Reslient and often under-estimated by my rather calm and reserved disposition, youthful, enjoys ment...
Reslient and often under-estimated by my rather calm and reserved disposition, youthful, enjoys mentally engaging activities, games and programs/films, very articulate and thoroughly research things that are of interest (sometimes, to a fault).
Member since:06.04.2006
Reviews:16
It will be quite a challenge writing about this wonderful city, having lived there for many years. A very fast paced city it is and you certainly have to be tough and resilient to survive here.
Lagos was formerly the capital of Nigeria, which happens to be the most populated country in the whole of Africa. It is even said that one in every black person is a Nigerian. During the Military rule in the 80;s though, the capital was moved to Abuja, much further inland. Lagos is by the Atlantic ocean, on the south west of the country.
As any big metroplex would, it boasts of its highways, fly-overs, bridges, skyscrapers and the like. It has a population of perhaps 10million; perhaps because no one really knows
the population. It tends to be more expensive than other parts of the country but virtually any large corporation that has any meaningful business going on in the country has it's head office in Lagos.
Moving about town, especially for a foreigner, I would personally reccommend that either one has a trusted friend or someone to take one around or not bother. For a person that is refered to as "jjc" (i.e. johnny just come) you may be at peril if you do not know where you're going. What we would call yobs here are nothing compared to the street urchins that have eagle eyes to exploit strangers and even indigenes. the police also can be rather an unpleasant bunch to run into and you will cos they're everywhere cos there is a lot of poverty and most try to "fend" for themselves and foreigners are prime targets cos they would be expected to be carrying dollars or pounds. By the way, one british pound is about 250 naira (nai -ra). So if you have to go, make sure you have a trusted friend that can take you round.
I also would not suggest just getting any hotel to stay in cos some are not reccommended atall. There are a few that are professional and safe but they are very expensive and to me not worth much of what they ask for but at least you won't have to worry about your personal safety. Some are the Sheraton which is not too far from the airport, others are in Victoria Island and Ikoyi, which are nicer areas (close to the beaches) and more posh. I could reccommend Sofitel (Ikoyi), The Moorhouse (Ikoyi), Le Meridian (Victoria Island). There are others but can't remember.
Now that I've succceeded in discouraging you (laughs) let me change gear. There are some lovely beaches to go to and Lagos has quite a few. there or near there you can get some nice african arts and crafts. Victoria Island houses some of the nice malls and shopping outlets where i don''t think you'll miss anything from over here. You must know something about Nigerians; they have a very good taste for good things. this is evidenced by the many mansions (yes, you heard me) all over the place. Take a drive through Ikoyi, Victoria Island and and area called Lekki up to Ajah and you'll be amazed at the architectural beauties of the houses there. Nigerians don't live in matchbox houses like in the UK as someone joked.
The affluence of the city is also seen by all the new models of cars you can imagine. If there is any new exotic car anywhere in the world, chances are a Nigerian has one. Though are roads (oh the roads) may not be very good, there are quite a number of places one can really get some motion going. I am not aware of any speed limits so racing along the 3rd mainland bridge could be such a pleasant experience. The cinema culture is coming back and while i was there, the Silverbird Galleria was a wonderful place to hang out and watch the latest movies ina top notch cinema.
There are so many places to eat out it's incredible from chinese to portuguese to itallian to indian. You have a foray of restaurants and eateries at your service. Food is much cheaper in Nigeria than over here and you can believe that most of it is organic food. That's why they are very strong and generally healthy considering all other circumstances
Apart from all the not so nice things, Nigerans are actually pleasant, friendly and warm people. They are very intelligent and strangely unlike many black races, very aggressive. I do not say that in a bad way. They are always on the go
I'm sure I have not covered all aspects of this city cos it's hard to quantify or put into words at one go. I'll leave that to someone else to give you a shot from another angle. Wish I could go back for a short holiday. It's such a fun place to be in once you understand its idiosyncracies. Just have someone to take you around and you shouldn't have too much to worry about and not fall into the hands of exploiters. Cab drivers will milk you if they know you are from abroad. Coming from overseas is seen as a big thing so be forewarned. Cheers
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How sad about the state of affairs there. I doubt I would go as I imagine it is too hot for me, but someone people may need to go on business and you have certainly warned them of the pitfalls. Jo x
lazza123 01.10.2006 10:49
Nice review, very useful to me, as I might have to go out there for a couple of short trips. LArry
Essexgirl2006 30.09.2006 17:11
An interesting insight to a city most of us are unfamilar with.
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Advantages: CLEAN, LOW CRIME, GOOD TOURIST ATTRACTION, STATE OF THE ART INFRASTRUCTURE Disadvantages: RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE AND A DEVELOPING ENETERTAINMENT SCENE
dabellaq 20.07.2007 ·
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Review of Abuja (Nigeria)
Advantages: Hospitable people, Interesting tourist attractions to see, Potential business opportunities Disadvantages: Lack of publicity, Incorrect Image, Ignored tourism potential
Emrahsenel 16.09.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of General: Nigeria
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Sep 30th, 2006
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