My TOURISM Experience

The cloudy atmosphere speaks loudly that its going to rain, the thunderous sound associated with the presence of the thunder and the striking of the lightening approves the down pouring of rain, and behold, here comes the rain. Its mighty droplets on the roof of the house is heard, even with the windows being sealed, Amidst the coolness and elucidating flood, fresh memories impregnated my mind, as I thought of a wonderful tourist moment I had during my NYSC days at Efon-alaaye local Government area.

I recalled my phone ringing in the middle of the night and a friend of mine, we call Jo, challenged me, in his own words I quote, "Prince, how come you are serving in Efon and you have not been to Ikogosi warm springs or the Arinta water falls". Wow, his words sank my heart, but I made a promise to him that I will be there. Yes, I must go there, and I fulfilled that promise two days later, three close friends joined in the journey as we boarded two bikes, since the tourist sites were close-by. I went along with Iloh Hope, Amarachi and Blessing. Well kitted for the tour, we zoomed off as the bikers raced as quickly as they could on the hilly Efon roads.

Roughly after 15minutes we arrived at the site of the only warm spring present in Nigeria, and may be the only one the world. If it is the only one of such, then I move that the Ikogosi warm spring we inaugurated into one of the wonders of our world. We paid the 500 naira entrance fee, as we awed along the naturally endowed environment. The smile on Hope's face showed a keen sign of excitement and grateful-ness to God Almighty as we walked via the wooden bridge-like walk way constructed skillfully towards the warm spring. A large "welcome to Ikogosi warm springs"  sign post greeted us, as the population of people present was alarming. The sound of Psquare's hit song "Alingo" rocked the area as we forged ahead to feel the warmth of the water.

Words can not describe how I felt placing my hands into the warm water, I sincerely tried to explain its wonderful phenomena via science, but I just could not. I was indeed surprised. Though we didn't swim at the warm pool, I was delighted I had the opportunity to visit the warm springs. After some snap shots, we continued our journey to the heart of Ipole-ekiti, about 10minutes far from the Ikogosi warm springs, to the Arinta waterfalls. The atmosphere at the Arinta waterfalls was quite, kind of scary as it was at the end of the road, though it was nothing to write home about. I will humbly urge the Ekiti state government to give the Arinta water fall at least 30percent of the funds spent on the Ikogosi warm springs and see a swift turn around, as tourist will prefer the waterfall to the warm spring.

Even with the absence of proper governmental care, the fun and awe of the Arinta waterfall far exceeds that experienced at the Ikogosi warm spring. We quickly paid the 200naira entrance fee, as we walked towards the waterfall, it was a 5minutes walk from the main entrance. As we walked closer, we could hear the powerful sound of the water splashing on the rock, as very enormous and gigantic trees surrounded the environment. We changed into our swim suits, ready to be lashed by the water, it was a day to remember, as I personally had my back properly massaged as the water splashed on my back instead of the surrounding rock.

A lot of Questions filled our hearts like "where did the water come from", " how did it get there", " why hasn't the water stopped flowing all these years", "where is the water going to", though the answers were not available, we kept the fun alive. Gradually, some youths from one of the polytechnic within the state joined us in the fun, after a while our skin gradually grew cold, it was time to return home bold. We reluctantly prepared ourselves to revert to Efon-alaaye, frankly speaking, we never wanted to leave. We bid the environs a huge farewell, after we had consumed our snacks. I still recall Hope and Ammy, promising to bring their husbands to tour this same areas during their honeymoon and later their kids will join them to the site too, so together the would celebrate God's supremacy and creative power at the Ikogosi warm springs and the Arinta Waterfalls in Ekiti state, Nigeria.

You too should try and visit these tourist centres, either with your family, friends, colleagues, or alone. I will rate tourism in Ekiti state, 7/10, so you really have nothing to loose, except you money, *smiles*, but its way affordable. Lost in my own thoughts, the loud scream of "Up NEPA", brought me back to consciousness. With a bold smile on my face, I picked up my pen and wrote this piece. I say a big thank you for your patience through this story, I hope you enjoyed it, feel free to drop your comments.

Join me and other corps members willing to share their own NYSC experiences. I remain Nwachukwu Prince, aka, TatafoEfon.