A window seat, beautiful scenery, questionable Wi-Fi, a powerful toilet flush and one very opinionated sister.

Sometimes, the journey really is the destination.

I recently found myself on my way to Ibadan for a wedding and I was genuinely ecstatic. The last time I visited Ibadan was many years ago and let’s just say that’s a story I’m not interested in reopening. lol This time, though, I was excited for a completely different reason.

I was about to take my first train ride from Lagos to Ibadan.

And because I had not done this before, I was ready to take it all in – the station, the train, the scenery, the whole experience.

Welcome to the Train Station

My first impression of the train station?

Beautiful. Neat. Organized.

In fact, i’m just going to say it: I found the station more beautiful and organised than Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

There. I said what I said. Lol

I had booked Standard Class, which is basically economy, because First Class and Business Class were already fully booked.

My younger sister, of course, did not allow me to forget this decision.

At all.

According to her, I had somehow ruined the trip before it even started. lol

But honestly? Standard Class was perfectly fine.

It wasn’t cramped or uncomfortable. There was actually quite a lot of space and I got a window seat, which was a win because I obviously wanted to see everything outside.

I also had a working socket beside me, so I could charge my phones.

And then there was free Wi-Fi.

Emphasis on was.

Because that Wi-Fi basically said hello, made a brief appearance and disappeared almost as quickly as it came. lol

It worked for a couple of minutes, though, so I suppose i shouldn’t complain.

Watching Lagos Disappear

Not long after we set off, I found  myself looking through the window as Lagos gradually disappeared.

And there was something about watching the scenery change that made the journey feel different.

The familiar Lagos landscape slowly gave way to open spaces, trees, plains and beautiful old houses.

I saw lots of greenery, ravines and winding roads cutting through the landscape. The sight was honestly beautiful.

There was something peaceful about simply sitting there, looking outside and watching the scenery unfold without having to worry about navigating traffic.

We also made a stop somewhere in Abeokuta for passengers who wanted to get down or board the train.

So far, everything was going pretty smoothly.

Except, of course, for my sister’s continued commentary about the fact that we were sitting in Standard Class. lol

Food, Anyone?

One thing I quickly realized was that there were no complimentary snacks or meals.

But thankfully, nobody was going to let us starve.

Tantalizers had a trolley moving through the coaches, loaded with food and snacks for passengers who wanted to buy something.

So if you were hungry, you had options.

And Then… Nature Called

At some point during the journey, I got pressed.

And because I’m also the kind of person who gets curious about things, I low-key wanted to see what the toilet on a train looked like.

So, obviously, I went to investigate.

To my surprise, it was relatively neat.

Then I flushed.

My soul nearly left my body.

The pressure ehn!!! lol

Let’s just say the flush had more power than I was emotionally prepared for.

But apart from that little episode, the journey was genuinely enjoyable.

It was peaceful, comfortable and surprisingly fun.

Hello, Ibadan

Eventually, we arrived in Ibadan.

Getting out was pretty straightforward. From the train, we went straight to the other side where the cab drivers were already waiting.

My cab was already there, so I didn’t have to worry about finding transportation.

The Ibadan train station was pretty cool too.

And then came the road from the station.

Dusty.

Very dusty.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before we got onto a smooth road.

As we drove, I started noticing even more of the landscape.

Wide plains.

Winding roads.

Hills.

And houses sitting beautifully on those hills.

Then I spotted a dispatch bus carrying bread with the name “Alaafia.”

For those who don’t speak Yoruba, alaafia means good health.

And naturally, I immediately concluded that whenever I need good health, all I have to do is visit Ibadan and buy some Alaafia bread. lol

See? Who needs a hospital when there’s bread called Good Health?

Please don’t ask me to explain the logic. It made perfect sense in that moment.

It was different from what I had just spent the last couple of hours seeing from the train, but somehow, it felt like a continuation of the journey.

And somewhere between leaving Lagos, watching the landscape change from my window, surviving the train toilet, lol, and finally driving through the hills of Ibadan, I realized something:

I had actually enjoyed the journey.

My first train ride to Ibadan had been comfortable, peaceful, scenic and thankfully, completely free of any major drama.

Well…

Except for my sister and her Standard Class complaints.

But that’s another story. lol

Guess what?

I still booked another Standard Class for the trip back from Ibadan. lol

At this point, I had nothing to prove.

The class was comfortable, spacious and perfectly fine for me.

And honestly?

I wouldn’t mind doing it again.