The Coal City as people fondly call Enugu here in Nigeria lies in the eastern part of Nigeria. And it is pronounced as “Eh-nu-gwu”. It is a city on the hills, hence the literal translation of Enugu. My experience travelling to Enugu has been a great one and I am so excited to share it!
MY ARRIVAL
It had been five long years since I last visited Enugu. The hustle to make ends meet took me far away from the place I have known all through my life. The picture of visiting this city kept recurring in my head and I sought for the slightest opportunity to jump on an hour flight to Enugu.
My thoughts and wishes came alive and three weeks later, I left Lagos-Nigeria at 2pm and got on the plane en route the Akanu-Ibiam International Airport. At 3pm, I had already landed and my friend Chuks was already waiting to pick me.
MY LUNCH EXPERIENCE
I had been salivating over pictures of well prepared Abacha , kpomo and fried fish and I couldn’t wait to have a plate of such before me. The waiter placed my order before me. And I took every bite slowly, making sure my taste buds savoured the nutrients that came with every fork I put in my mouth. While at lunch, Chuks reminded me how I had been missing native delicacies since we didn’t have them back in Lagos and even where we managed to find them, they weren’t prepared this good. If you ask anybody that grew up in Nigeria, Enugu is known for their well-prepared Abacha and Okpa.
Abacha Okpa
MY TOUR EXPERIENCE
Lunch was over in thirty minutes and we headed home. Having gained enough rest, it was time to take a tour around this city. From New Haven through Independence Layout to the Government Residential Area (GRA), the streets of Enugu radiated with beauty that brought back sweet memories. Memories that date back to my days as a student at the Federal Government College, Enugu. I reminisced with nostalgia how we usually worshipped at Holy Ghost Cathedral on Sunday mornings.
Now, I must say that Enugu look more aesthetic than before. The existence of traffic lights, cleaner roads and steady power made it a more developed urban city. The fact that more businesses had found their way to Enugu also gave the city a touch of economic finesse. I noticed a slight increase in population but everything blended correctly to make the city what I called “the hot cake of the South East”.
My friends and I visited places the city’s Shoprite, the National Museum, where we chilled at a popular bar called New Berries. We were thrilled by the live comedy performances, dancing, as well as singing done by very good upcoming artistes. As we enjoyed the artistes performances we sipped our drinks and ate from a variety of Catfish, Nkwobi, and Suya.
I also visited the three busiest places in Enugu; Garki, Abakpa and Ogbete. In the end, I would say the memories of my visit to Enugu would remain in my head.
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