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IITA, Ibadan
4th – 6th June, 2004
A group of seventeen adults and four children from Lagos made this trip.
Three families left Lagos in a convoy on Friday morning. A second convoy
left Lagos the same afternoon. A third group arrived on Saturday morning.
On Friday evening at IITA, we met our gracious hosts Chris and Lorraine
Legg.
IITA stands for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. It is
a vast, secure and well-maintained site, just Northeast of Ibadan. It
includes a large lake, a nine-hole golf course, and a sizeable preserved
area of secondary rainforest with nature trails. The International House
(‘I-House’) where most of us stayed also has a swimming pool, tennis
courts and good and reasonable dining facilities.
Getting to IITA was fairly simple – we continued right through Ibadan on
the main freeway from Lagos until the end of the freeway (marked by
hundreds of broken trucks and large traffic jam). We turned right on to
the Oyo road (for a small stretch it can hardly be described as a road!)
and after about 2km through markets and more traffic – we see the
beautiful forests of IITA on the left side of the road. Once we entered
the main gate of IITA – it was a different world – beautiful grounds,
clean and peaceful.
Chris and Lorraine had the whole weekend schedule planned for the group.
Our first activity, ‘Pizza night’ started at the I-House outdoor
restaurant. We had great pizza and beer sitting at the outside restaurant
enjoying the cool night air. The weather was perfect for a ‘night
walk’ in the forest. Chris and Lorraine led the group for a short
‘night walk’ near the lake. With the help of Chris’s powerful spot
light we all saw the shining eyes of small monkey like animal on the tree
tops. We all had a great time.
Saturday morning we all gathered to take a walk in the rain forest. The
trip started with a ‘Short walk’ (30 minutes) and then continued for
the ‘Long walk’ (2+ hours) with all those who were ready for the
adventure. During the short and the long walk we saw many beautiful
Paraistolochia goldeana flower (see pictures). Throughout the walk we saw
many beautiful butterflies and hundreds of millipedes crawling all around
the walking trail. Lorraine and Chris did an excellent job of explaining
the special aspects of the forest.
The rest of the afternoon was left to the individuals to play golf,
tennis, swim or just sit around the beautiful grounds. Later in the
afternoon, Lorraine Legg led a small group on a walking tour of the campus.
She showed us variety of interesting local, international and exotic trees
in the housing and office areas of IITA.
Around 6:00 pm we all gathered at a beautiful spot on the lake for the
‘Sun downer’ (see pictures). Again, our hosts Chris and Lorraine Legg
had arranged a beautiful camp like atmosphere near the lake – with a
variety of drinks and snacks. Everyone had great time watching beautiful
scenery around the lake with fish jumping in the water and the sun going
down on the horizon. This was an evening to remember.
After that we assembled at the I-House’ indoor restaurant for a
special meal prepared for the group. It was a fantastic buffet dinner with
excellent wine and desert selection.
Sunday morning there were two group activities. Chris Legg led the ‘Long
walk’ tour of the rain forest for those who could not make it on
Saturday. The second tour – a walking ‘Bird watch’ tour around the
lake was led by Lorraine Legg. We watched many different kinds of birds.
We also saw the catfish hatchery at the edges of the lake.
How could you go to IITA and not visit Mrs. Major Scott’s house. She
sells African art from her home, mostly imported from her native Kenya.
Those who ventured to her place came out not only buying many different
artifacts but also learning about the background and significance of
various items she sells.
We packed up and left after a leisurely lunch on Sunday. It was a truly
fascinating and a wonderful experience. Those who missed the opportunity
to go to IITA can always send an e-mail to IITA (iita-hotel@cgiar.org) and
make a reservation at the International House. It is a trip worth taking.
Sudarshan and Leena Singh (United States)
More photos? Click here.
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Lagos Branch
