I am in the backseat of a Volkswagen wagon on the highway from Zungeru. I just opened my last bag of chips and plugged my earphones to Kid Kudi singing The Prayer. The road is proving unsurprisingly thrilling and subtly revealing the reasons behind its pull on dedicated and professional travelers. It is very easy to get sucked into the love of the wind and occasional dust in your face. The freedom of being in a place where you are nobody. The glimmer in the eyes of the locals when they witness your astonishment at simple elements of their daily lives. They also respond with hostility when you try to objectify them, as in their physical bodies. They don't mind you taking pictures of their landscape or the livestock but you don't just take a picture of Almajiri boys hurdled by the roadside on the highway to Kontagora. They will throw rocks at you. Can't have everything right?
When I settled that I would write about water, the first thought that came to my mind was the lyrics of Fela's hit song; ' If you fight am unless say you wan die! water... e no get enemy' it goes on about the near omnipotence of the earth's most prominent substance, its characteristic neutrality and our non-negotiable dependence on it. The human body contains up to 70 percent water. According to HH Mitchell, Journal of Biological Chemistry , Our brain and heart comprise 73 percent water, while our lungs are around 83 percent water. The skin has up to 64 percent water, muscles and kidneys are 79 percent, while our least watery parts, bones comprise 31 percent water. {usgs.gov} . If I may put it in this context, you are about 20 percent shy of being as much 'water' as a watermelon. The health benefits of drinking enough water are numerous, from improved organ functionality to better skin and even improved mental health. Studies have shown that drinking at least ...
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