Updated for Fun
“Yes sir, I got him! Check. I’m very sure!” Kevin screamed, pointing his hand at the splatterings of paint on his opponent’s back but after a close look, the referee ruled out any new points for Kevin’s team.
Could this afternoon have gotten more exciting? I laughed hard as I took cover behind a bamboo barricade. That was such a futile and unnecessary attack, I thought.
7:47 a.m. October 2019.
There were exactly two passengers left to fill our fourteen-seater bus heading to Ibadan, capital city of Oyo state. Back outside on the street, transport workers scrambled for daily commuters as hawkers chased motorists up-and-down the road.
That day, I woke up well before dawn, at around 5:30 a.m. to catch the first bus leaving Osogbo. And in a few hours, I was going to meet a couple of friends in Agodi for a colourful paintballing adventure!
The Discrete Trip
Setting off from Olaiya, our trip out of Osun was totally hitchfree. There were barely any cars on the road, the weather was cool and our driver was extra careful. In fact, it wasn’t until the last phase of our trip at Iwo Road that we encountered some traffic congestion.
Before then, the bus stopped working a couple of times. Curse that clutch!
At one point, our driver, Rufus tried to start the vehicle and the clutch made this annoying brruuuhhhh sound when he switched gears. Not joking here, the entire bus smelt like a mix of egg yolk and cigarette when the clutch finally clicked.
Long story short, co passengers and I had to “push” the bus on different occasions. And because a few of us couldn’t wait for the bumper-to-bumper traffic at Iwo Road to conclude, we alighted.
Agodi… The Next Chapter
After that unexpectedly terrible experience, I took a Micra taxi to Mokola Roundabout just as my friend, Fortune (he planned everything) earlier advised. The cab was a bit comfortable and it cost only 100 Naira for the trip.
As it turned out, I got into another cab at Mokola Roundabout heading to the University of Ibadan.
Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the university but missed Fortune by a millisecond so I had to continue to Agodi Gardens on my own. Adventure time!
Getting to Agodi Gardens at 12:00 p.m., I took out my wallet to settle the motorcyclist’s fare before proceeding to the entrance and it was just wow!
Serenaded with a intricately decorated stone wall, ample greenery and neat wooden terrace. It is a beautiful, calming and very welcoming gateway.
After paying an entry fee of 500 Naira, I discovered that I was the first person to arrive at the scene so, I spent half an hour touring the garden while waiting on my paintball buddies.
Also Read: WANT TO PAINTBALL IN ABEOKUTA? NOW YOU CAN!
Just in case, you can actually get a bike straight from Mokola to Agodi Gardens if you’re not driving.
20 Most Amazing Things To Try In Agodi Gardens
Agodi Gardens is located on Secretariat Rd, Mokola Hill, Ibadan. It is a serene environment with a good combination of wide walkways, picnic and play areas, water features, labelled tropical trees and well mowed lawns.
Also called Agodi Botanical Gardens, this touristy location is always bustling with fun activities especially on weekends.
Here’s a checklist of twenty most amazing things to try in Agodi Park and Gardens.
You could…
1. Like me, take a walk around while breathing in the clean air. Agodi Park and Gardens sits on a grand 150 acres of land! Now, that’s a lot of ground to cover even for a wakaholic.
2. Go horseback riding. Riding a horse will set you off an affordable 500 Naira fee. It’s definitely something you should try here.
3. Have a picnic with friends and family. What good is a visit to Agodi Gardens if you can’t spend it with friends and family? Call in the calvary and have the time of your life!
4. Eat at GQ Lounge. They’re always food lovers flocking in-and-out of the GQ Lounge and I guess it’s because of their sumptuous delicacies. Have a bite, the food’s good!
5. Take your kids to play at the recreation park. The play park is a beautifully mowed open lawn with dummy horses, slides and ladders. I recommend it for your kids. You’ll see.
6. Plan a social gathering. Whether it’s a celebration, an escape for coworkers, church buddies or long time pals, this park is one of the best get-together locations in the whole of Ibadan.
7. Practice your nature photography. There’s a lot of nature begging to be photographed in Agodi Park and Gardens. Get your camera out and start snapping!
8. Study the trees and know their scientific names. I particularly did this during my time here. Okay there’s this tree, Terminalia Ivorensis, see if you can find it when you visit.
9. Take pictures and videos. You could make some use of the picturesque environment for wedding, anniversary or birthday shoots.
10. Swim in the pools. Access to the swimming pools cost 500 Naira and they’re vendors up and about selling fun gears like swimming trunks, swimsuits and balloons.
11. Arrange for a music video shoot. I’ve seen a couple of music videos from the likes of Tope Alabi and Obasere shot at this alluring destination. You could plan for yours too.
12. Go through the water slides. The water slides are very high, low and twirly. Are you ready for this adventure?
13. Sit out under shaded areas. They’re a bunch of shaded areas and benches to have a great meal and gist with your friends and loved ones.
14. Eat asun and other finger foods. Finger foods are plentiful in Agodi Gardens, you can locate vendors in kiosks just before the paintball arena.
