THE OBUDU RANCH SIDE OF LIFE I have had my fair share of stories about Obudu Cattle Ranch, now known as Obudu Mountain Resort. Over time, I have watched video clips and seen pictures of this beautiful place, but believe me when I say that neither of these could be compared to the real deal. None prepared me for the GRANDUER OF GLORY I experienced FIRST HAND, during my visit. It was fair distance all the way from our take-off point to Obudu in Obanliku Local Government Area, Northern part of Cross River. As our car came to a quiet halt at the base of the mountain (the entrance gate) my eyes almost popped out of their socket, I simply alighted from the car and just stood in awe like a statue. For a split second, I wondered whether I was still in Nigeria. All I could see was peace, greenery, the beauty of God’s creation, freshness. All I could hear myself say was “WOW”! WORDS FAILED ME. We spent about 15 minutes at the base of the mountain because our driver was too overwhelmed with the terrain and topography and got very sacred to drive up the mountain. It took pep-talk from the guards and some indigenes at the gate to convince him. Eventually, one the indigenes volunteered to ride with us as our guide, to help our driver navigate through the intricately curved roads up the mountain to the ranch. The 11km ride up the mountain was one of those special moments and I socked every second in. The car meandered its way through approximately 22 bends and half-way up the stretch, we encountered a very curvy bend which I later learnt was called the “devil’s elbow”…(I choose to call it GOD’S ELBOW) what an elbow indeed! There was so much to SAVOUR AND BEHOLD, so much that I got lost and confused about how to truly capture the aesthetics of the moment; the beauty, the grandeur, the glory, the aura. The magnificence of it all just overwhelmed me. Finally, we arrived at the ranch. As we alighted from our car, a gentleman who was standing at the door of the reception ushered us in. Two men, neatly and smartly dressed, with well tailored-fitted black suits, standing behind the reception desk, welcomed us with warm smiles and handshakes! “You must be Chika and Goodness” one of the gentlemen said, referring to me and my colleague. “Yes”, we chorused in bewilderment, wondering how he came about our names. Yes, we had made reservations but for him to recognize us so quickly was ‘something’. And just as we were still exchanging pleasantries, another gentleman, walked out of one of the doors with two crystal-shimmering wine glasses, filled with pink chilled cocktail wine and served us. “A welcome cocktail, after a long journey” he said with a sweet smile. His smile was so sweet and infectious that we couldn’t help but smile back, (really hard and broad). As we picked our wine glasses, my colleague whispered into my ears ‘Are we still In Nigeria’? Her question triggered an uncontrollable laughter which almost made me choke. In split seconds, we were taken to our rooms and I treated myself to the amazing comfort and first class hospitality my room had to offer. The reception was a memorable experience...simply AMAZING! What’s there not to love about Obudu Cattle Ranch? I was first awed by the weather: it’s so chilly, cold, just easy-breezy weather. It changes in split seconds; I have never seen anything like it. One minute, it’s all sunny and chilly, the next minute, it’s all cloudy and fuggy and before you blink its drizzling. The mist that comes out from the woods is a healing balm indeed. It has a way of gentling caressing your skin to rest, relieving all accumulated stress and fatigue. The air is fresh, clean and devoid of the many toxics of metropolitan cities. The hospitable spirit of the Obanliku People (they play host to the resort), is out of this world. You can actually tell that the people are not trying to be nice, THEY ARE NICE! This is evidently seen in their swiftness to assist visitors, even without being called to, their sincerity and friendliness. We were informed by our tour guide that law enforcement officers find the place quite boring as the crime rate is so low. At the resort the facilities are properly maintained. The concrete roads are intricately well sculptured and form magical patterns that fit perfectly into the over-all landscape, complementing and contrasting in a very fascinating manner, with the mountains, valleys and plains. Not to mention the historic well polished rock houses, with glass doors that have been in existence since the early 1950s. The African huts, the wooden houses, cable cars, alluring-breathtaking vegetation, swimming pools, the magical waterfalls and a host of other beautiful facilities too many to mention, add up to give a wondering retreat experience. No matter how much I try to pen down the magnificence and grandeur of this place, I know I can never do justice to it, because IT CAN ONLY BE EXEPERIENCED NOT TOLD. But one thing I can promise you is: THE SPLENDOUR PLACE WILL LURE YOU IN, as it did me, with its rich blend of history past, present and future and a beautiful interplay of nature’s best and man’s creativity. Obudu Mountain Resort, the pride of River Cross, is a sweet harmony of nature’s smile and man’s creative mind, nature’s best expression of its innate beauty, glory and life and a classic statement (example) of what our environment should be and was meant to be, when we do it right. You don’t want to be told, take out time and experience the treat. Obudu Mountain Resort…A Life Giving Space! GOODNESS KANONG PAUL hhh
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 10:26:47 +0000
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