Life in Lagos, Nigeria & Our Travels

Moved back to the US...

2011-07-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hello,

As of November 2010, we moved back to the US. I hope to update the blog up to the time I left but it has not happened yet.

I am still happy to answer questions about expat life in Nigeria if I can.

Lisa

Upcoming Lagos Area Runs - Calendar Challenged!

2010-08-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

I heard a rumor that the Lagos Half Marathon (21K) was scheduled so I did a search online. I did not find the GLO marathon, the one I have run twice in the past (2008 21K, 2009 5K, 2009 21K), but I did find the following upcoming runs.
***September 18, 2010 - Nigeria Independence Corproate Run - 10K (6 miles) Run from Tafawa Balewa Square, where the British Union Jack was lowered for Nigeria's green-white-green flag on October 1, 1960, and will finish at Atlantic City, in Bar Beach, Victoria Island. Nigeria turns 50 and this run is to celebrate their independence. The run will be organized by the Lagos State Sports Endowment Fund.
I will look into doing this run.

***October 30, 2010 - Lagos Airport Marathon - 21K (13 miles) run from
Bummer but I will be out of Lagos and will not be able to participate. ; (

***The GLO Lagos Marathon has not yet been scheduled and the website - http://www.glolagosmarathon/ - is no longer online.

CALENDAR CHALLENGED - The Lagos Airport Marathon article originally listed the date as Saturday, November 1 (article now reads November 1 (saturday removed))... but my calendar indicates that is a Monday! I assume the run is on Saturday October 30. Why are people so calendar challenged here?! Our work calendars have had duplicate dates in one month (20, 21, 22, 22, 23, 24...). Is it really that difficult?

Fabric Shopping at Balogun Market

2010-08-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, Kay, Anne, Toyin, Dupe and I went fabric shopping at Balogun Market on Lagos Island. Below are some photos from the fabric shop where we bought Nigerian wax fabric and some pics of my purchases, fabric from West Africa.

In this market area just about everything is for sale - food, supplies, fabric, shoes, jewelry and tons more! Nigerians love loud music! Sorry for the blurry video. I rotated it using software I downloaded but the quality is poor. I thought poor quality was better than viewing it sideways!

The Shoppers - Me (Lisa), Kay, Dupe, Anne (Toyin not pictured)

My Purchases

Fabric for clothes - I like the border on the bottom as it can be used to accent the outftit.

Fabric for napkins! Really! Holiday napkins, everyday napkins or a blouse, outside patio napkins (L to R)

I posted in 2009 on visits to the local Lekki and Balogun markets.

I know you don't believe me but...

2010-08-16T12:08:00.001-07:00

I am working on the blog and my goal is to get it updated by the end of the year. I have to cover trips to Uganda, Zanzibar, Principe, Zambia / Malawi, South Africa / Mozambique and an upcoming trip to Botswana. And I have to cover local trips to the beach, sailing and at least two bike rides on the Third Mainland Bridge. We have done a lot in the past year!

2009 Holiday Card

2009-12-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

Top Row - Left to Right

1) Sukur, Nigeria - A UNESCO World Heritage site
2) Top Mt. Muhavura, Uganda
3) Rhumsuki, Cameroon
Middle Row - Left to Right
1) New Years Eve 2008, Lagos Yacht Club
2) Oktoberfest, Lagos Yacht Club
3) Boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda
Bottom Row - Left to Right
1) Hiking up Mt. Muhavura, Uganda
2) Lake Mburo NP, Uganda
3) Lake Bunyonyi Overlook, Uganda

Yankari National Park, Nigeria

2009-11-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

Bob, Sharon and Jonathan spent the four day weekend central Nigeria visiting Yankari National Park and the surrounding area. Bob only took a few photos so I will post them now until I get more and I will post more details about their trip (when I get them).

The baboons were fed well that weekend, first they ate the driver's/guard's food from the to of the car (they were warned) and then one of them jumped into Sharon and Jonathan's car and grabbed their rolls... that was all she could grab before Sharon threw her and her baby out of the car.

There are lions in Nigeria...

The drivers, guards and guide.

GLO Lagos Marathon postponed...

2009-11-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

Just like last year, the GLO Lagos Marathon (half marathon) scheduled this December has been postponed... likely until February. The marathon that was to hold in December 2008, was postponed until February 2009 and I assume the same will happen again. It is unfortunate as the weather in December is cooler than in February.

I have just updated my blog post for the February 2009 Half Marathon. Check it out.

Wonderful spa right around the corner on Ikoyi Island

2009-11-28T07:33:00.000-08:00

Many great places in Lagos, especially restaurants, are hidden behind walls and unless you are in the know... you are in the dark that these places even exist.
The Grape Grazers Wine Club recently hosted a wine tasting event at the Clear Essence California Spa and Wellness Resort. It is located on Ikoyi Island not far from where we live and the place is wonderful. It is a members only spa but until they get enough members they may be open to non-members, at least they said they were. It is pricey but for a special occasion or event, it would be worth it.

A one-year membership is 500,000 naira (~$3350). Check out what the membership includes here.

Mountain Biking in Omo Forest, November 8 (and Bob's trip in March)

2009-11-08T17:50:00.000-08:00

Friend Jonathan arranged a Nigerian Field Society trip to go mountain biking in Omo Forest, located east of Lagos, about a 3 hour drive away. At about 7AM, a group of about 14 of us headed out in a convoy with Nigerian Police in the vehicles to help us get through the many check points (15+) where Nigerian Police try to get money from almost every vehicle that passes. "Anything for the weekend?" I hate it but on one hand they get paid so poorly, I don't blame them. I believe it is these check points and the bad roads that keep most Nigerians from traveling around their own country, other than going to their village and back, and when they can fly, they do. We have to travel with Nigerian Police in our car outside of Lagos and we are happy to have them as they get us right through the check points with no hassle (usually).
The drive was uneventful, though I was happy to have friends in the car who enjoyed reminiscing and listening to music from the 1980s, especially the metal (hair) bands! It was fun!
The goal was to ride to Omo Camp (~15km), eat lunch, then ride back. Because we got off to a slow start (Ilsa and Rob decided to add on some distance to their ride by taking the wrong road) and the crowd was not as fast as Jonathan had anticipated. Jonathan has got to be the fittest person I know and his estimates of how long a ride will take and the level of exertion are usually a bit underestimated! I was just OK but not all participants were in as good of shape as me (and I have not done much cardio since I tore a tendon in my foot training for the half marathon earlier this year) and did not have as much mountain biking experience. It is pretty flat around Lagos and most people think that when you travel outside of Lagos, it is also flat. Well that is not the case as Omo forest has hills. The route we took was a Jeep road, though it is mostly used by Okadas (motorcycles). Our driver served as the SAG wagon for about half of the ride but then had to stop as the bridge was washed out. About half of the group made it about half way to the iron bridge and we rode on another 5 km (3km short of the camp) before stopping for a snack and turning around. Here are some pictures:

The road...

Hmmm... was it a good idea to go so soon after the rainy season ended?! Me riding through one of the many water holes, some do depe your feet get soaked.

The washed out bridge with Rob standing on the other side (hard to see, I know). The small picture is of me and Ilsa and was taken by Rob.

This was the bypass route, that we and the okadas use. No more vehicle travel past this point.

The iron bridge over a river. In front is Ilsa, Rob and Sharon.

Overall it was a great trip. I met some new people, got in some good exercise, and got outside of Lagos. Unfortunately Bob missed out on this trip as he was in Houston. He had done this one before in March of this year, while I stayed home to get some work done.

Here are some pics from the earlier trip in March 2009, in the dry season.

Kevin, Bob, Jonathan and their guard.

The main bridge in March 2009, which was completely washed out in November.

One of the bridges in March 2009.

I don't recall seeing this one so it must have been beyond where we rode.

Omo Camp - Folks have camped here in the past but now that the bridges are washed out, it would take a bit of effort to get there with our stuff and water.

The standard transportation on these roads, an okada (motorcycle).

Still working on the Paris and Uganda posts...

