So the day had finally come - my first trip to Nigeria. I have been warned by EVERYONE prior to this trip to be careful, that it's a rough place...and now I'm here, I can finally understand what they meant. I was first greeted by very unfriendly immigration officer. My flight attendant didn't give me an immigration form to fill out probably because I had passed out on my early morning flight, so I asked politely to see if they have a spare one to give me. The officer went on to question why other people had their form and I didn't, and just seem reluctant to do anything...so I was like, well...I need one, don't you have one? Finally, the guy next to him said something to him and he gave me a form...and then lectured me on how I should get a form next time...then, usually, once they checked your form, you're OK to go on, but not in Nigeria, there's a second stop where they inspect your passport again, there's a guy who inspect it, then the girl next to him stamps it...seems super inefficient to me! Again, neither of the two people ever smiled the whole time, and just seemed very hostile, like I'm bothering them to do their jobs! Finally, at the custom, right before I left the airport, the guard interrogated me on the purpose of my trip, after I explained myself, I finally got my first "welcome to Nigeria" and a smile...
The driver my distribution partner sent is a quiet guy, he didn't say much, and just took me to the hotel...first I got excited cuz it was a beach front property, and seemed like a very nice hotel, but then they didn't have my reservation on the book, so all of a sudden one small thing required the attention of 5 staff from the hotel plus my driver calling our contact to sort out. The manager, who looked Indian, came to me and I guess wanted to be polite, showed me the room (with a gorgeous ocean view), and said everything is OK, they just need to sort out the rate with my distribution partner, then I can check in. But of course, after I came back to the lobby, turns out that we went to a wrong place...my real hotel is a bit further inland, and hidden somewhere, it's definitely a bit of a let down, but still, I'm happy to be able to wash up a bit after a whole morning of sitting in traffic and dealing with angry people!
My first impression of Nigeria is definitely not a great one. I've really liked all the Nigerians I've befriended over the years, so I think they're super nice friendly people...just not towards strangers...there's just this sense of everyone can be a criminal type feeling, while I can understand where that came from, it's still not pleasant to be on the receiving end of this kind of hostility. In contrast to the kindness and hospitality I've received in Kenya, this is definitely a pretty big adjustment.
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| Nigerian matatus in bright yellow |
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| The infamous Lagos traffic...I though Nairobi traffic was bad, Lagos traffic is INSANE! People are aggressive, hoots constantly, and don't exactly follow the pavement when they drive...This is Saturday morning, imagine what it's like during rush hour. |
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| Chapman - the local non alcoholic cocktail consist of coke, fanta, grenadine, black current syrup, bitter lemon and a touch of cucumber. There's a soccer match going on between Liverpool and Manchester, so everyone is watching... |
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| Wasn't sure what this is, I think it's Egusi soup (made with salted fish, collard green, and some goat meat) + pounded yam |
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