Day 8

Sadly, this was my last day at Lagos, and I spent it by packing and getting ready for the airport.  Throughout this week, I found that Lagos was Nigeria's most prosperous city, and much of the nation's wealth and economic activity were concentrated here. Most commercial and financial business were carried out in the central business district situated on the island. This was also where most of the country's commercial banks and financial institutions and major corporations were headquartered. Lagos has one of the highest standards of living as compared to other cities in Nigeria as well as in Africa.
There were many things that I will never forget about Lagos.  The kindness and helpfulness of the people here were so genuine and real.  There were the porters and laborers carrying packages on their heads on every single road I saw.  Lagos' drivers were the worst.  They were all over the road like they owned it.  The food was really different but delicious.  Not all of Lagos was just dirt like people expect it to be.  There were prosperous areas.  Unfortunately, I would not want to come back here but only because it was such a culture shock that I could barely handle.  I was glad I was able to visit, though!

Works Cited

http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Nigeria.html

http://www.wordtravels.com/Cities/Nigeria/Lagos/Climate

http://library.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/nigeria/nigerianews.html

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-487434-lagos_vacations-i

http://coinmill.com/NGN_calculator.html

http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations/plan_flight/destinations/travel_getaways/lagos/

www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

Day 7

For the second to last day, I took it slow because it had been raining all day.  I sat in the local coffee shop beside the hotel and watched the news.  I noticed that their top story was about a famous actor here.  The main topic was why the court extended Baba Suwea's detention order.  The National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said that the extra 15 days granted by a Federal High Court in Lagos for it to keep ace actor and popular comedian, Babatunde Omidina aka, Baba Suwe, in its custody is a clear confirmation that the scanning machine used in screening the actor at the airport was not defective.  This was coming against the backdrop of insinuations that the machine used in scanning Baba Suwe at the airport was defective and that accounted for the inability of the agency to pin him down with crime of drug trafficking.  Spokesman of the agency, Mitchell Ofoyeju, told Vanguard over the phone, yesterday, that people should stop insinuating that NDLEA’s machine is defective.  

The next topic was about the flooding from the rain today.  The advice came against the prediction that more rains were likely to lead to serious flooding.  A statement by Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, however, said the warning was to place them on alert, so that they are not caught unawares.  He said if, however, there was need for them to move, the government resettlement centres will be made available for people who have nowhere to stay.  The warning followed the report that the Ogun River has risen by four meters due to recent heavy rains, recorded upstream western part of Ogun and and Lagos states. 

Day 6

The place I wanted to go today was Ikoyi in Lagos.  At the hotel, I heard so many people talk about it which made me become interested in going.  Ikoyi occupied the eastern half of Lagos Island in Nigeria and lied at the edge of the Lagos Lagoon. It was one of the towns that made up the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos state.  Ikoyi Lagos, Nigeria was home to Expatriate workers mainly in the Oil and Gas industry as well as diplomats and many leading local business executives and government appointees.  Ikoyi by African standards was one of the most opulent and well developed towns (only in terms of real estate, since road networks and electricity supply are not so impressive) on the continent housing some of Africa's leading upper middle class residents.  It was weird and sad to see how this area of the town can be so fruitful while the other areas were rundown and were in poverty. 

After visiting that part of town I decided to buy a newspaper at a newsstand, and I read more facts about Lagos.  Lagos is Nigeria's chief commercial and industrial center. Nigeria's petroleum industry, which is the mainstay of the nation's economy, is centered here. Other major industries produced motor vehicles, chemicals, printed materials, processed foods, and textiles. Lagos is served by a railway, an international airport, and the nation's busiest port. The University of Lagos (founded 1962) is here. Also in Lagos are the National Library and the National Museum. 

  

Day 5

Since day four was such a busy day for me, I decided to sleep in.  I spent the majority of the day in my hotel.  After walking around the hotel, I found that the Savoy Suites was probably the best place to stay in Lagos.  The staff were very polite and friendly.  I paid 355 nairo for seven nights which was reasonable compared to other hotels around here.  One of my favorite parts of the hotel was the amazing complimentary breakfast.  It had a a wide variety of breakfast foods. 


For dinner, I wanted to try a five star restaurant.  I found De Marquee at Mega Plaza.  It is an upscale entertainment and relaxation spot located in the heart of Victoria Island’s social and economic district.  It had an incredible view of the amazing Lagos skyline and was set in a very modern and cutting edge contemporary atmosphere whether one is lounging in the cool interiors or relaxing in the open terrace outside. I ordered the bacon wrapped sodac fish which was a grilled hamour fish wrapped in bacon and marinated with fish spices and lemon juice.  It was delicious!! :)

Day 4

I woke up at half past seven in order to get an early start.  I wanted to meet Gani Adams who was the leader of a socio-cultural organization with around three million members, fighting for more independence for the biggest ethnic group in Nigeria as they feel left out of the power equation.  He was a much known person in Nigeria, and I heard he is also very charismatic.  I had gotten directions from this guy from Lagos, and I would never have found the place without his help because Lagos is huge. I took a bike to a taxi park some kilometers away and found a car ready to go. They tried to rig me, but they eventually gave me my 200 naira (less than two US$). The drive was fine, but as we got into the city the traffic started to jam, and as it was early in the morning, smog was lying over Lagos like a carpet, and it felt like eating gasoline. 