2009-11-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

Oktoberfest at Lagos Yacht Club

2009-11-01T04:05:00.000-08:00

Sunset in the Lagos Harbor the night an Oktoberfest celebration was held at the Lagos Yacht Club. A band was flown in from Bavaria (Koenig Ludwig Musikanten) we had Bavarian beer (brewed in Nigeria), sausage, sauerkraut and the rest of the fixins. We had a fun time but had to wait a long time for food... which meant more drinking! We had fun!

There were many toasts and each one was made while standing on the picnic table benches.
"Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, der Gemütlichkeit "
"Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, der Gemütlichkeit "

Bob, Ilsa & me

Ilsa's husband Rob... Ilsa and Rob are either looking out for each other or

drinking way too much over here in Nigeria!

Joanne and Ingo... Ingo made sure he had his big beer stein from home!

Ingo also made sure we pronounced the toast properly as he is one of our resident Germans.

The band... squint real hard and you may be able to see them in the background.

Third Mainland Bridge Bike Ride

2009-10-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

I arranged another Third Mainland Bridge Bike ride for the Nigerian Field Society today (Oct 31). Thirty-one people showed up and we were escorted by Nigerian police on a 30km bike ride across the longest bridge connecting Ikoyi Island with the Lagos mainland. This is the route we drive to and from the airport. We had two SAG (support) wagons and we needed them this time as two riders had to jump in due to faulty bikes (pedal fell off and brakes malfunctioned then a derailleur fell off another bike). It was a beautiful mostly clear day for Lagos, although it is never very clear here due to the burning of trash, which is magnified on environmental day when everyone is supposed to be cleaning up and burning their trash (sound environmental?). More pictures and short captions coming soon...

The LAGOS INSIDER

2009-10-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

Recently I started receiving an email from The Lagos Insider. Check out the link. To view past posts, go the the Archives. If you want to see each post as it is posted, subscribe. Get new Lagos hotel and restaurant ideas each week. I would post links to specific articles but the internet is toooooo slooooow for me. Sorry-o!

Staff Football Game

2009-10-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the second staff football game and our team won 1-0! Unfortunately I did not get pictures of the other team... next time I will. The game was between the staff at our apartment complex and the staff at another complex. The game was played on a sand field at a nearby schcool. The rules were very strict... all players but the goal keeper had to be an employee. The participation was watched closely as a number of illegal players tried to sneak in, but were unsuccessful.

The trophy was donated by Sharon and Jonathan and a new label engraved and attached. A number of us donated money that went towards renting the field, making the goals, buying the nets and refreshments. There were limited jerseys so as one team member came off the field, he transferred his sweaty jersey to the guy going in if he was not wearing the proper color (blue or red)! Here are some photos.

Before

The Spectators (expats from L to R) - Bob, Sharon, Rob, Jonathan, Ilsa, Rob and Keith

The celebration has begun!

The goal keeper and the trophy.

Offshore Fishing & Snorkeling

2009-10-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

Jonathan arranged the boat so we (Jonathan, Sharon, me, Bob and new Lagos expats Ilsa and Rob) could go offshore and do some fishing on the way to a Canadian sunken ship (~60ft water depth) where we would fish and snorkel. On the way out, Sharon was our skipper while the boys (including our Nigerian skipper) did some trolling. Rob's first catch was a plastic bag followed by the first blue mackerel catch, then Jonathan hooked a fish which literally jumped into the boat and then he caught another fish which he had to work a little for. When we got to the wreck we all got out and went for a swim. The visibility was bad (5ft), as usual, but when you got down to the wreck you could see the schools of fish (Jacks), a large jellyfish and two small eels, a black and white spotted one and a green one (pictures not great). The current at the wreck was very strong and it was difficult to stay at the wreck (~10ft deep to top boat deck) unless you held on. Bob has gone diving here and we hope to do it again in the near future.

Sharon as skipper

Rob's first catch

Rob's first real catch

The Canadian Wreck

Jellyfish - anyone know what kind?
Hard to see but there are parts of two eels visible in this photo. The black and white one and in the top right corner is a green one folded back on itself.

On the way back into the harbor, Bob counted about 200 ships anchored offshore either waiting to get into the harbor or dead in the water. We drove through a fuel spill, one of many that probably occurs often (an assumption) outside Lagos.

Hoping to get pictures from others to add to this.

3rd GLO Lagos Marathon - December 2009

2009-10-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

Another Half Marathon in Lagos this December.
http://www.glolagosmarathon.com/main_mara.html

Long Weekend in Paris, just me and my mom

2009-10-05T22:19:00.000-07:00

Why Paris? Well my mother has never been oversees and when I moved to Lagos two and a half years ago she got a passport and we said we should meet in Paris. We finally did. I have training outside of Paris in Fontainebleau so we decided to meet at the front end of my business trip for 4 days.

Day 1
My flight arrived at ~6AM and my mom's flight arrived ~7:45AM. I met her when she came out from baggage claim and we attempted to get our planned shuttle but I ran out of change after I was on hold too long with the shuttle company so we decided to test out the RER train system, something I preferred to do anyway... but it did suck dragging our luggage around when making the two connections we needed to make. This was the definitely the cheaper route (40 euros for the taxi vs 21 euros for the train) and more of an experience... just what my mom needed after traveling 16 hours in economy class! We got to our hotel about 11AM and checked right in. We stayed near Invalides in the Hotel de Varenne, a hotel that was advertised in the Orange County Register Travel Section in an article my mom cut out just after I left for Lagos in 2007. It was a nice, quaint hotel in a great location, walking distance from everything... at least I thought it was (sorry mom!).
We rested for about an hour and then headed to the Eiffel Tower via Rue Cler, where we stopped for lunch. Rue Cler was the first place we saw the beautiful flower shops and the lovely fruit and vegetable displays. We ate pizza at Tribeca and it was great. I enjoyed a simple Margherita pizza with yummy cheese and my mom enjoyed the ham and mushroom pizza. This is where I started testing out the little French I had learned on the flight over.
Following lunch we made our way to the Eiffel Tower approaching it from the Parc Du Champ De Mars to the southeast, taking photos along the way. It is a spectacular engineering structure with striking symmetry. We wavered on whether or not to go to the top and decided to walk across the river to the Jardins Du Trocadero to take in the views from there. We relaxed on the steps above the fountains for about one hour and watched some street performers (dancers) do their thing while constantly being asked of we were interested in 3 metal Eiffel Tower figurines for the low cost of 1 euro ($1.40).
We decided to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower to see Paris at twilight and at night. The lines were not long at all. We stopped at the second level (400ft above the ground) to take photos and the scenery was beautiful! Paris is cut in two by the River Seine with many of the main attractions ( the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Hotel de Invalides, Arc de Triomphe, etc.) lining the river and surrounded by 18th century buildings, mostly four stories, packed together and separated by narrow streets. Many people walk and take the Metro (train) or buses as the networks are immense and efficient. If they do drive, the drive small cars and we saw many Smart Cars.
Back to the views from the Eiffel Tower... We went to the top (900 ft above the ground) via elevator and it was twilight so we stayed up there until it got dark and I took lots of photos. It was amazing and we were lucky to have great weather! Suddenly an announcement came over the PA system telling us that the tower was now closed to all and we were instructed to exit and stay calm. Many folks left but I still needed to get photos so we stayed and then took the elevator down to the second level where we took more photos. From here we walked down the 360 stairs (instead of the elevator) to the first level (200ft above ground) taking more photos adn then we walked down another 360 stairs to the ground level... and my mom did not want to see any more stairs at that point. It was a long day. We headed back to the hotel on foot hoping to find a place to eat but we were out of luck. We got back to the hotel about 9:30PM and asked where we could eat... we had Japanese across the street from the hotel. It was good but not what I expected to eat in Paris!

View of Paris Streets View from the Eiffel Tower, looking at the Louvre

Night shot from the Eiffel Tower

Day 2

No alarm was set and we woke about 8AM and slowly got rolling. My mom slept all night which was good due her lengthy travel and the 8 hour time change (jet lag). I was recovering from 1.5 weeks of LONG work days since we returned from our Uganda vacation (I am still working on that post). Is that a violin I hear playing??? The walking and the stairs from the day before resulted in tired muscles that required sleep to recover.

