Hey there people, thank you for reading the last one. Without further ado, let’s begin the story of our shenanigans.
There we were, stuck in the sand, with the guys and our tour guide all trying to pack sand away from the tyres, while also looking for planks to make the reverse easier.
Breeze, Lope and I were not much help in the situation other than to fetch something for the others. We had no muscles, energy, or man power. After a while, the tour guide saw an abandoned but wrecking Canoe, right on the bank of one of the two fishing ponds on either sides of us. He broke it, and planks were gotten.
On the opposite bank though, a young boy of ten had just come out of the water with a basket and fishing net. He was removing these bunch of little fishes that he had caught. Lope and I went closer to have a look at the wee fishes. They were struggling to breathe out of water and I was so tempted to throw them back in water, but they were someone’s livelihood.
He said he sold them at 8 for NGN300.
After spending an hour there, they finally got the car off the deep sand and back to one side of the beach route. This was at 1:20pm. We packed what we would need on the beach; water, drinks, mats, towels, snacks, and change of clothes. Off we went.
We began the fifteen to twenty minutes walk to the beach. We were all walking like a pair of penguins, because our feet kept sinking into the white sand. The route is scenic…gosh!!!
At a makeshift bridge on the route, the tour guide showed us some of the area boys, and the guys collected NGN500 from us because we didn’t have change when they asked for NGN200. So cheap. (The next time we returned in 2022 though, we had to pay NGN10000 per head for proper tickets)
At exactly 1:41pm, we got to the beach. Gosh, it’s so beautiful. Less crowded, freer, and just beautiful. The tides are stronger too.
Lope and I had to hide behind coconut trees to change…oops…then, we entered the water. Br. Sam was like a fish, while David was trying. See the rest of us? Error. I kept running from waves until one of the guys we met on the beach dragged me into the water. I screamed my head off, begging my mummy to save me from untimely death. Shameless, yes, I know.
Eventually, I realised it wasn’t that bad and I started going with the flow. Nonetheless, I still managed to drink and swallow gallons of sea water cuz I didn’t know how to hold my breath.
We left the water around 3pm, to build sand castles and judge a winner. I would describe the horrorful castles we built, but I would just let the pictures do the talking.
After castles, we went back in the water but I spent my time on shore, picking these weird looking shells, but so beautiful. The creatures in them are super fast too, while bikes carrying sellers and commuters were going up and down on the beach. Not frequently though.
At 6pm, we left the beach finally and went back to our car. It was initially supposed to be a camping trip, so we brought tents, but Lope and co weren’t fans of the outdoor. So, we had to go back into the village.
Lucky for us, our tour guide suggested housing us with one of the locals who wouldn’t mind. We were taken to a home, and given a room. Lucky we had our mats. Quaint but comfortable room.
To shower, I was taken to a little drained pond where they fetch clean water. I got water and carried it to a outhouse where I tried to get all the sand from my body. I had sand coming out of spots I didn’t know anything could get to. Yeesh.
After shower, we went to a local buka for dinner. It was nice enough, but we were all too hungry and tired to even notice any irregularity.
The village has a superb nightlife. They do not have electricity because for some reason,the whole Ilaje hasn’t had light for years. They use generators and inverters.
We spent the night in our room dancing (I won’t share the video because my dancing is a sight for sore eyes.), did Secret Santa, played cards, and watched movies.
For the secret santa, the deal was to get a useful but ridiculous gift. I got whot card game from Breeze, while I gave Femi Caprisonne. Breeze got maggi from Lope, while he gave me whot. Br. Sam got semo from Femi, while he gave David Chocolate. Lope got dunlop slippers from David.
We slept off after and during the movie, and we didn’t stir until well after sunrise the next day. We freshened up and got ready for another rendezvous at the beach.
I had breakfast at the junction of the beach route, before we began another long walk to the beach.
We stayed on the beach till 2pm. I learned to float both backward and facedown. Apparently, the key was just to let go. Play dead and you’ll float.
The guys except Br. Sam had a harder time floating. Breeze learned to swim though.
I left the water around 12 to rest on shore, but I ended up falling asleep. It was a disaster. I had no sunscreen, but I fell asleep face up on a beach. Anyway, I am currently carrying a burnt and roasted face around. Serves me right for not being smart.
I was sad when we had to leave, but it was time to go. I had so much fun and even though I was covered in sand in special places and battling with water in my ears, I enjoyed the full experience.
P.S. The salt water cleared my blocked nose. How? I have no idea, but it did. It was both a relief and a hint of disappointment when we drove into our compound here in Araromi Akure.
