ktravula – a travelogue!

reflections on the world

A World Without Borders

Well, for a start, let us all agree that this fabled world doesn’t exist anywhere except perhaps on the internet. A Nigerian on a three-hour stopover at Heathrow will not be allowed into London for fear, perhaps, that he will suddenly ditch his American visa and decide to live in the fruitful fields of England forever, eating clover, beans and mangel-wurzels. A Turkish citizen hoping to visit any European capital will usually need a shengen visa or should just not make an effort. It all makes sense, doesn’t it? A few years ago, all anyone needed to visit Kenya from any part of Africa was a passport. Then after 1998 embassy bombings by a few radical thugs, everyone needed a visa, including neighbouring Ugandans.

The concept of national borders is fascinating, and mostly annoying. Take for example the problem of driving from Lagos to Dakar, a stretch that will be similar to one from Minneapolis to St. Louis just as soon as we can ignore the useless police checkpoints along the borders of the “countries” along the way. Once upon a time, West Africa was just west Africa, with contiguous autonomous kingdoms and no fake borders manned by corrupt men in khaki uniforms. Now, the Yorubas are not just Yorubas. They are Nigerians, Beninoise and Togolese, and this doesn’t prevent them from the harassment of faux obstacles placed on a road leading from one part of the continent to the other.

The last time we had the Ambassador of Kenya to the United States on campus, I asked him why it is taking African politicians so long to realize that artificial obstacles at national borders created more problem than it solved, he gave a platitude. And then I switched on the news and heard that even the United States is now considering building a wall – yes you heard right – a wall between itself and Mexico, this time to prevent the problem of illegal migration. Yet, all migrations are legal, as we all know, as the basis of human civilization, and change. Is there a point to my rant on this post? I doubt it, but I’ve spent some time pondering the idea of human migration for a while now. I think my most recent motivation is the discovery of an interesting fact that humans – no matter where they find themselves – would always prefer migration at some point in their life, than staying in the same spot. Yes, that applies to Americans too.

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A World Without Borders was published on September 2nd, 2011, with the tags , , , , under the Observations, Opinion category. There are currently 2 comments on this article so far.

Traveling Guest Posts

Visiting Port Harcourt by Funmi

I was in Port Harcourt city twice this summer. If you were born in Port Harcourt or have lived there at all, you understand that there is only one way we eat bole (roasted plantain). This food originated in the West amongst the Yorubas but is eaten there with ekpa (groundnuts). In the south, however, fish is first coated with palm oil and pepper, and  roasted alongside the plantains. Then a special sauce is prepared and the entire meal is covered in this sauce. In PH city, bole is a meal. I had missed bole and fish (as well as isi-ewu, ekpang kukwo, native soup and isam (periwinkles)) and I enjoyed all these while I was there. (More here).

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Cheesy Berlin by Temitayo

It is important to mention that Germany has adopted many meals from its settlers. Many of the dishes were brought by the Russians, the Arabs, Asians and of course Africans. There were restaurants that specialised in this. I ate Spaghetti, prawns, soup and nuts at Asian Cosiate. I came home with the sticks I could not use. I had chicken and chips at McDonalds. Not much different from what you would get at KFC. I ate falafel, vegetarian food at an Arab food spot, where I met an Arab who had stayed in Berlin for less than two years but spoke fluent German. Food was loads cheaper, with 10 euros, I was well fed. Food was a way to celebrate difference. It created that cultural potpourri; each meal, an encounter with a culture. Different smells, unique tastes, different people. (Read more here)

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The Festival of Nations in St. Louis

On Saturday there were 40 different nationalities grilling, stewing and stirring ethnic treasures in booths that lined a promenade through the eastern end of the park. The choices ranged from bratwurst to Turkish borek, a pillowy pastry stuffed with spinach and feta.

The Paces had already sampled several sweet Malaysian drinks including rose milk; tried a thick slice of himbasha bread; indulged in Bosnian food; and had heard buzz about Eritrean food, piled high on thin, spongy rounds of injera bread.