15. Observe the animal kingdom. Peacocks, donkeys, horses, you name it. There actually used to be a zoo over here but it closed after a lion attack. I can’t say if there are plans for a reopening but you should know, visitors aren’t allowed to feed animals.
16. Visit the Boat House. If you’d like to have a look at boats, then you should visit here. I think it’s accessible from the outside. Again, there used to be a time when visitors could paddle through the lake but I wouldn’t know why that stopped.
17. Party hard at GQ Lounge. During after-hours, the GQ Lounge transforms into a complete entertainment hub. It’s a great place and time to meet new people living in the city.
18. Plan an awesome event! Fancy a birthday party in Agodi Gardens? Why not?! I saw some kids having their birthday bash when I visited and witnessed another corporate event thereafter.
19. Test your shooting accuracy at Magnus Archery. I saw a couple practising their marksmanship on a few paintball targets and the man’s wifey won! It’s a cool teambonding exercise.
20. Paintball with friends and family at the Magnus Paintball Arena. Heck! I remember finishing my bullets within twenty minutes of the first round. Each round was thirty minutes and we all had to play by the rules.
Bonus: You can play table tennis with friends at the swimming pool area and arrange for a Playstation bout in one of the kiosks.
Basic Paintballing Rules
Before starting the game, our referee mentioned some specific rules to know.
- You must wear your protective gear all through the match. Being safe is a necessity.
- Keep your eyes covered. The capsules can cause severe damage to the eye.
- Avoid close range shots. They leave bumps and are quite painful.
- Only shots from the head to waist are counted. Don’t go shooting legs.
- Leave the arena when you feel tired. It’s okay to take a break.
- Scream Check! when you take a successful shot. That’s what Kevin was saying.
- Stop shooting at the sound of the whistle. Everyone’s expected to pause.
These set of rules obviously don’t have to be the same for every Paintball Arena. However, it’s common practice that players are fully kitted before participating in the games.
Paintballing In Agodi Park And Gardens – Ready. Set. Paintball!
“To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first, and call whatever you hit the target.” – Ashleigh Brilliant
2:00 p.m. Magnus Paintball Arena
After listening to the referee’s instructions, I went over to take pictures with my friends who were already geared up. It cost 2,000 Naira per player but we got a discount (available for fifteen players and above) of 25%.
In my gun, I had forty bullet capsules waiting for some kind of action and it cost 500 Naira for refills, an amount that I paid just after twenty minutes!
FWEET! The first round kicked off at the sound of the whistle. And now, the clock was ticking dangerously.
Each player on the two teams scattered around the far edges of the arena and nerves were beginning to rage. On my side, we planned our strategic attack and since Fortune was our captain, he stayed back, close to the flag while the remaining three of us advanced forward.
This round was an elimination match.
One thing I particularly liked about this arena was the foresty location. We had bamboo barricades, tyres and tree trunks for cover and one-by-one my team crushed the enemy. We won this!
For the second round, we had to switch locations on the turf and this was even more exciting because anyone who got shot automatically joined the other team. It was sort of like a tag match.
I was the first person to get shot in a swift blow to my eye. Oh thank goodness for helmets! I thought no one noticed but apparently, the referee was close. Again, I got shot on the leg and it hurt like hell! Ah, I’ve lost my mojo.
The only way you could walk out of the game unscathed was if you got tired or exhausted your ammo.
In the end, we had a deadlock between two guys and they went at eachother until one emerged victorious. Find out who did in this vlog below. Yeah! I had it recorded.
For this exercise, we had to be crazy skillful, careful and athletic all at the same time.
Conclusion | The Return Trip
Looking back, my bus trip from Osogbo to Ibadan wasn’t only hectic but hilarious as well! Heck, I can recall Rufus screaming, “Olorun Ese Oo” when the bus jerked to ignition.
After our fulltime break in Agodi Park and Gardens, I was the only person who couldn’t return home because you know, it was super duper late and I lived in another city. So, I had to crash at my friend’s place.
The next day, I was really fatigued from playing video games all night and I almost fainted.
I took a bus from Iwo Road in Ibadan to Ogo Oluwa in Osogbo. The fee was just 700 Naira and again, the trip was hitchfree and I got to see a procession of Osun-Osogbo worshippers converge around the highway.
From my personal experience, I’ll advise you to have quality rest before going on a long trip. It helps! And drink water too.
Before you head over to the comments, here’s a quick recap of five things to try in Agodi Gardens.
- Have a picnic.
- Try the water slides.
- Go Paintballing!
- Party hard at GQ Lounge.
- Hit the swimming pools.
Over To You!
This paintball adventure was the first and most memorable for me. In my opinion, it’s best to have as many friends as possible to play with, maybe at least ten or thereabout.
Other Popular Attractions in Ibadan include.
- Eleyele River.
- Cocoa House.
- Mapo Hall.
- University of Ibadan Zoo.
- IITA Forest Reserve.
I was literally drained from all of the action and I must say, I can’t wait to try this again someday.
Have you ever been in a paintball match? How about a visit to the Magnus Paintball Arena?
Kindly let me know in the comments.
Stay safe and it’s never bye, just see you next time.
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ERICOTRIPS 
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