Lagos, Nigeria
Sep. 28th, 2006 11:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellefliesI'm skipping the Baltimore/Accra/Colorado post in favor of Lagos. Amazingly enough, I actually had a really good time on the three day layover there.
I was flipping through a travel book today and apparently Lagos is a city no one likes and as a foreigner you really aren't in a good position to see it unless you know people who live there. And that, I've found, is very, very true. What made this trip so different from the last few times I've been there was that the hotel seems to understand that you can go stark raving mad from being cooped up all day and so every sunday they sponsor a trip to an island on the outskirts of Lagos where you can enjoy fine food, good company and a private beach. It also afforded me the chance to see Lagos outside of the highway taking me too and from the hotel.
The traffic in this city is absolutely insane. There are no rules or regulations governing it that I can readily identify. It's more like a free for all. This was the best picture I had of it, I tried getting a few photos of one man beating on another man's car with a bat (every car here seems to come equipped with bats and whips used to beat the cars around them into submission) but alas, none came out seeing as how our driver took maniacal glee in making sure almost every photo was blurry.
The commercial harbor by Victoria Island. It's the tail end of the wet season there, so every day seems to start off dreary and damp.
Why yes, this is a picture of garbage. It's amazing how much junk is floating around in this harbor. Every new tide and current brings in a new influx of trash. The surprising thing to me was how many flip flops there were floating around. If you're ever in dire need of footwear and don't mind a good coating of slime, this is the place for you.
Just a waterfront village on the way to the beach.
Everyone we passed waved. It became a game, waving at the people in the passing villages and canoes.
Another surprise on the way was the amount of sunken boats doting the area around Victoria Island. Just rotting, half sunken hulks. And they were everywhere.
The beach was fabulous. Basically, the land we had been passing was a series of islands on the coast, we disembarked at one of the islands, walked through a small village and the beach was pristine... Mostly. But after seeing all the garbage floating around in the harbor it was a surprise to encounter such a great beach when we really weren't sure what we were in for.
And of course, where the tourists are, the vendors aren't far behind. This gentleman had quite the impressive array of swords and knives to fit any need. I'm more of a jewelry type of girl myself, so I forwent purchasing a broadsword. Plus, I think airport security would have kittens if I tried to take one of those through...
Would you care for a ride in my luxury yacht?
Or maybe a frolic in the waves?
Is following the crowd more your thing? They might pinch though... (seriously, I wasn't sure who was having more fun running away from the waves: Me or the crabs.)
Later in the afternoon, the village kids arrived.
We really were visitors in their playground.
This baby did not like us at all, we tried making friends but she just wouldn't have it. I like the system the women have for carrying their babies around there. No fancy gadgets or over-priced strollers. Just a brightly colored piece of fabric and you're good to go.
It was a short walk back to the boats, but I found the village to be fascinating.
Just a peek into the inner workings...
This little girl stayed with us the entire trek from the beach back to the boat. She never said a word, didn't smile or anything. She just accompanied us, dressed up in her Sunday best (since it was a Sunday and all). She was the most adorable little creature.
Church. It seems most of the kids got kicked out. It seemed like a boisterous, noisy affair - all in all, a good time.
The best part of this trip for me, was the kids. They were just absolutely fantastic. This little boy kept striking poses for my camera. I'd snap a pic, show it to him and then he'd strike another pose and the cycle would continue. If I ever do this again, I'm going prepared with bags of candy and my polaroid camera.
Farewell!
I get the feeling he keeps things lively...
Back to the harbor and all the hustle and bustle that goes with it.
Welcome back to Victoria Island, Lagos.
It was a fabulous day.
Before I went on this trip, I really didn't think too highly of Lagos. But I managed to see a different side of it this time around. The view of Lagos that most people have is one of a highly populated city that suffers from quite a bit of poverty - which is actually pretty true. The view we get going from the airport to the hotel, which is an hour ride, isn't a very pretty one. This was my third time in Lagos and before every trip I've been bombarded with all kinds of stories about Nigeria - some of them true, some blown wildly out of proportion. Nigeria has suffered from some pretty terrible governments in the past - and even though things are getting better now, they have a long way to go. But they've got great potential. That's the one thing that's stuck me the most in the three times I've been there. The corruption, while still there, isn't as bad as it once was and I've been seeing more and more business take notice of Lagos. Apparently, in another 10 or so years, Lagos is going to be the fifth most populated city in the world. Should be interesting.
