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We hit it off right at the very moment we got talking. Here I was speaking to a total stranger and enjoying every bit of it. Sometimes I imagined if it was the way he spoke or the sound of his voice that fascinated me but one thing I will never forget is the much-anticipated trip to the heartbeat of the nation this newly found friendship led me to. I had heard so much about the city of Benin and played it in my head how my first visit would be. I would have decided to travel by air so that my journey would be swift but for the love of nature, I opted to journey by road. I spent over 6 hours on the road but it was worth every bit of it; I was amazed by how much vegetation and sparse of land my country has. These lands all surrounded by tall trees, hills and bushes can be used for things that will benefit the nation. In between these bushes were small huts occupied by people which made me wonder why they lived so far away from proper civilization. As we journeyed on, I took down notes of interesting details as well as the unique names of important landmarks we passed hoping that someday, I will draft my very own travel story tagged ‘My Travel Tale to Benin City.’ We eventually arrived at a place called ‘Ore’ and I was told it was a park where people could refresh themselves before embarking on their journey. The place was amazing; it was hard to believe that amidst the scary-looking bushes and forests such a place existed. I saw travelers eating, drinking and feeling relaxed. The bunches of banana I saw looked so big unlike the sizes usually sold in Lagos; the snails looked delicious, fresh and relatively cheaper than normal. We continued our journey and finally approached Benin City. One unique thing about this place is the colour of the sand it has. Its red colour was the first thing I noticed that stood out coupled with the white colour of small cabs prevalent in the place. Its ancient buildings still stood tall as I had heard so many people say. Here I was at last! The highlight of my trip was meeting Charles who accidentally called me one day mistaken me for someone else. If speaking with him over the phone could make me have butterflies in my stomach, how did I feel meeting him in person? Having spent some time in this place, I now realized why people love this city; life here is very simple and less stressful. Food items are very cheap and transportation is not as difficult when compared to some cities in Nigeria. I was glad and happy I satisfied my curiosity about this town; I didn’t expect to find true love in this place but I did and will relive the lovely moments as long as I live.