The driver dropped me off somewhere, and I had no idea whatsoever where I was. I did not know which part I was in or how far away I was from the centre. I struggled a bit to find the right bus, as I really did not want to get lost in Lagos. After I found the bus I arrived at 11:30, and I sat in Adams' office.  He came a little after I did. It was a bit awkward at the beginning, but after a minute I felt more comfortable. Adams was really big, and did not look like an academic, rather more like a 'boy from the hood'. He took off his sandals and put his feet on his massive desk. We started the interview, and he talked and talked.

Day 3

I wanted to start my third day with a nice breakfast at a local shop on Ikorodu Road.  I ordered yams and eggs.  I had no idea what yams would taste like, but the waitress recommended it.  After a couple of minutes, my plate was clean.  It was more delicious than I thought it was going to be. I paid with Nigerian Naira.  I wanted to take advantage of this beautiful day so I decided to ride down to the Lekki Beach, one of many sandy beaches by the Atlantic Ocean.  I laid on the soft sand for a little bit and found some locals who told me some interesting information about Lagos.

Before I left the beach, I met an old man laying on a beach chair watching the waves roll.  He told me a lot of important information about the country Nigeria.  He said the country gained its independence in 1960, it became one of the most populous countries, and their official language was English.

Day 2

Before I headed out for day two of Lagos, I talked to the lady at the front desk to learn more about the government.  She said there has been bureaucratic problems imposed by the Federal Government.  She kept talking about about how I would not understand the madness of politics here.  I was hoping the problems would get resolved otherwise the government will be labelled as a disgrace.  She also told me that the development of Lagos was being negatively affected because of the Tinubu factor.  I was shocked when she told me that he was disturbing the peace and progress of Lagos.


After the intense conversation with the lady at the front desk, I decided that I wanted to buy a quick snack from a cute store across the street.  It took me forever to get across, and it felt like I was risking my life because it seemed as if Lagos drivers had no clue about the driving rules and regulations.  Driving was like a racing game to them, and I was so scared to cross the street.  It took me about twenty minutes to get to the store.  After eating at Sphinx Fast Foods, a newsstand caught my eye.  I checked it out and noticed that the top stories dealt with Chinese investors having discussions with the Lagos State government.  I definitely should learn more about this.

Day 1

After $1017 in roundtrip airfare with Delta Airlines and eleven hours on the plane, I was finally in Lagos, Nigeria.  Even though the US State Department travel advisories warned US citizens of the risks of traveling here, I was still excited.  When I left the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, a crowd of taxi drivers came toward me and hesitantly asked me if I needed a ride.  I said yes to one since my hotel was about thirty minutes away.  I knew nothing about Lagos, so my conversation with the taxi driver was a very interesting one.  He was originally from here, so he knew all the ins and outs of the culture of Lagos, Nigeria.  He said the people used the languages Yoruba and Igbo for communication, but English was the is the official language.  I learned that green vegetables and stews were commonly eaten here. He said that football was the most famous sport, woodcarving was common as a craft, and many other unique things about Lagos.  After meeting this man I got the impression that people here were friendly and that the influence of religion and traditional values were strongly seen in every person.  I was ready with excitement to experience the beautiful culture of Lagos.

Even though the city was going through its second rainy season of the year, the rain had only been mild.  I was still able to grasp the wonderful tropical savannah climate.  With all the rain, I noticed that the roads seemed to flood easily.  At my hotel, I talked to many Lagosians, and most of them told me that Mr. Fashola, the governor of Lagos state, had been doing a lot to improve the flooding and traffic situations.  I actually believed them because I saw the construction myself.  A couple of people walked me to a network of road that was going to be about ten lanes linking one side of the city to the other.  It made me happy to know that it will be easier for the people to get around Lagos.

3 Travel Blogs

http://www.backpackingmatt.com/

This travel blog offers adventurous stories, advice for travelers who are on a certain budget, and inspiration to travel the world.  It was created by a man named Matt who was not ready to settle down and work in the office all day.  He wanted to travel the world.  This is a good travel blog because it gives tips on how to travel the world and shows how living an alternative, unconventional life can be satisfying, rewarding, and realistic.

http://bangkokrealitysmackdown.wordpress.com/

Megan, an American, created this travel blog to talk about how she is currently living in Bangkok.  She likes to blog about her adventures and challenges she faces everyday.  Her blogs are so funny and witty that they could make someone want to move there.

http://www.dangerous-business.com/about-2/

Amanda, who created this blog, bases her travel philosophy and blog from a quote by J.R.R. Tolkien.  She uses her travel blog to prove that one can still live a travel-filled life without giving everything else up.  Amanda writes as if she lets herself get swept away in travel.  Something different that she does is that she has photo essays.

Introduction

Lagos is a port and most populous conurbation in Nigeria.  It is the currently the third most populous city in Africa.  Lagos was originally inhabited by the Awori subgroup of the Yoruba people.  Lagos is a huge metropolis which originated on islands separated by creeks such as Lagos Island that fringe the southwest mouth of Lagos Lagoon protected from the Atlantic Ocean by long sand spits such as Bar Beach which stretch up to 100 km east and west of the mouth.