A Walk through the Island: Nature Wonders 

A vacation experience I cannot forget was walking along the entire length of an island seashore in Lagos, Nigeria, one of West Africa’s megacities, in the company of family and friends. This is one of such rare leisure activities I engage in to unwind from the week-long hustle and bustle of city life. As one of Africa’s busiest metropolises, life and work schedules can be pretty confining, with little or no space for physical as well as mental rejuvenation. Except for the few wealthy islanders, housing and urban planning leave restraining stretchmarks on the psyches of most middle-class dwellers—a situation that is completely different when compared with what obtains in the countryside. While organized visits to the islands may be refreshing for most mainland city dwellers, the living arrangements are rather oppressive and harrowing for affluent islanders. Thus, Tarkwa Bay Island is the name of this transformative experience, an artificial island that houses one of the most beautiful beaches on Lagos Island. It was initially conceived by the federal government (Nigerian Port Authority) in the 1960s during the Lagos Harbour construction and has been operated by community dwellers.  

Tarkwa Bay Island is rich in flora and fauna, and it has a beach with a beautiful view of the blue ocean that shows nature at its best. Looking up at the night sky from a beach while lying down is awe-inspiring and relaxing as the thrill of the ocean waves washes over the mind. The symphony of creaking birds and allied members of the habitat lulls to sleep, reducing the anxieties of daily endeavours and enabling a moment of recalibration and rest. I witness these life-reinforcing experiences as I wade through the wet sands of the ocean’s edge. Ever since, I have made it an important aspect of my vacation routine to visit this somewhat mythical island beach, which has become a sacred space to recline, unwind, have fun, and re-fire. Its therapeutic appeal remains potent as I reflect on its soothing effect. Part of the recipe was a fresh fish barbecue with cold palm wine, which came in handy at a nearby fisherman’s joint annexed to fresh supplies from palm wine tappers as an important component of our rich cultural heritage.  

Satisfied with my longing for beach delicacies, I decided upon another 20-minute walk along the ocean coast to view massive cargo ships and several smaller ones passing by; through the beach from an inclusive near 100-year-old Lagos Harbour lighthouse as one monumental tourist vantage point. 

I later sat quite close to the sea as the waves brought the sand onto my feet and out to the spaces between my toes, inducing natural wonder about the omniscient while watching the sun stretch its way out of bed. The sun rose into the sky, dispersing its energy to everything in its path. Birds sang happily into my ears as they flew around the sky, claiming it as their own. I listened to a song by Zac Brown Band entitled “Toes,” soaking in the lyrics:  

 “I got my toes in the water; ass in the sand 

 Not a worry in the world; a cold beer in my hand 

 Life is good today; life is good today.” 

Credit to Zac Brown’s artistic ingenuity and the colourful rendition of the tracks that enhanced my island walk experience glorious. The sound of the waves was so pleasant that it made me remember all the happy memories of my life. I was struck by the question of higher creation. How could all this beauty have existed for so long? Who was responsible for such a dazzling creation as the ocean? I imagined the world as a perfect place with no violence, hunger, or threat, where everyone has a life worth living. I imagined for one second that if everybody on this earth stopped being self-centered and just helped others and showed love to one another, what a difference it would make in our world. Fast forward to 2023, when a plan took me further into a natural island far different from the one in my country; now a cold-water island and not even in a summer season but winter, I tried to replicate what I used to do in Prince Edward Island (PEI) when the weather and Islandness in this new environment were not favourable to me. At Brackley Beach, I could not withstand the cold of a temperature below 0 °C. I took to my heels back to my base, some kilometres from the beach. The experience I had while trying to walk along the cold ocean shore made me think about what tourists and some young folks on the island say about the frustration and isolation living on the island brings, the reason for emigration.  

I can wait for the summertime to revisit the beach and do some unwinding from the stress of academics with work so that I can feel the warmness of the weather beside the seashore and view the beauty of nature in different weather and geographical location.