We made our way from the hotel to the Musee Du Louvre, passing in front of the Hotel des Invalides, crossing the Seine River on the Point Alexandre III bridge, passing by the Grand Palais and Petit Palais (which we could not go in front of due to some police activity), viewing the Place de la Concorde Obilisque and finally entering the Jardin Des Tuileries to enjoy a coffee and hot chocolate (cafe creme and chocolate chaud) by the one of the pools. We enjoyed the greenery (just lounging outside enjoying the quiet time was wonderful for me), the sculptures and the colorful flowers. We entered though the underground mall entrance at 99 Rue de Rivoli to purchase a two day Museum Pass for 32 euros each, a pass that would get us into many (but not all) main attractions. After a little shopping at Sephora (: )), we entered the Louvre and followed Rick Steve's tour found in his Paris 2010 book which I highly recommend (get his free podcasts/MP3 audio tours from his website www.ricksteves.com or through the iTunes store).

The Louvre houses one of the world's most important art collections and the building itself dates back to the 12th Century. It was occupied by many French kings, to include Louis XIII, XIV, XV and became a museum in 1793.

First stop was Venus de Milo, then the Victory of Samothrace (winged woman), then the Mona Lisa... too much to see in one week much less a morning!

From the Louvre we went to the Musee d'Orsay just across the Seine River. The museum was installed in the former Orsay railway station, built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900 and displays collections of art from the period 1848 to 1914.

Outside the Louvre, enjoying the fresh air.
Enter through the pyramid to start the tour.

Victory at Somothrace - the winged woman

Venus de Milo

Mona Lisa

Musee d Orsay

Mom & ??? (Need the Rick Steve's Book!)

Me & Van Gogh

Arc de Triomphe

Church near the Hotel (Invalides)... during the day...

...and at night.

Day 3.

We were up at 7AM, got ready and headed to the Metro Station hop on the train (30 minute ride) to Versailles arriving at 9:15AM. We toured the chatuae, walked through the garden and then the Grand Trianon. Loius XIV, XVI and Marie Antionette were the biggest stars... oh yeah... and Napoleon!

We took a tram back the the chateau (our feet hurt!) then walke dto a ccafe for lunch. We were headed back to Paris on the train at 4PM. We walked in search of ice cream and finally found it then rested in the hotel before our eveining excursion to the Arc de Triomphe (AdT). We walked part of the way there from the hotel and then got on the Metro (our feet were still sore!) which stopped at the AdT. We got there at about 8PM and though my mom did not want to go up the 284 stairs (spiral staircase), she decided to do it and it was worth it. The view from the top was amazing.

We grabbed a sandwich to split on the way back to the hotel via the Metro and got home at 10:15PM. It was another long but very good day.

Versaiilles

I am losing my patience with Blogspot... I havve to relaod these pics but it will take time... I may just post them on facebook! Frustrated!

Day 4

We woke at 8AM, got ready, checked mom in for her flight and paid for the hotel. We then headed to the LTour bus stop to hop on the open top bus for a short tour on the way to the Notre Dame and Saint Chapelle Cathedrals. The plan was to pay for the bus tour so that my mom could tour the rest of the city once I left for training in Fontainbleau. We took the bus to the churches but before visitng we stopped for breakfast. Both cathedrals were amazing. I love the stained glass windows.

After the cathedrals, the trip got a little hectic as the tour bus, which normally runs on a 20 minute schedule decided not to run as scheduled and I needed to get to the hotel to catch a bus to Fountainbleau... we ran and then caught a cab and arrived at the hotel just in time to run up to the room, get my bag and hop in the taxi as I needed to get to Fountainbleau for a Sunday afternoon Meet and Greet for the course I was taking. From that point my mom was on her own and she spent her afternoon on the tour bus to see the rest of Paris!

Notre Dame Cathedral

Bored Gargoyle
Mass in session (see the small man in green)

St.Chapelle Cathedral

St. Chapelle Cathedral

I attended training in Fountainbleau, France, about an hour taxi ride from Paris. Here are some pics.
Fountainbleau Chateau

Osogbo & Idanre

2009-10-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

While I was in Paris, Bob and some friends (Sharon, Jonathan, Dan, Lynn, Ilsa & Rob) went to Idanre and Osogbo, both places I have been in Nigeria while Bob was in Houston on business. I never posted on Osogbo but I did post on Idanre. Nigerian Field Society trips frequent these sights. See posts on Osogbo20081 and Osogbo20082 (the trip I was on and I am pictured here) and Idanre 2008 and Idanre 2009 (I was on this trip).

This trip occurred over a 4 day weekend and included 1) Day 1 - a walk around the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Osogbo's "Sacred Groves", 2) Day 2 - a hike to three waterfalls, 3) Day 3 - a tour of a cocoa factory followed by a hike in Idanre, and 4) Day 4 - hit the road and head back to Lagos.

Shrine

Three waterfalls

Idanre

Amazing Trip to Uganda - Overview & Outline

2009-09-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Relaxin' on the Nile

Bob and me and friends Sharon & Jonathan spent 16 days travelling across Uganda visiting the many National Parks for game viewing (TONS of hippos, elephants, antelope, water buffalo, zebra, giraffes, baboons, fish eagles, crested cranes, pied kingfisher birds and the occasional leopard and lion, on the ground and in the trees), primate viewing (gorillas and chimps), hiking up Mt. Muhavura and straddling the Uganda/Rwanda border, and rafting Class 5 rapids on the river Nile.

We went with a rough itinerary and had only arranged our airline ticket, had rented a Prado through Hertz (excellent service), purchased a gorilla permit for one day ($500/person) and had arranged for rafting with Nile River Explorers. Other than that we were flying by the seat of our pants! We brought all our camping gear and enough dehydrated meals for half of the breakfasts and dinners as we did not know what to expect but we used very few as Uganda is very tourist friendly (peanut butter everywhere) and had plenty for us to eat.... in Africa you can never go wrong with an omelette! Between the 4 of us we had 7 bags but I do know I used/wore everything I brought. We camped the majority of the nights except for those few nights where it rained and we had other options, prior to our tent poles bending during an afternoon storm at the end of our trip. There was a fair bit of driving (~2200km/~1350miles), which Bob and Jonathan shared. We used the primary Uganda travel guide, the Bradt guide.

Here is our September itinerary:
4th FRI Depart Lagos for Uganda
5th SAT Arrive Entebbe 3PM and drive to Kampala, camp at Kampala Backpackers
6th SUN Drive to Lake Mburo NP, camp near boat landing, surrounded by hippos
7th MON Drive to Lake Bunyonyi, deal with flat tire, camp at Kabela's in a beautiful setting
8th TUES Boat ride, visit pygmies, camp at Kabela's again
9th WED Get new wheel & tire, fix 2nd flat and drive north to Bwindi NP, stay in tented camp in Ruhija to ride out the storm
10th THUR Track gorillas, drive south to Kisoro, to Mgahinga NP, camp at Virunga Hotel
11th FRI Hike Mt. Muhavura (4127m) and straddle the border between Rwanda & Uganda, camp at Virunga Hotel
12th SAT Drive north to Queen Elizabeth NP to the Ishasha section, safari drive, camp at Ishasha camp
13th SUN Morning walking safari, afternoon safari drive to see the tree climbing lions, drive north near Kazinga Channel, spend $$ and stay at Jacana Safari Lodge
14th MON Track the Chimps in the Kyambura Gorge, drive to Kazinga Channel for a 2 hr boat ride, camp in Mweya over the Kazinga Channel, another night surrounded by hippos
15th TUES Morning safari drive, drive north towards Murchison Falls NP, but only make it to Hoima where we stayed in the Crown Hotel ($25/night) which does not live up to the website description
16th WED Drive to Murchison Falls NP, drove to the top of the falls, then took a 3 hr boat ride to the base of the falls, camp beside the Nile Safari Lodge in their campsite and enjoy dinner at the lodge
17th THUR Morning safari drive, afternoon boat ride through tent pole bending storm, camp
18th FRI 3 hr drive south to Kampala, return car and get transport to Red Chili Rest Camp
19th SAT Get transport to Jinja for 2-day raft trip - Raft Class 5 rapids on the Nile River, camp at The Haven, storm floods tents, accommodations provided in nice cottages
20th SUN Rafting and river boarding, transport back to Jinja, camp/dorm at Explorers campsite
21st MON Drive 3 hours to Entebbe, visit the Botanical Gardens, depart Entebbe 5PM
22nd TUES Arrive Lagos Airport 5AM

It was another amazing trip in Africa. I was very impressed at the organization within the parks run by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Park entry fees were not cheap (~$30US per day) but I felt like the money actually went into the park.

