My Okada (Motorcycle Taxi) Experience

I'm baaaack!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I was in Nigeria last week and I had a great time. I stayed for 2 weeks, visited Lagos, Ibadan, Akure, and then Abuja (can't wait to tell you about my amazing weekend in Abuja) and made some new friends. I even took the Okada to the market ...shhhh don't tell my mum haha.

Going back to Nigeria is always fun. I get to see family and friends that I keep in contact with but don't get to see as often. It's always nice to catch up! I was able to relax and take a little break from lectures and assignments. I missed the food, my dogs and speaking Yoruba (yes I'm fluent.. ba wo ni? haha). After a while I didn't even mind the heat (as much). Even though I have a lot of work to do on assignments and lecture notes, I am very happy I was able to attend my brother's beautiful wedding in Nigeria. I'm sure everything will be fine.

So why the okada? Okadas are actually common in most western African countries including Nigeria. They are also very common in Ibadan, which was where I stayed, the day before my flight back to Ireland. I wanted to cook some fish stew with amala and okra for dinner (one of my favorite Nigerian dishes), so we went to the market for some ingredients. We took the taxi on our way to the market but on the way to the house, we took the Okada. I was a little nervous because a lot of the roads were in bad condition in comparison to other parts of Nigeria and many people do not follow the rules of the road. I might have also held on a little too tight to the driver but I was fine after the first minute. The driver wasn’t too fast and it was nice not to get some air and not be stuck in the heavy traffic. Riding the Okada was definitely a unique experience!

So… will I be going on the Okada again, the next time I’m in Ibadan? M-a-y-b-e :P

Until Next Time!

Odabo (Buh bye)

Sola

Xo