A Traveler's Tale

 

Lost in the beauty of the unexpected

There is something magical about packing a bag, tossing in your essentials, and stepping out with nothing but curiosity as your compass. A traveler's tale is one experience filled roller coaster, sit with me while mine unfolds.....

I did not plan to fall in love with a dusty little village tucked away in the hills of Northern Nigeria. In fact, it wasn’t even on my itinerary, but as all great adventures go, the unexpected often makes the best chapters.

It started with a wrong turn by the driver taking us from Umuahia (Abia state) to Benue State where I am to serve my Father's Land (NYSC) blame my overconfidence in offline maps, or the driver trying to manoevre to get to destination on time as we got to Ebonyi state quite early. What was supposed to be a three-hour ride through winding roads and endless greenery from Ebonyi to Benue turned to a crazy detour.

My driver looked at me through the rearview mirror and said with a chuckle, “Madam, na new road be this o.” We both laughed. Nervous laughter, but laughter all the same. When we finally rolled into the village, the sun was beginning to set, casting everything in golden light. Kids were playing barefoot in the sand, and the smell of roasted maize filled the air. An elderly woman offered me a stool and a smile. No words: just pure, silent hospitality.
I tried my cell service to reach out to my family, informing them of my plight, but no network! In frustration, I muttered to myself, “What kind of area is this? No MTN service?!”
The kind old lady, clearly amused, leaned in and said in gentle Pidgin, “My pikin, na GLO and Airtel dey work for here.”
We both laughed, and just like that, the stress of being ‘disconnected’ melted into a warm, shared moment of humor.

I ended up spending the night with a local family who insisted I stay. We shared suya and stories under the stars. No Wi-Fi. No power outage complaints. Just connection—real and raw.
The driver woke me as early as 4 a.m. the next morning so we could continue our journey. Still half-asleep, I carried with me something no itinerary could offer. Was I just fortunate to experience such warmth and hospitality, especially in today’s world filled with mistrust and trauma? Or did they assume I was “government property” at the time and treated me with caution?

Honestly, I beg to differ. I want to believe kindness comes from the heart—unforced, unfiltered, and unafraid. I really can't tell you the precise location of this village. I was new, and I barely spent twelve hours there. All I can describe is this: it was at a roundabout, if you keep going straight, you will hit Wannune in Benue State. But we took a right and this was during a journey from Ebonyi State heading toward Benue not the other way around.

That night, as i laid on my student camp bed, I realized something: traveling isn’t always about famous landmarks or passport stamps. Sometimes, it’s about the stories that never make it to Instagram.
The faces you remember.
The laughter that lingers.
The stillness that calms your spirit.

Seven years later, and this memory finally makes it to my blog.

So here is to every traveler who has ever gotten lost and found more than they were looking for, CHEERS!! To thy brave heart