The details and pictures are still to come...

Bug Bites No More...

2009-09-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

If you were always eaten alive by bugs when you were outslide, what would you do to minimize the bites? Would you have your boyfriend inject you with Vitamin B12? Would you take Prednisone (a steroid) while you were out in the woods and bring along a topical steroid cream to help minimize the itch if you did get bitten?

I DID IT ALL when we went to Uganda! On our first trip to IITA here in Nigeria, I had over 100 bug bites all over my body and I was an itchy mess. I went to the clinic to get some topical cream to help control the itching. On another trip to IITA, I got about 65 bites when others had very few. I realized that others got bites but I just had a much more severe reaction to them.

When I was in the US, I saw a doctor friend whose daughter had the same issue and was getting B12 injections for general health (all the girls in the office were) and it helped her on the bug bite front on a trip to Yosemite. I thought it was worth a shot (Ha!) and got a prescription and a few syringes and needles. Prednisone is not a medication that you want to be on for much time but I thought I would try it to see if it would help. I think it helped with my tendon tear too! Bonus! ; )

OK... so I should be a bit better about bug spray but I hate the smell and feel of high DEET insect repellent. I did bring along repellent with Picaridin and it seemed to work on my legs, the primary place I applied it while in Uganda.

Once a month Bob gets to give me an injection and I think he is getting used to it now after just two shots.

Whatever it was, it worked. The B12 injections? The prednisone? The things we do for sanity!

See post for another bike ride on the Third Mainland Bridge

2009-08-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

Click here to get to the post.

Wreck Beach... the ship is still there

2009-07-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

A post in April called The Fate of Wreck Beach was about the removal of the ship that has provided us good boogie boarding and surfing waves. I am aware of at least two companies that have funded the project - with A LOT of money - and I heard that the ship had been removed but the 'regulars' had to see it for themselves. We assumed the ship was gone so we just planned to stop by and see the place for the last time... or so we thought. The ship is still there.

Here are a few pics of the ship and some of the people enjoying the time in front of the camera. Above are some of the powerpoint displays I prepared for management.

Thanks Mom, Silvia and Yolanda for giving me the clothes to donate here in Nigeria. I had a bunch in my air shipment (when I could have had Dr. Pepper - but I will get over it) and one 45lb piece of luggage. The people here received a small bag of clothes and they were very thankful.

Africa by Toto, a remake

2009-07-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

in 1982, rock band Toto had a smash hit called Africa. I was 12! The song has been reinvented by Perpetuum Jazzile, a cappella jazz choir from Slovenia. It is amazing, especially the beginning. Check it out for yourself. Just click here.

Song Facts:
Some say the song is about:
"a man who comes to Africa and must make a decision about the girl who comes to see him. He is enamored with the country, but must leave if he is going to be with her"

"a man living IN Africa who is waiting for the arrival of the woman he loves, who is coming TO him, on a plane, naturally (and that's why "she hears only whispers of a quiet conversation", as you usually do on board a commercial flight)"

"a man going on a plane back to his beloved Africa. It talks about "she" coming in 12:30 flight. He is refering to the time the plane is coming in to take him away because he goes on in the same verse about the moonlight relecting the stars that guide him towards salvation, being Africa. He goes on to talk about an old man he meets. He wants to ask him about some ancient stories or songs and the man turns to him and gives him a look that says, hurry Africa is waiting. The chourus is about how, since he is going back to Africa, it would be almost impossible to drag him away again. Then he goes on to talk about the things he wants to do that he never took the time to do before when he was in Africa"

What do you think?

I remember this song playing at our going away party.

Thanks for forwarding the link Marcia.

I got a Nikon camera, Love to take a photograph

2009-07-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

While on vacation, I made the big purchase. I bought a digital SLR camera, the Nikon D90 with an 18-200mm lens. I decided to GO BIG as I was frustrated with some of the photos with the point and shoot, especially the Namibia safari. The Canon SD800 worked great for most pictures and video, I felt I needed to step up, and, oh yeah, I ran over the Canon in Cameroon, though it still works.

Here are some reviews on the D90.
Ken Rockwell - Nikon D90 - Thanks Peter!
DC Resource Review
DP Review

First gripe: What the heck! Why is the battery charger 110V only.? Hello, don't most people like to travel out of 110V territory! Now I have to find one online.

Any other websites or books you would recommend? I have lots to learn.

Uganda - Rafting on the Nile River - Yikes!

2009-07-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

I was recently looking into details of our upcoming Uganda trip but am a bit excited and scared about rafting on the Nile. I had a bad rafting experience so I am a bit apprehensive about going on a trip where you will go overboard. Click here for a recent article on rafting with other info on Uganda. There is an option to go Mild or Wild and I am sure the others I am traveling with - Bob, Sharon & Jonathan - will want to go Wild.

Here is an excerpt from the writer who took the Wild option:
We plunged. The curl of a wave lifted our boat straight out of the water and flipped us upside down like an egg in a skillet. But instead of immediately popping back up, a bunch of us got trapped under the raft, with the rapids pushing it down on top of us. It was terrifying, because there was no way out. I kicked. I thrashed. I felt as though I swallowed a gallon of river water. I started thinking of that scene at the end of “Titanic” in which Leonardo DiCaprio drowns. And then, pop, the raft shot away, and I broke through a fury of white water and feverishly gulped for air. That’s when I noticed everything was a little fuzzy, which leads me to casualty No. 2, my right contact lens. Gone. I spent the rest of the trip squinting through one eye.

Abeokuta - Fabric Market & 1st Church in Nigeria

2009-07-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

A friend Kay set up another trip to go shopping for fabric and to visit the first church in Nigeria, St. Peters Church. We got a bus and headed out to Abeokuta at about 8:15AM and it was raining and has been for the 24 hours. We had a little bit of traffic and arrived in Abeokuta around 10:45AM (just a guess) and the negotiating started. We wanted to see the dye pits and making of the Batik and Adire cloth (application of the casava paste or wax) but there was some hesitancy to show us. We finally started walking done an alley on our tour. Unfortunately it was raining, therefore no one was applying the Batik or Adire cloth but we did see a few people folding and pounding the cloth (no pictures allowed). Interestingly, they were folding Nigeria designed fabric (batik styles) that was made in China. Luckily, it was easy to tell the difference and the cost was different (15oo naira for 6 yards of the fake stuff vs. 2500 naira for the real stuff. We did also see the indigo dye pits where two women were dying fabric (no pictures allowed).

After the short tour we went back onto the main road to the fabric stalls to spend some money. Most of the fabric I bought (3 of 4 pieces) was tie dyed campala (spelling?) where they take fabric that has a pattern on it and then it is folded and dyed.

Sharon shopping...
Here is a view of St. Peter's Church from the top of Olumo Rock from a previous visit to Abeokuta. As it was still raining, we had a 5 minute tour of the church building that was not currently being used for a service.The interior of the church was simple and the A-frame ceiling was made of timbers.

Toxic Swimming Pool in Kano

2009-07-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

This is a video from a trip we took last October to the Durbar in Kano, Nigeria in northern Nigeria. I hope to get that post done some time but I have this video of some kids swimming in a small lake just inside the wall that surrounded the ancient Kano and was originally built in the 14th Century. Here the wall had been rebuilt. As we walked along the wall we came upon a bad smell coming from a small body of water and as we got closer we saw kids playing and swimming in the water, which was a toxic green color. See for yourself.

