The famous saying ‘so close yet far away’ is what applies to me and visiting the Olumo Rock. My travel crew and I decided to explore Abeokuta in Ogun State and visit Olumo Rock. We were joined by 7 other amazing people that were interested in visiting Olumo Rock.
We took off from
Lagos around 8:30am (the small chops guy really made it a serious task to delay
us). Light traffic here and there on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, fast-forward to
10:20am, we were in Abeokuta.
It’s a nice town.
With the help of Google maps, we were able to navigate around and locate Olumo Rock
(to be on the safer side, though, my paranoid self paid an Okada man to lead us
there).
Entry fee to Olumo
Rock is N700. It’s quite amazing the number of visitors that come to climb the
rock.
I was in awe of the rock formation which was similar to the kind found in Efon Alaye, Ekiti State. We got assigned to a tour guide, who did his best in telling us about the history of the rock.
Climbing the rock was no joke. Bolu (she has hiked every mountain in sight in Jos, Plateau State) and Ifeanyi are experienced rock climbers, so it wasn’t a new task for them.
The climb was
adrenaline filled and fun. Hopping from one point to another, side-walking
through paths, bending through other paths and running up sloppy surface, we
made it to the top of the rock.
And there, it was
such an amazing view. From the top of the rock, you can see the first primary
school in Abeokuta, the first cathedral church and the lovely brown roofs.
There is an art
and craft store near the rock. They sell amazing artworks which some of us
bought.
By the time we
descended the rock, we were tired and hungry. Again, with the help of Google Maps
(no more paying Okada man), we were able to locate the Green Legacy Resort.
FYI, the resort is amazing.
I love what they
have going on there with wood-carving art. From the tables and chairs in the
lounge area to the decoration, it was nice.
We took a walk
around the whole facility. It isn’t your regular resort as this one comes with
a mini zoo and a presidential library. It has a mini rock (if I recall well,
it’s called Rock of Inspiration) of its own with two telescopes at the top. You
can see Abeokuta with it.
We had our amazing buffet lunch, great laughs about
the trip and we headed back to Lagos. I wouldn’t have wanted to go to Abeokuta
with any other set of people than the ones that I went with. They were simply
amazing!
We’re definitely heading to other places soon. The Fun Bus is getting ready for us.
The slogan ‘stay woke’ practically took over every event and issues in 2016. Our own form of staying woke was to explore the various historical place, starting in West Africa and to the rest of Africa as time goes on.
Our kick-off destination was Badagry, a coastal suburban town in the outskirts of Lagos State, Nigeria. Embarking on adventures like this will be nothing short of fun-filled but we thought it will be more fun to explore with other young and bright Africans who are keen on such historical adventures.
So, on December 3, 2016, 15 great young explorers embarked on this journey to discover what their forefathers went through and how they saved generations from going through the same ordeal they did.
On getting to Badagry town, our first stop was the Heritage museum. Oh! This museum was filled with loads of heartbreaking stories and the struggle of Nigerians during the slave trade era.
The first storey building in Nigeria was our second stop. It was a bit scary climbing up the frail looking stairs because they are very old.
Climb we did, however, and in there, we got a glimpse of the first Yoruba bible that was translated by Samuel Ajayi Crowther; a returnee slave.
Our next stop was the Mobee slave museum and the Brazilian barraccon. There we got to re-imagine how hundreds of people were kept for months in a space not big enough to squeeze in 30 people.
These people; at least, the ones who are still alive after those months, were taken to the slave ships which took them beyond our shores. We also saw some of the items local leaders at the time traded their people for; mirrors, cannons and more.
A couple of us also tried on the chains that people sold off to slave traders were locked in; heavier than you can imagine and terribly uncomfortable metals.
After the Brazilian barraccon, we took a boat ride to the other side of Badagry creeks where the walk to the journey of no return started.
Walking under the hot scorching sun made us realise how hard and impossible it must have been for the slaves to have walked barefooted to the Atlantic Ocean with their hands, neck and legs tied together with heavy metal chains.
The walk was very exhaustive but some of us couldn’t help but pick the beautiful sea shells that were washed up the shores by the beautiful water current.
