Boy Scouts In Green Uniforms
We love it when we find people exploring places we would never think of in Nigeria. Ibinabo commented this post on our. we slid into her dm’s and here we are.
We were very intrigued that she went to Katsina as a tourist and we’re glad she agreed to talk a little about her very brief visit.
Ibinabo works as an analyst in the oil and gas supply chain. She’s been travelling pretty much since she went off to school in Bauchi State for secondary school. Since her father was a civil servant they were regularly transferred all over Nigeria and although she currently lives in Nigeria, she considers herself a world citizen.
In her words,
‘I always make time to travel and I live for my next trip. Holidays are booked around the public holidays. At the beginning of each year, I create a calendar on an excel sheet, where I map out every public holiday in whatever country I reside in and plan my holidays around them. I have shared this calendar with my friends who run travel companies too. I do all sorts of travel: from budget travel to luxury and adventure trips. I don’t like short one day trips to a new country, unless I have previously been to that country. This is because I feel they do not give enough time to appreciate the culture of that place. I think your page is awesome’.
Of course we’re chuffed she thinks we’re awesome, now enjoy her summary of her Katsina jaunt.
Give us a brief description of where you went and what the trip was about.
The trip plan was for Kano and Katsina with majority of the time to be spent in Kano. This was to celebrate the end of 2017 Ramadan.
Was accommodation required for this trip? If yes where did you stay and what was it like?
For Katsina, no. However in Kano I stayed at the Prince Hotel.
What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
The plan was to attend the Durbar in Katsina and drive around town since the one in Kano was on a different day. We however got an audience with the Emir, because the wife of the former emir of Kano, who is also the mother-in-law of the current Emir decided to join us on the trip.
Durbar
What was your best moment of the entire trip?
Everything about the trip. It reminded me of my childhood in the north. Happy dusty moments.
What was the scariest moment (if any)?
None
Did you find any sights or activities a bit off the beaten track ie beyond the tourist traps?
Lunch with both Emirs.
Meeting the Emir
What are two interesting things about where you went that the average person doesn’t know?
Nothing comes to mind
Did you meet any locals? If yes, what were they like?
Met only locals. They were approachable and friendly. They were also willing to explain the culture
What was the funniest/strangest/most insightful thing a local said?
Nothing
What was the hardest or most frustrating part of the trip?
I needed to wear long sleeves and had stupidly forgotten most of it. I brought the wrong luggage with me so I had to wear the same clothes throughout which wasn’t as bad as I expected.
Did anything go wrong that seems funny now?
Well, I had missed my flight to Kano and since it was the end of Ramadan, I couldn’t get another seat on board so I ended up taking a bus from Lagos to Kano.
Did you eat anything locally, if yes, what was your favorite?
Had the typical, tuwo, dabu nama etc
If you ate locally, what was the strangest thing you ate?
Had spent part of my childhood in the north so nothing really stood out
What were the cost implications of this trip?
Affordable
Now that you’ve been there yourself, when you think of your trip what’s the first image that comes to your head?
Boy scouts in green uniforms
Would you revisit or ever move there?
Revisit Katsina, yes! However I will not move there and although this survey isn’t about Kano, I would live in Kano
Have you visited Katsina State? What was your take on it. If you haven’t visited would this be on your Nigerian travel bucket list?
LINK UP WITH US ON FACEBOOK, SHADOW US ON INSTAGRAM, BANTER WITH US ON TWITTER & WATCH US ON YOUTUBE
*Reviews are based on opinions and personal experiences, and may differ from person to person
*prices written are based on the time the visit was made and is subject to change by the owners
*pictures belong to the ‘horse’ interviewed.
Comments