Another Air Shipment

2009-07-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

The company allows us to annually send an air shipment of 1000 pounds or a sea shipment of 2000 pounds. That is one of the non-vacation things we did on our vacation, along with doctor appointments (eye doctor, dentist, orthopedic surgeon for ankle issue). It is a luxury the company provides expats. Many items, but not all the comforts of home, are available here in Nigeria, but if they are they can be 2-3 times the cost of the item in the US. Here are some pics of the stack before packing. I am waiting for the shipment now and will post pics when I receive it. I was told it would arrive in country next week and then it just has to go through Customs. I hope it all shows up.

What did I bring? Stuff for swimming (fins, kick board, pull buoy), ergonomic chair, cooking oil, laundry detergent, chips, chocolate, and all sorts of other crap!

What did not make it? DR PEPPER and my new Indo Balance Board, which may be a good thing with my ankle tendon issue. This did not make it into the shipment as it was over tha allowed weight limit!

i hope to be back posting soon... bear with me.

2009-07-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Reeds Restaurant - Great Thai Restaurant

2009-06-07T10:48:00.001-07:00

Because Bob muled a laptop over here for a friend (to replace one that they thought was fried during a power surge), we were treated to a wonderful dinner at Reeds Thai restaurant. The starters, salads and main courses were all very good. We will go back! Thanks Dan & Lynn.

Reeds is located on Ikoyi Island on Awolowo Road next door to Goodies Supermarket.

After Reeds we visited the Hotel Sofitel for a drink. Bob and I stayed at this hotel when we came on a business trip prior to moving here. Since our stay, they have almost doubled the number of rooms and have redone the concierge area and bar. It is very nice. They have an assortment of drinks, appetizers and cigars.

2005 National Geographic Edition on Africa

2009-04-25T09:16:00.001-07:00

When we were in Rhumsiki, Cameroon, I saw a National Geographic from September 2005 on Africa. This link is to the online version.

Nigeria & Cameroon Route and the fate of my camera

2009-04-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Bob tracked our trip with his GPS and then plotted it in Goggle Earth. Below are some small images and some blown up versions so you can see where we went. Our route is in red and the yellow lines are country borders. The route in the second picture exits the image on the right at Maiduguri (hard to see, sorry) and then enters the third image in the middle left at Maiduguri. I thought the GPS images would be great but they are not easy to see here. I tried! Isn't that what counts! ; )

I forget to metnion that on our second morning into Waza National Park I accidentally dropped by camera and then we drove over it! OOPS! It still works but I suspect it will slowly get dust inside as the side seams don't quite fit together so well now. Go Canon! I was in the market for a new camera anyway!

10 days in Northern Nigeria and Cameroon, April 3-13

2009-04-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

The plan was to go to Chad Basin National Monument and Sukur in Northern Nigeria and then to Waza National Park, Pouss and Rhumsiki in Cameroon. The original eight folks on the trip were Jonathan, Sharon, me, Bob, Joy and her husband Ryan, and Judith and her daughter Georgina. We had three 4WD vehicles, to be sure we had back-up in case one vehicle broke down we could all cram into two vehicles, very tightly!

The trip started a bit rough, to say the least! Our drivers (Niyi, Kazeem & Benjamin) departed on Thursday, April 2, to drive up to Kano and pick us up at the airport at 6PM. On Thursday, they were stopped on the road and had to pay 35,000 Naira (~$230) for car stickers – Mobile Advert Agency (MOA), Loading and Offloading Agency (LOA), and some sanitation agency – stickers that we don’t need as we are not advertising or loading/offloading. That is Nigeria for you! What is odd is that one of the drivers from another company had the stickers, which did not bode well for our drivers talking themselves out of it having to buy them. We were also missing a copy of the Proof of Ownership in our vehicle so Bob had to get a copy for the rest of the trip and our driver Niyi had to dash (bribe in this case) the police man to get through the stop. The drivers made it to Abuja the first night.

On Friday around 11AM, Bob got a call from Niyi letting him know that Kazeem rolled his car (tumbled was the word used) near Kaduna and it was totaled and that Kazeem was OK but going to the Hospital to get checked out. They said the front tire blew out and the car hit the enter divider and then veered off in the other direction off into the bush where it rolled end over end (see below). We are not sure how fast Kazeem was going but likely faster than is safe (we tell the drivers not to go faster than 120 km per hour (70mph). We got conflicting stories from the other two drivers on Kareem’s speed but we think he was going too fast. Shortly after this news came, we got the news that our flight was delayed from 530Pm to 830PM, which sucked but allowed us some time to figure out what we were going to do and how we were going to get another vehicle. Jonathan, who thought fast, called Land Transport in Abuja and arranged a Land Cruiser with a driver (Bayo) and guard (James) to drive up to Kano and meet us on Saturday, to arrive about the same time Niyi and Benjamin would be making it up there after dealing with the damaged car and making sure Kazeem was safely on his way home. This car would only be able to take us in Nigeria and had to turn back to Abuja when we went into Cameroon, which caused yet another problem as Judith and Georgina did not want to travel into Cameroon with just two vehicles so they had decided to do the beginning of the trip with us and fly back to Lagos on Tuesday. Joy and Ryan, who did not have their own car, decided to stay behind in Lagos, save some vacation days and take a shorter trip to Krebbi, Cameroon which they enjoyed (Thanks for having us over for dinner to share stories).

Our delayed flight landed in Kano at midnight and since our drivers were not showing up until Saturday we had to get a cab and search for a hotel… until we finally found vacancies in the Central Hotel at 2AM, the fourth hotel we tried. The Central Hotel sucked, and was so not worth the money we paid. There were dead cockroaches in the bathroom and urine all over the toilet seat! Gross! We did have AC but at 630AM it started making a very loud noise. We were not in a huge rush as were waiting for our cars and drivers to make it to Kano (expected them about 2PM). About 9AM Bob and I showered then went to a vacant conference room for breakfast of eggs, chips (French fries) and beans. Bob and I decided to lounge around and sleep (I slept but Bob did not) while the others went on a tour of Kano, something Bob and I did last October when we came for the Durbar festival. The drivers arrived about 130 or 2PM, and after some car reorganization, decision making, and a stop at a bakery for snacks and we headed off to Nguru about 330 or 4PM. We arrived in Nguru around 8PM, a bit later than expected, after taking the wrong road, to pick up our guide Usman who would direct us the rest of the way (25km) to Dagona Camp in Chad Basin National Park. Upon arrival, we picked our accommodations, asked for some hot water to eat a dehydrated meal for dinner. The temperature outside was cool and refreshing after the hot day (44C, 110F) and we should have slept outside but we slept in the cabins hoping the AC would cool us down, but it did not. After a while we got the water running in the rooms and took a quick bucket shower before bed.
Sunday morning we started with another shower, Indomie noodles and egg for breakfast, we paid the bill and departed with our guide to the oxbow lake in the Bade-Nguru Wetlands. If you are a birder, the wetlands are for you as it is the destination for over 350 migratory birds making the trip between August and May. The best time to visit is in December but a few species still remain in April. We saw egrets, blue heron, purple heron, glossy ibis, Abyssinian rollers, and African open-billed storks, to name the major birds we saw. We happened to arrive just at the end of a fishing festival and the fishermen were slowly making their way across the lake with their nets and calabash full of fish. We snapped some photos of the people, fish, funky beetles, and then continued on around the oxbow lake and back to the cars.

We headed back to Dagoma Camp, dropped off our guide, spoke with Usman, and then carried on to Yusafari to pick up two more guides for our trip (we only wanted one but they talked us into taking two) to Bulatura Oasis in the Sahel. The road was sandy but we wee not too worried about getting stuck. We drove by several oasis before getting to Bulatura where the cars were mobbed by kids. We drove to the edge of town, hiked up into gorgeous orange very fine-grained sand dunes to get a view of the dunes and the town. Those of us with cameras were mobbed by children waiting to see themselves on the digital screen. The kids made taking pictures of the town difficult as once the camera was pointed, their hands immediately went up and the screaming began (see video below). As we were driving out, kids climbed on the back of the car and two or three times we stopped so Bob could swat them off the car for fear they would break the wiper of cover on the spare. They were just trying to have some fun.