Big ups to Mie Mie restaurant (no, they didn’t pay for this), they really came through for us when we were starving and exhausted.
The bus ride back home was hilarious and fun filled.
Shout out to the squad that made the trip. Great, bright and wonderful minds.
P.S we are exploring Olumo rock next, the history of the Egba people and the ancient city of Abeokuta. You can join us. Drop a note with the contact form.
I was more interested in the history behind this amazing place, we totally forgot to take colorful images.
Simi from eattechtravel.com made an infographic of top places that can be visited in Lagos in 24 hours. I thought it was impossible. Funmi of TVPAdventures.com decided to try it out and hey! I hopped in on the adventure.
Little did I know, I was about to have one of the amazing moments of this year. The rain started in the early hours of the morning but we weren’t going to let it stop our shine. By 9:30 am, I joined Funmi and Sam at the LCC and we kicked off the adventure.
walked barefooted in a conversation filled with baby crocs
First stop was the
LEKKI CONSERVATION CENTER. I
personally love the ambience here and what it represents. We were told some
parts of the conservation centre were flooded but we went ahead. No flood can
stop us.
LCC has the longest canopy walk in Africa at 401 meters. It was my 1st time walking through it. It was interesting but Funmi kept shaking the rail (side-eye Funmi), Sam was scared but talked his way through the walk.
We got to the end
of the walk, but had to walk through the other parts of LCC barefooted. I was
scared because we saw a crocodile doing the mannequin challenge few metres from
where we started walking.
That said, moving
my feet through the cool waters as we walked to where there is a pond of
colourful fishes, large chess and dart board was so soothing.
Sam got soldier
ants crawling up his pants, he had to go to a corner to remove his pants and
shake the ants off. Funmi tried capturing but she had pity on his groom price.
After missing our way and walking in circles, we found our path and headed right back to the car park.
LEKKI ART AND CRAFT MARKETwas our2nd stop. The market has a lot to offer tourists but the road to the market
is in no way encouraging. If you want to visit the market, I will suggest going
during the dry season. The road is a big mess during the rainy season.
Lots of amazing
art works in the market, though. You will be spoilt with choice for what to
buy.
If you’re looking
for 4 floors of awesomeness and want your mind blown, our 3rd stop, NIKE ART GALLERY is the perfect place
for you.
The gallery is
owned by Nike …….. She’s a great artist herself. She started her art work from Oshogbo,
Osun State. The gallery is filled with some of her works and of other artists.
However, no pictures were allowed in the gallery.
You need to see it comprehend how amazing the place is. There are artworks worth as low as N5,000 and as high as N10 million. Believe me when I say the N10 million artworks are totally worth it. *whispers* word is she’s opening a museum soon that will be filled with her own artworks.
CMS Cathedral
The art works at the entrance are amazing
With the owner of Nike Art Gallery
THE CATHERAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY CHURCH was our 4th stop, but we couldn’t stop-by,
so we drove by because time was no longer on our side.
We tried as much
as possible to catch up with the RAILWAY
MUSEUM which was our 5th stop but the man in charge was locking
the doors by the time we got there. We shall be back there.
The famous AFRIKA SHRINE was our last stop for the
day. I was hoping to be impressed by the Shrine considering the hype I have
been getting from people but my expectations were not met.
The excessive loud
music was a big turn off and we were not having the highness in the air. We
were told that Thursday and Sunday nights are always interesting as Femi Kuti comes
around to perform.
Anyway, we ended
the day at Truffles in Ikeja. I spent the day with amazing humans with
beautiful souls.
Lagos traffic was
good on us as we experienced little to no traffic, and we grooved to Shina
Peter’s Afro-juju to pass away the little traffic.
If you want to
recreate this, you will need to pack enough snacks, water and energy drinks. I
will recommend Glucose D too. It will really help boost your energy level.
P.S: I have been
asked by a lot of people why Badagry wasn’t on the list. Visiting and exploring
Badagry is an activity that will take a whole day. There’s a lot to see in
Badagry, you don’t want to rush through it.
Watch out for the next city we’re exploring in 24 hours!
