My Lagos Travel

I have always been captivated by the African continent, and when I had my chance to travel to Lagos, Nigeria, I was ecstatic. My Lagos travel was a pretty interesting one.

First Impression

Like many people from the West, I had my fair share of reservations about traveling to Nigeria. When I arrived at the airport and boarded the hotel’s airport transfer vehicle, I realized that I was in a really big city. First and foremost do not mess with the Lagos traffic – to get to the other side of a really busy street you have to be born there!

There are so many young men and women using the most advanced mobile communication devices; as a matter of fact, an acquaintance asked me what I was doing with “last year’s phone!” Hmm, good question.

Getting Around

I knew my Lagos travel would never be complete if I did not use the public transport system…let’s just say, it was an experience I would not forget in a hurry. I boarded a “Molue” (the local bus) to Iyana Ipaja (the downtown area of Lagos) and  sat next to a young lady who had only wonderful things to say about Sesame Street (yes, Sesame Street!) Then, suddenly a woman who was seated in the front seat got up, faced the whole 50 passengers (and me), and started going on and on about some products she was selling. My new friend kindly interpreted what she was saying in Yoruba (a local dialect) to English. She said the woman was busy doing what is known in the Yoruba dialect as “Kpolowo” – translation: “advertising” her wares.

What actually got me was the part where the sales woman pulled out a dozen pens and claimed that the pens were enchanted and can be used to write and pass tough exams and can be used to get favors from a tough boss at the office – yes, when she was done “kpolowo-ing”, the pens were sold out!

Shopping

Throughout my Lagos travel, I noticed that many Lagosians are generally tolerant with foreigners but will not take any nonsense from fellow Lagosians. Foreigners are treated with a lot of respect and are often referred to as “oyinbo”. Here’s some free advice: never buy anything from the local market without bargaining first! If the sales person tells you a price, you will need to keep pricing back and forth until you both come to an agreement.

When traveling to Nigeria during the rainy season, be sure to pack an umbrella and a sweater.