On our way out, the guides took us on the wrong road, a road traveled by huge trucks that have much more clearance than our cars did. The first car, a Land Cruiser, got stuck (high-centered in deep-rutted tracks) in the sand and then we did, the third car, a lower clearance Prado. The middle land Cruiser pulled out both vehicles. Check out the video of our car being pulled out backwards.

We turned around, went back through town to a quiet oasis where we set up camp, ate our dehydrated meals and went to bed. Shortly after we arrived, a Fulani man on horseback stopped by and Jonathan and Bob tested out his bow and arrow, which he used as protection from thieves. The picture below is of a Fulani man that stopped by in the morning but the picture of Bob is using the bow and arrow from the Fulani man that stopped by soon after we arrived.

Monday morning started early as we woke at 530AM and got up at 615AM to the chirping of birds and others rising from sleep. The weather was great; it was cool with a pleasant breeze. We broke down our tent, ate, showered with the Sun Shower, and then Bob flew his kite.
Around 830AM, we headed into the dunes to Tulou Tulou a small village in Nigeria on the border with Niger. When we first got into the sand I was convinced we would get stuck in the middle of nowhere but the drivers did a great job even though they did not have any sand driving experience or limited 4WD experience it seemed. Most of the drivers did not know how to shift into 4WD nor did they know how to shift out of Drive and into lower gears when needed. Niyi, our driver, learned on the fly. The route took us into Niger, about 2.5 miles inland and the 12.5 mile traverse took us through Alkamari, Niger. When we arrived in Tulou Tulou, we had half a tank of fuel and needed to get some more to get back. We bought 28L in this remote town and added some fuel treatment in case it was bad. We also bought some minerals before heading back to Yusafari on a slightly different route. While we were there we snapped a few photos on both sides of the border.

In Nigeria. Farewell from Port Nigeria Obasanjo.

In Niger. Bien Venue Au Nigeria Porte Obasanjo!

Drinking some minerals in the local shop in Tulou Tulou.

One of the shops with the owner and two local boys.

Enroute to Yusufari we wanted to stop at a Fulani village, so when we saw what we thought was one, we stopped. When we walked up to them, our guide spoke to them in the Nigerian Hausa language, though they spoke little Hausa. They were from Libya and we living in huts made from weaved rugs and fabric. All the women were dressed in red colored fabric with different patterns and the young boys were naked except for a string of beads around their neck and waist. When we arrived they were all in their huts as it was scorching hot outside!

Once in Yusafari, we dropped off the guards, headed towards Maiduguri but did not make it there as we decided to camp off the side of the road. This is where Judith and Georgina headed into Maiduguri to get a hotel room and fly back to Lagos in Tuesday morning after loading Joy and Ryan’s gear in their car to give us a little more room.

We drove about 2 miles off road to a baobab tree, where we parked the car, set up our sun showers and tents then boiled some water for another dehydrated meal. Below is Jonathan up in the tree hanging his shower. Bob took the engineering route and hung ours with the tow rope which did not require the climb into the tree. As we were setting up camp a few small bats flew out of the tree to start their evening meal. The night was warm.

Tuesday morning, James (left), Bayo (center) and Niyi (right), made their breakfast of spaghetti noodles, boiled yam and a sauce made from canned fish and palm oil. Bayo was a lot of fun and James was also a good sport for camping while they were with us. Bay slept in Kazeem’s tent but James slept in the front seat of the car.

After our breakfast (oatmeal & cereal), we broke down camp, took a shower and headed off to Sukur at about 830AM. We got to Maiduguri about 1130AM, stopped for fuel (bought most of our fuel on the black market), then stopped at balancing rocks and walked through the market. At about 200PM, we got to the parking spot at the base of the mountain that we had to hike up to get to Sukur. Jonathan had arranged a guide in advance so he was waiting for us when we arrived. At this point Bayo and James were going back to Abuja and we were down to one car for me, Bob, Sharon and Jonathan (Niyi was driving) so we decided to put gear (chairs, propane canister, jerry cans, etc.) that we were not going to use into Bayo’s car so that he could take it to Abuja and Niyi would pick it up on his way home. This would free up some space in our car so that it would not have to be packed all the way to the roof. We then packed up the things we needed to camp overnight in Sukur and hired some porters to carry it up. The hike up had about 5 stopping points along the way, with benches and shade. It was quite nice and the view of the valley below and the heavily terraced landscape was spectacular (though hazy). The hike was not hard, it was just hot and we got to the top at about 345PM.

The start the of the 1.5 hour hike.

A beautiful boabab tree on the path to the top.

Sukur is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is a beautiful village of about 12,000 people strewn about the top of a mountain plateua. Once up on the mountain we walked to the King’s palace as we were going to meet with him but he was not ready and the chalets and camping spots were on his grounds. We dropped our things and walked through the village, which was very clean, past a well, by the school (which was closed due to a National strike) and to An outside eating area to get a drink.

Same spot but now more people are watching us.
We arrived at an opportune time as there was a funeral (third funeral of the year), a celebration of life, taking place for a local woman who passed away. Some musicians came into the area we were and they were playing and people were dancing. Three women came by us and started dancing and ululating (see video below). It was great.

After a drink, we went to where the main festivities were taking place and everyone was dancing in a cloud of dust, the men with swords and the women with bowls. That is the tradition. The festivities them moved up to her home where the dancing continued (video below).

After the festivities, the King was ready to meet us. He graciously welcomed us and all visitors to Sukur. We gave him some money, some Pringles and some Indomie noodles. He was very appreciative of anything he received. He was a kind man. Below is a picture of his compound from across a small valley.

That night the King's wife brought us some hot water so that we could make our dehydrated meals adn then we were off to bed at about 10AM. On Wednesday morning, we woke, took bucket showers and went for a walk around the village in the immediate area. We first stopped to visit a family who had a bull in a fattening pen. Basically a pull is moved into a mud hut and the entrance is closed off. The bull is fed in this pen for two years and then sold. Quite the commitment and investment. We then hiked across a small valley to get a better view of the surrounding area of Sukur and saw a few monkeys. We started himing down around 9AM, passing many people travelling up to Sukur for a wedding that day. Many of the folks coming up the hill were carrying bits and pieces of band equipment and speakers.

A woman walking outside one of the walled compounds.

The views were picturesque and the pictures just don't do it justice.
From Sukur we drove up to Pilka and then to the border in Kerawa to start the long border process. About 10km before we got to the border, we were stopped at a police checkpoint when a man showed up on an okada as he heard we were coming (we sort of stand out in a Black Prado with tinted windows). One police man stepped in front of the car and cocked his gun to make the point that we needed to stop. The okada man was asking for our papers but we did not want to give them to him. Once we told the man we were going to Cameroon for touirsm, he was OK with us going through to the border. We got there about 12 noon adn went into a small, hot room to do the immigration papaerwork while took care of the car paperwork with the okada man. in another building. Other than taking time, getting out of Nigeria was easy at a crossing used oficially by very few people (10 people in the last month, 6 from Lagos that we knew). We crossed the border, a dry lake bed, into Cameroon. The process on this side of the border was a bit slow, partly due to the lack of a stamp pad then the stamp pad that was brought was nearly dry. We were approved for a 7 day stay in Cameroon despite having a 30 day visa; this was the first sign that Cameroon really makes it difficult for a tourist passing through by car (we have heard this form others who have not made it). Next we drove 10km to the customs office in Kolofata to get take car of the car paperwork. We had insurance for the car that we got through our company (leter was in English, should have tranlsted into French) for a total of 10 days but we only planned on staying in Cameroon for 4 days. We were told that we had to come and go from the same border, which was not our plan and while we were making our decision, the woman doing the paperwork decided to leave for lunch (230PM) but did not let us know. After we decided to go in and out of Cameroon through Kolofata, we waited for the woman to return from lunch adn got some cold drinks across the street. It was miserably hot! They eventually provided us paperwork to travel for 3 days and we were to stop at two other customs stations (Korghi, Mora an Maroua) to check in and get the additional day added to our paperwork. We had to pay an overtime fee as we were told the office closed at 3PM. Why did the woman go to lunch at 230PM? We were on the road at 345PM.

