The first thing that got my attention when we alighted from the bus was the serenity of the environment. It was so calm.
Exactly my kind of place. I wouldn’t mind staying there forever.
Then we strolled down to the subject of our tour,
The Azumiri blue river… Kind of Green!
The river is a ribbon of living turquoise, boldly flowing amid the green of the forest.
It has a strength that is reflected in the trees. It flows on with confidence, taking the form of the river bed, billions of drops moving together.
Its depth is deceptive, mostly because it was as clear as crystal.
Every rounded stone on the bottom, the smoothness of the sand underneath was rendered in perfect clarity.
Below the water surface were fishes: small, barely a dart of silver, yet fast. Without visible effort they moved from plain sight, glimmering in the early morning sun, into the reeds.
What a very lovely sight to behold.
Being there was enough to remind me of my privileged place in the circle of life, in an ecosystem that is both robust and delicate.
I couldn’t contain my excitement as I hastily rolled my trousers up and waded into the water oblivious of how cold it might be.
Jeeeez!
It wasn’t as cold as I thought and even after just few steps, I was knee deep, the water flow around my limbs, drinking away my body heat.
If only I knew how to swim, I wouldn’t have hesitated to strip myself totally naked, all caution thrown to the wind and dive into the beckoning water.
But since I couldn’t, I bent over to feel it.
The water moved softly around my outstretched fingers, caressing coolly, eddying in their wake. I pulled my hand out and watched the drips, both transparent and opaque at the same time.
They fell as if snatched by gravity, each one swiftly haloed by ever-growing rings, distorting the pebbled sea-bed. In the breeze my hand was cold, yet my body was warmed by the late morning sun.
Then as if by divine command a canoe appeared on the horizon, glistening in the sunrise. This evoked very exciting screams from my fellow tourists as we watched it glide slowly to the bank of the river, then rushed into it while it ferried us round the glistening green waters.
The canoe ride was thrilling.
Jeez… How scared I was.
But it was fun all through
Truly Abia is blessed. I never knew a place like this exists especially in my state.
I couldn’t help imagining the amount of money government will make if they harness the potentials this place has to offer for, definitely it will be a very good source of revenue for Abia state government.
If you’ve ever visited Marina Resort Calabar, You’ll definitely understand what I’m talking about.
Imagine building something like that here in Abia State Which will attract tourist from far and wide.
Imagine the level of employment such a place can generate because With tourism comes hotels, restaurants, car rental agencies, tour companies, service stations, souvenir shops, sports equipment rentals, and much more. All of this creates many different levels of employment for people in a given community.
I solemnly appeal to Abia State Government to look into this.
I also appreciate the man behind this trip, Dee Paddy Anyatonwu.
He’s a father and leader indeed.
He actually sponsored the trip, both the transportation and refreshments. He sure deserves some accolades.
It was fun!
It was awesome and I’m glad for the opportunity to visit there again on the 6th of March courtesy of Dedem Paddy C. Anyatonwu
Sadly, during the first journey, I was so engrossed with the water and the ethereal view that I couldn’t concentrate on finding myself a suitor.
I won’t make that mistake anymore.
I’ll be on “snatching/hitching mode” on this second journey.
O ga adi kpoo kpoo.
By Ananaba Sandra Chibuzor