I was flipping through a travel book today and apparently Lagos is a city no one likes and as a foreigner you really aren't in a good position to see it unless you know people who live there. And that, I've found, is very, very true. What made this trip so different from the last few times I've been there was that the hotel seems to understand that you can go stark raving mad from being cooped up all day and so every sunday they sponsor a trip to an island on the outskirts of Lagos where you can enjoy fine food, good company and a private beach. It also afforded me the chance to see Lagos outside of the highway taking me too and from the hotel.
The traffic in this city is absolutely insane. There are no rules or regulations governing it that I can readily identify. It's more like a free for all. This was the best picture I had of it, I tried getting a few photos of one man beating on another man's car with a bat (every car here seems to come equipped with bats and whips used to beat the cars around them into submission) but alas, none came out seeing as how our driver took maniacal glee in making sure almost every photo was blurry.
The commercial harbor by Victoria Island. It's the tail end of the wet season there, so every day seems to start off dreary and damp.
Why yes, this is a picture of garbage. It's amazing how much junk is floating around in this harbor. Every new tide and current brings in a new influx of trash. The surprising thing to me was how many flip flops there were floating around. If you're ever in dire need of footwear and don't mind a good coating of slime, this is the place for you.
Just a waterfront village on the way to the beach.
Everyone we passed waved. It became a game, waving at the people in the passing villages and canoes.
Another surprise on the way was the amount of sunken boats doting the area around Victoria Island. Just rotting, half sunken hulks. And they were everywhere.
The beach was fabulous. Basically, the land we had been passing was a series of islands on the coast, we disembarked at one of the islands, walked through a small village and the beach was pristine... Mostly. But after seeing all the garbage floating around in the harbor it was a surprise to encounter such a great beach when we really weren't sure what we were in for.
And of course, where the tourists are, the vendors aren't far behind. This gentleman had quite the impressive array of swords and knives to fit any need. I'm more of a jewelry type of girl myself, so I forwent purchasing a broadsword. Plus, I think airport security would have kittens if I tried to take one of those through...
Would you care for a ride in my luxury yacht?
Or maybe a frolic in the waves?
Is following the crowd more your thing? They might pinch though... (seriously, I wasn't sure who was having more fun running away from the waves: Me or the crabs.)
Later in the afternoon, the village kids arrived.
We really were visitors in their playground.
This baby did not like us at all, we tried making friends but she just wouldn't have it. I like the system the women have for carrying their babies around there. No fancy gadgets or over-priced strollers. Just a brightly colored piece of fabric and you're good to go.
It was a short walk back to the boats, but I found the village to be fascinating.
Just a peek into the inner workings...
This little girl stayed with us the entire trek from the beach back to the boat. She never said a word, didn't smile or anything. She just accompanied us, dressed up in her Sunday best (since it was a Sunday and all). She was the most adorable little creature.
Church. It seems most of the kids got kicked out. It seemed like a boisterous, noisy affair - all in all, a good time.
The best part of this trip for me, was the kids. They were just absolutely fantastic. This little boy kept striking poses for my camera. I'd snap a pic, show it to him and then he'd strike another pose and the cycle would continue. If I ever do this again, I'm going prepared with bags of candy and my polaroid camera.
Farewell!
I get the feeling he keeps things lively...
Back to the harbor and all the hustle and bustle that goes with it.
Welcome back to Victoria Island, Lagos.
It was a fabulous day.
Before I went on this trip, I really didn't think too highly of Lagos. But I managed to see a different side of it this time around. The view of Lagos that most people have is one of a highly populated city that suffers from quite a bit of poverty - which is actually pretty true. The view we get going from the airport to the hotel, which is an hour ride, isn't a very pretty one. This was my third time in Lagos and before every trip I've been bombarded with all kinds of stories about Nigeria - some of them true, some blown wildly out of proportion. Nigeria has suffered from some pretty terrible governments in the past - and even though things are getting better now, they have a long way to go. But they've got great potential. That's the one thing that's stuck me the most in the three times I've been there. The corruption, while still there, isn't as bad as it once was and I've been seeing more and more business take notice of Lagos. Apparently, in another 10 or so years, Lagos is going to be the fifth most populated city in the world. Should be interesting.
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Date: 2006-09-29 04:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 01:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 01:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 01:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 01:44 am (UTC)Assuming you don't speak a billion languages, how do you get along in all these places? Is it difficult?
no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 01:51 am (UTC)It's really not too difficult. I'm not bilingual at all. I can speak a few phrases in Spanish and Latin, which really does me no good. A large porportion of people out there speak english which helps and if all else fails- really bad sign language can get the point across. Or you find someone who speaks the language. On the Africa flights many of the elderly people don't speak any english, so we have to rely on passengers around them who speak their languages (which in the grand scheme of languages are usually obscure tribal dialects) but there are certain hand motions that seem to be universal.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 02:21 am (UTC)