Advice: Make copies of all your paperwork because you have to leave it at the border and translate your insurance paperwork into French.

We continued on to Waza National Park, stopping in Korghi, got our paperwork signed and noticed a tire was going flat. We attempted to get it repaired but the required tools were not available (a kid tried using his teeth to remove a nail - we eventually used pliers) so we replaced to the low tire with the spare tire and Niyi got the tire fixed that night in Waza. We arrived in Waza at 6PM and as we were driving in we saw 2 giraffes, monkeys, an antelope and many birds. We checked into Campement de Waza (we had to change rooms to get one with a toilet seat), got a cold drink and dinner (ratatouille, guinea fowl and mango for dessert). We turned in early as we had an early start in Waza National Park.

Campement de Waza, our accomodations.

Thursday started at 515AM with breakfast and then we headed our on our self-drive safari where we saw plenty of topi, the antelope in the background, giraffe, roan antelope, tapas monkeys, jackyl, warthogs, rock hyrax, and other antelope. There were also plenty of birds such as guinea fowl, astrich, abyssinian rollers (gorgeous turquise birds), black-crowned cranes, a few types of horn bills and herons, pied kingfisher, hoopoe, sacred ibis and more. Bob drove with our driver in the back to share in the experience (his first giraffe sighting) and our mandatory guide, who had poor vision. Luckily Sharon did a great job sighting animals.

We drove east, out of Waza National Park to Maga and then Pouss. We tried to hire some boats to look for hippos in Lake Maga but had no luck due to poor timing and a bit of a language barrier (they speak French in Cameroon.). We drove to Logone River, the border between Cameroon and Chad and decided to hike across to step foot on Chad soil.

Picture on the Cameroon side of the border.

Locals washing/drying their clothes and having fun swimming in the Logone River, th border.

Crossing the Logone River, on our way to Chad

In Chad!

In Chad, on an unofficial visit!

Back in Cameroon, safe and legal!
Our guide had not heard of a museum in Pousse so we had to ask for directions. The museum was simple, with 4 tall decorated mud huts. No other huts in the area looked like this.

A photo opportunity we could not pass up! We were allowed to do this! ; )

The day was a long one and back in the Waza National Park we had a little bit of rain and the roads became VERY slick, decreasing our speed adn increasing our travel time. We got back to Campement de Waza at 7PM. On Friday, w had breakfast at Campement de Waza at 530AM, an early morning before driving back into the park in search of elephants and the lion that was seen the evening before. No luck! We did see more giraffes, topi, antelopes, and tons of birds.

Giraffes!

Bob wanted to see how close he could get to the giraffe. This was about it! There was no harrassment involved! Jackyl

We left Waza at noon and headed to Mora to get our customs paper work signed for the car and hopefully add an extra day to it. The signature was straight forward but no such luck on adding the day! We arrived in Rhumsiki at 5PM. We got stopped at a checkpoint, the only one in Cameroon for us, and the police did not like our insurance papaerwork (should have been in French) but after discussion and inspection of a few passports, we got through.

Just outside of Waza, a local woman was getting water from a well to water the small field. Onions were one of the vegetables growing. There are many wells close by one another as you can see in the picture.

Rhumsiski was beautiful! We went to Campement de Rhumsiki but we did not want to pay the price for a chalet and talked the Swiss hotel manger into letting us camp and share one chalet for the toilet and shower. We at dinner there... it was OK but again I was fooled by the description of the meal. Beef filet in Africa is only good in a VERY expensive restaurant. we went to bed at 9PM and the night was cool, actually I was cold.

Rhumsiki in the Mandara Mountains.

Spectacular view from the pool at Campement de Rhumiski

Saturday Morning we decided to hike up a volcanic plug called Zivi, come back for lunch and then go for a hike down into a valley and unofficially into Nigeria (so we were told but the GPS and our maps say otherwise) and then back into Cameroon.

The start of the hke up Zivi.

Zivi is on the 1000 naira note, on the right side. This area is yet another disputed area between Nigeria and Cameroon. On maps, it is clearly in Cameroon, at least the maps we have.Below is Bob climbing up the first chimney. The guide was not belaying them so the rope really did not function for safety. Jonathan went up and then started belaying folks up the proper way but the rope was just tied around our waist. This is where I stopped. My fear of heights got the best of me so I decided to stay down while the others climbed to the top. I am glad I did because there were other areas where they were way more exposed and if I would have made it up this first part I might have stopped higher up. I waited with some local kids for about 2.5 hours and learned a bit about them and found out about a good restaurant, called Kirdi, owned by the family of one of the kids. The rich garlic Kapsiki sauce, named after the local people of the Mandara Mountains, was excellent on the fresh bread. Yum!

Jonathan belaying Bob.
Jonathan, the guide, Bob and Niyi.

Jonathan, Sharon, Niyi and Bob at the top.

Sharon on the left and the view of Rhumsiki.

On the hike down into the valley that started about 4PM. After we finished, we had some drinks by the pool, heated up some hot water for our dehydrated meal at Campement de Rhumsiki and went to sleep in our tents.
On Sunday morning, we quickly walked through the Rhumsiki Market on the way our of town back to Maiduguri in Nigeria.

Suprisingly, we passed a few orderly lines for water. If you squint you can see the well on the right and the line of jerry cans to the left. In Mokolo we had to get two tires patched as they were leaking (1 hour, $2US). From Mokolo to the customs office in Kolofata, we drove through a few villages in the mountains, we hoped we would not get stoppped as our customs paperwork was now out of date. The road was very scenic with many closely-spaced pointy thatch roof huts.

Photo below was taken back in Kolofata, Cameroon at the Customs station with all the precious paperwork outside on the porch. When we arrived the lady we needed to speak to was not there so we had to wait for her to show up. This part of Cameroon is the HOTTEST place ever! The heat is overwhelming and the breeze was stifling hot! Sharon, Niyi and I walked across the way to get a cold drink while Bob and Jonathan waited... patiently. When the woman arrived they exhanged papework and we were on our way.

Back in Maiduguri we stayed at the Albarka Hotel, which was one of the nicer hotels I have stayed in Nigeria but it sure did reek of moth balls. The sign below was outside the restaurant... we all ate omeletes for dinner, except Sharon who had chicken stew and rice.

We woke up early and arrived at the Maiduguri airport at 620AM and checked in for our flight. At this point, Niyi was on his own to drive back to Lagos via Abuja to get the stuff we left with Bayo.

We arrived in Lagos at 11AM and waited 45 minutes for a company bus to pick us up despite our reminder phone calls the day before and the morning of. We were in our flats at 12:15 to relax and recover from our trip for the rest of the day and mentally prepare to go back to work.

We had an excellent trip, despite the rocky beginning, visiting and experiencing remote villages in northern Nigeria and Cameroon.

Thanks for sharing your pictures Sharon & Jonathan.

WOW! I am so far behind on posting...

2009-04-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

I plan to make an effort to get caught up but I have lots to post on since my last post in February.

Mountan biking and hiking in Idanre, Nigeria
Festival in Ikogbo, Nigeria
Lagos Half Marathon
Third Mainland Bridge bike ride
Trip to Benin Republic
Trip to Northern Nigeria and Cameroon

Check back soon.

The Fate of Wreck Beach...

2009-04-03T05:56:00.000-07:00

Click here to read more about the removal of the wreck that has provided us great ridable waves along the Lagos coastline where typically the waves are fierce and dangerous to ride. Check out the article and pictures to see the impact to the beach. We need to plan another trip back to see what has been done since this article was written and to find the exposed well that is show in the pictures to see how far away it is from the wreck. The article indicates the removal would be complete by April 26th.

Excerpt from the article:
In the words of the NCF’s Technical Director Mr. Alade Adeleke “The Agaja Beach community and its proximate environments have steadily witnessed gradual flooding and coastal erosion as occasioned by surges from the ‘artificial dam’ created by the abandoned vessel. This has led to destruction of property and even more seriously, the ecological disaster that now threatens the very existence of the coastal communities, Lagos State and the nation at large”.

I think the impact has been blown a bit out of proportion... threatening Lagos State and the nation at large!