Under a shady tree, Kyle and Jean Schenkewitz of St. Louis must have heard the buzz. They were already sampling several Eritrean delicacies, including stewed spinach, spiced lentils and a hearty tomato beef stew. The couple were aware that St. Louis has had an influx of immigrants resettling from Eritrea, a country in the horn of Africa. Both said they are fascinated by how other cultures get their protein from beans, noting that America is one of the few countries that primarily depends on meat. (Read more: here)

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Traveling Guest Posts was published on August 28th, 2011, with the tags , , , , , , under the Uncategorized category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

It Begins

It begins with a step, and everything else follows. The last time I had this much fun entering a new year was a few years ago. 2010 though was different though. Alone in an apartment in the height of winter in a small town, I counted down into the year through my snores and a wish that I had means of transporting myself to the centre of all the attraction. Alone and almost out of my mind, I resorted to sleep. When I woke up, the year had already begun, and I just followed it. In some places, that is the worst possible way to begin the year. And look how fabulous that year turned out. I visited places I’d never been before, met many nice people I’d never met before, lived and loved voraciously, and now I’m back to almost the exact same spot, continuing the journey.

And so yesterday began very promisingly, with a visit to a Chinese buffet. I figured that if we’re going to eat into the new year, we might as well do it at the expense of someone else. Not being in the mood to cook all morning, I starved myself into the evening, and headed out when I could with a bunch of friends to the nearest buffet. The countries present at the table were Benin, Morroco, Nigeria and Indonesia. A few hours and many helpings later, we were on our way to another get-together of Nigerians in the United States, but not before finding out that the fortune cookie had a very personalized message for me, again: “You shall step on the soil of many countries.” There couldn’t have been a more auspicious beginning.

After many hours of dancing and listening to Nigerian highlife in the presence of grown folks from Nigeria many of whom haven’t been home in three years, we set out again this time to the bar where the countdown to the new year took place. The bar was Erato, one of the most cozy bars in Edwardsville. In there was my friend the blogger from Ukraine, and her husband. They had a lovely gift for me – a cool ornamented cap to keep my head warm, and an Amazon gift card. Three glasses of mojito, plenty loud guffaws and wine-induced railleries later, we were done.

The countdown was loud and cheerful, as should be in such a place. When it was over, we hugged and smiled, and welcomed ourselves in to the new year. Then we went to the last spot of celebration: the house of the same cool couple to eat the most delicious dessert: cake and champagne, and to laugh, argue, discuss, disagree, learn and mostly to share. By the time we got back home at 4 am, it was hard to summarize the experience as anything but a perfect welcoming into a year of promise.

And all through the night, I kept remembering the text of that message in the fortune cookie.

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It Begins was published on January 1st, 2011, with the tags , , , , under the adventures, Fun, Uncategorized category. There are currently 3 comments on this article so far.

Two Plans

There are two plans, each of them going to different directions, with different planning processes, and a different destination. One of the good thing about being in the midwest is the ease of accessing much of everywhere else in the country. In this case, the ktravula radar has picked up signals all around and has developed a very familiar restless feet. This time though, it could be more fun, and who knows, more challenging than the last ones.

Without further ado, here is plan A: St. Louis to Arizona (site of the Grand Canyon, and then later to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and everywhere else.) 23 and a half hours by road. Oooh.

The other option, of course, goes in the other direction, eastwards. For me it’s a less attractive option perhaps because I’ve been there more than once before. However, in this case, I am a minority. It would depend on the cooperation of fellow travellers to select a right site to go. In any case, here’s the other plan, 16 hours 32 minutes:

The “when” is uncertain, as is the “how”, “why” and “with whom”. The only thing certain is the desire, and an otherwise useless longing for new spaces :) .

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Two Plans was published on September 15th, 2010, with the tags , , , , , under the adventures, Travelling category. There are currently 28 comments on this article so far.

Moving

There’s probably not much to do while siting at another departure lounge but to stare at carts, artworks, and chat up strangers willing to engage in such little trivialities. Who knows, one may discover Coldplay, or Gogo Dolls. Or get another chance at reflection about how the past few hours, weeks, and even months, went. There might be a little satisfaction. Who knows, there might even be regrets. Maybe there would just be an overriding surrender to the forces at work behind such not so random occurrences.

In any case, one might also look forward to new adventures, mostly to be obtained with new eyes, and a new background of experiences. Let the day break.

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Moving was published on August 17th, 2010, with the tags , , under the Soliloquy category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

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