Katsina: Dusty Streets, Warm Hearts, and One Hell of a Sunset
so here i am in katsina, northern nigeria, and honestly? it’s nothing like the travel brochures. no glossy photos, no curated "authentic experiences" - just real life, dusty roads, and people who wave like they’ve known you forever.
i rolled in on a hot afternoon. the kind where the air feels like it’s been pre-heated in an oven. *checked the weather and it’s sitting at 28.31°c with a "feels like" of 26.84°c - dry heat, low humidity (9%), and the kind of blue sky that makes you squint even when you’re wearing sunglasses.
first stop? the emir’s palace. not because i’m into royalty, but because a guy at the motor park said, "if you don’t see the palace, you haven’t seen katsina." fair enough. it’s old, it’s grand, and the guards at the gate have zero chill - but they let me snap a few pics from outside. someone told me the inside is even better, but you need permission from like three different offices. next time, maybe.
walking around the old town felt like stepping into a different century. mud houses with intricate designs, narrow alleys where motorbikes zoom past like they’re late for a wedding, and market stalls selling everything from leather sandals to kola nuts. i bought a bag of kunu (a local drink made from millet) for 100 naira and regretted nothing.
overheard a group of old men arguing about politics under a tree. one said, "this government is like a bicycle without pedals." another replied, "at least a bicycle can still roll downhill." classic.
if you get bored, kaduna and kano are just a short drive away, but honestly? katsina doesn’t need to compete. it’s got its own rhythm. slow, deliberate, and oddly comforting.
food note: tried tuwo shinkafa with miyan taushe at a roadside bukka. best decision of the trip. someone warned me the pepper would make me cry, but i survived. barely.
random tip:* bring a hat. the sun here doesn’t play. also, download an offline map - google maps gets confused in the old town.
and the sunset? holy moly. the sky turned into a canvas of orange, pink, and gold, and for a second, i forgot about everything else. just stood there like a tourist cliché, but who cares.
katsina isn’t trying to be cool. it just is. and that’s why i liked it.
You might also be interested in:
- https://topiclo.com/post/what-is-hamhng-famous-for-icons-history-and-legends-3
- https://topiclo.com/post/networking-in-kermnshhs-whispers
- https://topiclo.com/post/crime-stats-in-pendik-should-you-sleep-with-one-eye-open
- https://topiclo.com/post/crime-statistics-in-tondo-is-it-getting-safer
- https://topiclo.com/post/afterschool-activities-in-culiacn-that-wont-make-your-kid-a-zombie