Picking Up the Nigerian Visa
Good day. December 18th. Today I picked up the Nigerian visa, and this was a really big deal. I had heard plenty of stories about people being denied an e-visa, which is one of the main reasons I wanted to do this in person. Everything seems a bit all over the map these days when it comes to visas.
Another concern I had heard about was that some people were asked for a Benin residence card, since the embassy is located here. I wasn’t asked for that, which was a huge relief. With the visa in hand, I could finally move on.
A Small Celebration at Pura Vida
That felt like a moment worth celebrating, so I stopped by Pura Vida, a nice coffee spot, and treated myself to a croque monsieur, Benin style, along with a ginger drink. That choice wasn’t random—my son Ryan loved croque monsieur when we traveled through French-speaking places.
Ryan is no longer with us, but moments like this bring back memories of people who were close to me. Those memories quietly encourage me to keep doing what I do and to keep moving forward.
Rethinking the Route Through Nigeria
After that, it was time to look ahead and reassess the route. I decided to change my plans and go through Nigeria. I had a contact in Ibadan, but that turned out not to be a good fit anymore.
I also realized that I still need to get my visa for Cameroon. That visa starts electronically, which I don’t have yet, but even after getting it, I still need to go to Calabar in Nigeria. Calabar is one of the last towns before the Cameroon border and has a Cameroonian consulate that issues the physical visa sticker in your passport.
That doesn’t leave many options. It’s not the shortest route, but knowing this ahead of time helps me plan things in the right order and avoid driving a lot of unnecessary extra miles—or kilometers, in this case.
A Pleasant Place, Limited Time
I spent some more time walking around the neighborhood and found it to be a very pleasant place to be. I wish I had more time to stay, but time seems to be the one thing that’s always in short supply on this trip—even when it feels like there’s plenty of it.
Thanks for coming along, and we’ll see you tomorrow.
