More than about Eight years ago, I got on a bus for the first time on a trip to Port Harcourt, Rivers State. It is about 620km bus ride from Lagos, expected to take more than 10 hours ride, adding few stops to refuel the bus a couple of times, then we expect a 12- hours bumpy, fun-filled journey.
Our journey passes through several towns and hamlets, with locals busy with their business of farming, fishing, crafting, blacksmiths, hunting etc. They looked contented and happy in their hamlets, even without electricity.
On the bus ride from Lagos to Port Harcourt, a notable scene that greets commuters is the River Niger Bridge. The Popular Bridge links the South-West Part of the Country to the South-East Part of the Country.
Once you crossed the bridge, you are welcomed to a beautiful scene of multicoloured corrugated sheets of the Onitsha International Market, in Anambra State of Nigeria.
The villages and hamlets on this part of the country are differently structured to the ones on the western part of the country, a difference brought about, due to the difference in culture, weather, and to an extent, exposure to civilisation/education.
We got to Port Harcourt at about 1:42am, much later than expected, which makes it difficult for me (a first-time tourist to the city), to get an hotel (since I don’t know any close to the bus park). Anyway, I passed the night at the bus park until sunrise.
The unnamed villages, hamlets, routes, etc we encountered on the ride inspired me to want to make contributions on any journey/route I take. I was inspired to make contributions to naming roads, adding missing places, adding pictures to existing places, making reviews on fun places, etc.
If the hotels close to the bus park were marked on the map eight years ago, I wouldn’t have caught cold and malaria on my journey then, and I am committed to helping tourists avoid not having options on their route to having fun.