March 15 – Travel from Abuja to Jos

Today the diocese’s driver Joseph picked me up on his way to work and drove me to the Nynanya Church. Bishop Ben was waiting for me. We walked over to the Bluewhales Transport Company bus parking area and Joseph drove up the shoulder the wrong way with my bags. Bluewhales drives vans and small buses from Nyanya to Jos several times per day. They put the large box on the back seat as a paid passenger. The cost was 1000 naira ($6.37) each (me and my box). They wanted to see the receipts for the TV in the big box. I told them that it was not a TV but donated equipment for the Charitable Trust in Adamawa and they were brought in American. I showed them a copy of the official looking letter I had written and put in the box. They were happy with that and told me to have the letter available. 

The bus holds almost 40 people if you do not count the kids on laps. We were full except one seat when we left the bus park at at noon. My seat was a tiny one between the side door and the front door. My computer bag took up most of the leg room and my man purse was in my lap. Yes I carry a bag on these trips. It has my gps, hand sanitizer, multi-tool, hand level, camera, notebook, pens, and the rest of my mobile office. You can see it on the table in the restaurant at ECWA in the previous post.

About a half hour into the trip the driver stopped at a market. The peddlers in the area attacked the bus shoving all sorts of items through the windows at us. The man in the front seat and the tall man sitting on the jump seat over the engine both loaded up on fresh bananas. The prices out in the country are lower and the food fresher than in the city

After about 15 minutes another man got in for the one vacant seat. The bus erupted in shouting. The passengers were upset that with the security situation the driver was putting on a man that was not on the manifest. Most of the people did not know that the driver only had the first page of the manifest with 24 names. The driver ignored all the yelling and the man held is own in the seat right in the middle of the bus. The driver let everyone vent for a while and then turned up the radio. 

The first couple military check points went smooth. Then just before a check point at a railroad crossing the Federal Road Safety stopped us. The driver showed them the fire extinguisher and his drivers license. Then the officer looked at me and told the driver to get out of the bus. They went to the back of the bus and opened the boot were the rest of the luggage stored. They were back there for a few minutes and then we went on. I figure he had to negotiate a little. We went through several more check points and a little ways outside of Jos we started stopping to let off passengers. It seemed like about every quarter mile we stopped. 

Canada House at LCCN Guest House

Finally, we reached the bus park but the driver kept going. He told me that he was driving up to Dogon Karfi dropping people and then coming back. Pastor Amson was waiting at the bus park and flagged down the driver a few hundred feet down the road. We got my bag out of the boot and passed the box out a side window. He brought me to Dogon Dutse area if Jos to the LCCN Guesthouse. I checked the location on my smartphone GPS and it showed lodging called Christian Guest House. I am impressed with the accuracy of streets on the maps (maps are licensed from Tom Tom by Sygic). I am the only guest at the guest house. They usually host more travelers and conferences. But due to the security situation the business is very low.  Amson has a member of one of the churches here in Jos coming over Friday morning to discuss drilling in Jos area and the availability of parts here in Jos.