit so I planned a trip with my sisters and three friends.

I seem to have written more on Tanzania than I have on any other country, here are some of the links. This was my first post then I did a bit in Kigoma. The next one will give you my general impressions and of course I went on a safari. Do check all the posts out when you have a chance.

We spent two days in Dar es Salaam catching up and me showing them the few places I know. Some of the places we went to were Cape town fish market, we all loved the food.

Cape town fish market overlooks the ocean

We watched the sun set, look at that sky line

Safari in Ngorongoro Conservation Area

There was a public holiday to mark the Eid Al Fitr celebration so we left Kibondo 😊

We went to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. There was a volcano that erupted then collapsed on itself leaving the crater behind. It is vast, beautiful land. The conservation area has a free range part where animals roam freely, to get to the crater, there is a descent which the safari trucks do.

The crater is beautiful, isn't it?

A Delighful Few Days in Kigali

I went back to Rwanda for a few days, but this time I only stayed in the capital as I went for a meeting. It was a quick trip but I was sure to make the best of it.

I went by road from Kibondo in Western Tanzania and it was an 8 hour drive. There are hardly any tarred roads in Kibondo so I was on bumpy roads for about 4 hours then close to the border, the road was tarred but had a lot of potholes so it wasn’t different. From the border to Kigali takes 3 hours and a half and the roads are good. There are parts that are rough but the road is good in general. The scenery for me was the best part. Rwanda is beautiful indeed. 

Unpleasant Travel Experiences

I was asked recently if I have had any bad travel experiences! I laughed at this question as I would be lying if I said all my trips always go smoothly. 

I will give two instances of some of my travel woes.

     In April 2015, my friend and I went to Thailand. I wrote about it here and here. We travelled with Turkish Airlines and the trip going was fine, but I can’t say the same about the return leg.

We sat in front of the noisiest set of passengers who seemed to be having a conversation with the whole plane. It made the 11 hour flight uncomfortable. At some point, they gathered around and I had a guy standing over me and adjusting and doing God knows what with his belt and zipper, Ugh! We asked them if they could keep their voices down at some point, but they quickly resumed their noisy chat. We hardly got any sleep.

Exploring Malta - That beautiful Island nestled in the heart of the Mediterranean

I discovered Malta, a beautiful Island in Europe, in the Mediterranean sometime in 2012. This place is one of those hidden beauties bestowed by nature. I read a bit about the place before going but wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. I had to go back in 2013! I am told that it has beautiful weather all year round.

What a view!

Maltese narrow and windy roads

Sunday picnic at Gurara waterfalls

Gurara waterfalls is in Niger state and is roughly 145km by car from Abuja. Niger State is a neighbouring state, North West of Abuja. 

It takes two hours and a half or more to get there, depending on your speed. The road from Abuja is smooth, and there is more than enough to see on the way.

Heading out of Abuja

Express way in Niger state

Approaching the famous Zuma rock in Niger state

It's not so big a deal!

There are some things that have been causing wahala for me and I am wondering if other people have the same experience.

Using people's photos as BBM or WhatsApp display pictures:

When it is a person's birthday, there is a trend where the person's photo is displayed  along with wishes. This extends to when someone is getting married, celebrating a wedding anniversary, a child's birthday and any possible thing to celebrate. 

This is an amazing thing to do and it sure makes people feel acknowledged and special.

 I have both of these applications on my phone and I use them like anyone else but there are certainly parts I know I do not explore.

Holiday in Scotland continued

The next day was my birthday and we planned to do some more site seeing but had no real plan. I walked into the bathroom and returned to a beautiful pair of shoes and a set of perfumes from my travel buddy. I tried the shoes on in my towel and did modelling which just cracked Bukky up! 

Smiles for the new year

Yo Peace, positivity all the way...

Holiday in Scotland

Sometime in June, my friend and I started to plan our next holiday. We eventually settled for the U.K. She had never been there, but as I have been so many times, the only condition for me was to visit a place I had never been to. I mentioned to her and that I had never been to Scotland, so that seemed like our travel destination. We had to plan around our work schedules which was not the easiest thing but October was the best we could agree on. 

She arrived in the U.K. a week before me and went around England but we both met in Edinburgh, Scotland. I found us a host through Couch Surfing who was super nice. He picked us up from the central station so that was a good start. We warned him that there might be a scream moment as we had not seen each other in about 5 years and live in different countries. It was a great to finally see her. 

Being "African"

I was out with friends and it was an informal gathering, so of course we were all free to tease each other. We jumped from one topic to the other, and the banter just went on. We were on the topic of food and milk came up, I mentioned that I hadn’t had milk in a while.

 In response to all the whys, “I am lactose intolerant and I have irritable bowel syndrome”. I got such an incredulous stare from some of the people I was having a chat with. What do you stand for or who are you really, some stares seemed to say. Then there was a barrage of comments and questions. “I thought that was only for white people?” “With you, I only hear sicknesses that I hear on TV.” “And it’s not just her but in her family, some people are allergic to sea food, nuts and other things.” “What kind of food do you eat apart from all these oyibo dishes?” “You do not eat enough, you don’t eat pepper, you eat all these salads and vegetables.” “You are too punctual and exercise too much when you are not even fat!”

Yam Porridge

If you aren't Nigerian and are yet to try this dish, please hurry.... It's none other than yam porridge.

Ingredients:
- Yam
- Palm oil
- Tomato purée
- Pumpkin leaves (ugwu)
- Spring onion leaves
- Onions
- Dried fish or meat (optional)
- Crayfish
- Seasoning cubes

- Salt

                             I like to cut the yam into bite size cubes                          Spring onions leaves

On friendship

Zarah and Hassan had been friends for the longest time. They could have been described as best friends but for Hassan’s girlfriend. Zarah was cautious because she knew that Hassan’s girlfriend was not her biggest fan.

Hassan was known in Zarah’s family. When Hassan would visit the family house, he would call Zarah ahead to make a meal for him or bake for him or satisfy any food cravings he might have at the time of his visit. They supported each other, encouraged one another and they had a friendship that was worth admiring.

Years had passed and they both lived in different cities so they did not see each other as frequently as they used to. Zarah was going to leave for her studies overseas and Hassan was set to marry his girlfriend. Zarah and Hassan were not pleased that she would miss Hassan’s wedding, she had been looking forward to it. So Hassan went to Zarah’s family home to spend the weekend with her and her family before her departure. About a month after she left, the wedding took place. She spoke to the couple giving them her best wishes and for once, Hassan’s wife sounded pleasant. Zarah took it that her insecurities had been laid to rest.

Tales from my last trip

Last month I spent some time in four countries in Europe, I had fun but at the end of the trip I realised that I did not rest which tends to happen all the time when I go on holiday. Being an early bird, my body clock automatically comes to life at such an early hour.  Here are my impressions on each city:

BELGIUM

Brussels - This city did not grow on me, not in the least. It is beautiful but for some reason, I found getting to places somewhat tedious and different places seemed far from each other. I am unsure whether this was all in my head. At some point despite having maps, I ended up chatting with bus drivers on where I planned to go, they gave their advice which helped. Transportation can be easily accessed, there are metros and buses that run through the city. I was meant to meet someone who has lived there for over a decade but at the end, we were unable to meet. However, after my discussion with her, we both agreed that Brussels is rough at the edges and might best be enjoyed when a local shows you around. I speak French so I had no trouble communicating but I noticed that in the tourist areas, locals were more than happy to speak English.



 Grand place, Brussels