Here are pictures from Google Earth. The wreck is located where the coastline shifts north, where the two images are joined (different shades in water and on land). To the east (right) you can see that the creek and beach erosion have significantly decreased the amount of land (barrier bar) separating the two very different environments, one of salt water and one of fresh/brackish water. In the lower photo you can see the outline of the ship.

Benin Republic Palaces, Grand Popo and Ganvie Stilt Village

2009-03-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

Four days from March 7 to 10 were spent in Benin Republic, the country just to the west of Nigeria. I had been there before on a driving trip to Ghana but we really just passed through, stopping in Cotonou to drop off our steward and meet his family. This trip was to visit the some of Benin’s palaces and the stilt village of Ganvie and was organized by Sheryl and Gord, members of the Nigerian Field Socety.

I have to start by saying thanks to Lynn for letting me take the piece that she wrote up for her family and friends and slightly modify it for use on my blog. I have not had a chance to post on the trip but want to document it. The pictures are mine but 95% of the text is from Lynn. Thanks a bunch.

We left on Saturday morning in a nice 20-passenger air-conditioned bus, with police escort front and back. The road from Lagos to the border is known for hold-ups, apparently, but having the escort eliminates that problem. Unfortunately, the cops do their share of "hold-ups" as we discovered with the police checkpoints on the way back. It was crazy at the border, mobs of people and vendors everywhere. Two of the 20 people in our group had to dropout at that point, friends Kevin and Susan, because Susan didn't have a re-entry visa for Nigeria. So, they had to get back on the bus and go back to Lagos. Once we were all through customs, we reloaded into two 10-passenger vans. The AC was minimal, so the ride became pretty hot at points. We drove through the Benin coastal city of Cotonou, which seemed like a smaller, but just as dirty, version of Lagos. Then we headed north, and made our first stop at Allada, a little village of rutted dirt roads where we visited the King's Palace. The king wasn't around, but one of his family members agreed to show us around, though he couldn't let us into all of the palace buildings because he didn't have permission. Benin is a French-speaking country, so we were fortunate to have two people in our group who are fluent in French and interpreted for us throughout the trip when needed. Our "guide" in Allada, a bare-chested older gentleman missing a few front teeth (see pic below), explained the history of the local kings of that particular place who were all represented by bas-relief symbols (flattened forms which give an exaggerated perception of depth when viewed from a particular vantage point) on the outer walls. Each king chose his symbol to represent his ruling philosophy.

Since voodoo is a recognized religion in Benin, the palaces always include a number of structures in which an object of worship, called a fetish, is placed. A fetish, which can be a potion or object, is believed to hold the spirits' power. Then priests, called juju men, are consulted to communicate with the spirits. The fetish hut was a large round tin roof structure and the entrance was very low to the ground. We were not allowed to enter the fetish hut in Allada but if we were we would have had to kneel down and almost get on your hands and knees to enter. The adjacent building (left of the fetish), which was open, was the king's meeting room, containing the king's chair along with a few other chairs for guests. All were covered in a leopard-skin print, but we weren’t sure if that was the real thing. The door on this room had simple carvings on them.

I just like this picture of me so I posted it! ; )

You should know that most "palaces" in Africa isn't anything like the European version that we might tend to imagine when we hear the word. The palaces we saw were a series of buildings made of the red clay from the area. Some buildings were for the king, some for his wives, some for worship, etc., and all situated on grounds surrounded by red clay walls. In Allada, the palace had been painted a pale pink, but those further north were just made, and reconstructed, from the unadorned red clay.

From Allada, we headed to Abomey, stopping about 9 km out to visit the Parc Archeologique d'Agongointo, which has only been open for nine months. They have been excavating ancient hiding places there that were used by warriors in the 1700s. The warriors of that time dug a network of deep holes throughout their kingdom from which to surprise their enemies. They would allow their enemies to trespass onto their land, then come out of the holes to attack them. Some were quite large, more like manmade caves, and some had antechambers extending from the main chamber. About a dozen of us when down into one of the holes. The guide made us all come down into the dark before turning on the lights. Then you could see the even deeper chambers that extended from it. The guide said the warriors would sometimes allow the enemy into the first hole -- maybe the enemies began to take the offensive after having been surprised a few times -- but then would come at them from the deeper holes. They discovered these rooms when they were building a road through Agongointo and the ground collapsed beneath the bulldozer. Until then, the stories of the holes had been passed down through folklore.

In Abomey, a town of about 80,000, we stayed at the Chez Monique, which was a bit rustic, but nice, especially the bar/lobby area. That building and some outdoor pavilions were on the main property grounds, which had the feel of a walled-in garden. There were many plants and trees, and the woodcarvings of some local artists were standing among the trees, or in the case of some masks, attached to them. Our rooms were in another walled-in property located about a block down a red-dirt alley. The building itself was set up nicely in a U-shape, with a wide veranda wrapping around in front of the rooms, which all faced the courtyard. The rooms themselves were plain with a bed or two, decked out with mosquito nets, a small armoire, and a bathroom with a shower but no shower curtain. That is standard from what we've seen. Everything in the bathroom was expected to get wet, I guess. When we arrived, there was no running water, so they brought big containers of water to each room so you could have a bucket shower. They promised the water would be on at 8, but also said they were serving dinner at 8. Some of us were torn. We were totally sweaty and grimy after the long day's journey. Most of us opted for the bucket shower, which worked surprisingly well. You just had to get used to the cool temperature. The water wasn't much warmer when they did get it going. Back on the porch of the lobby, we had a few beers -- the local choices are Flag and La Beninoise, both of which are pretty good. Dinner was grilled whole chicken, spaghetti with tomato sauce, rice, fries, and some mix of vegetables with cabbage and carrots. It all tasted very good.

After dinner we went for a walk and I snapped a picture of the young man eating dinner and selling fuel by the bottle.

We stopped for a few beers and just hung out.

After breakfast the next morning (very good French bread and so-so omelets), we went to tour two ancient palaces (no pictures allowed), both much larger than the one in Allada. Just as in Allada, the main buildings were decorated with bas-relief sculptures used to tell stories before there was a written language… as late as the late 1800s (so we were told)! Anyway, some of the bas-reliefs showed men in battle, and sometimes the Amazons in battle. One showed one naked man bent over and another standing behind him with a small ball in his hands. The guide said enemies who were captured were sometimes tortured by having balls of clay shoved up their a-hole! Unfortunately we could not take pictures! Inside the buildings, there were carved wooden thrones from some of the kings. Some were simple bench seats curved up at the end, but finished with carvings and mounted atop carved stands. One throne of a king who really wanted to make his power known had his throne mounted at the base on four human skulls. What was particularly interesting in some of the buildings were replicas of French newspapers from the late 1800s telling of France's colonizing efforts and meetings with the king. We were allowed to go into the fetish huts in the first palace we visited. We also were allowed to enter a hut that was the tomb of one king. He was said to have had 2000 wives, 100 of which opted to take poison so they could accompany him to the grave. Eventually, 41 were chosen for that honor. They had a tomb hut, too, for their spirits that was connected to the king's tomb by a tunnel so he could have company from time to time. To enter the king's hut, we had to remove our shoes and any women who were menstruating were not to go in. Only our guide stayed out, so no secrets there. Inside there was a bed with tattered coverings and pillows, a raggedy rug, and cloth covering a place where meals still are sometimes set for the spirits of the king and his wives. Since the actual museum guide couldn't enter, Barbara, one of the translators among us, asked our tour guide questions about the tomb. At one point, she said he appeared to be making things up. The second palace we visited was that of King Gbehanzin (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the last independent monarch of the Dahomey Kingdom. The Kingdom consisted of 12 kings who ruled from 1625 to 1900. Gbehanzin was eventually exiled to Martinique after having resisted the French as long as he could. In the late 1970s, he was declared a national hero and a large statue of him stands in the town square at the entrance to Abomey.

Then off to lunch...
Then to Guezo' palace... just to see the outside.
Then off to another palace, with more bas-relief paintings and Benin crafts for sale. Each king has his own symbol.

Kids playing Foos Ball, a favorite past time in all of Africa!
Statue of King Gbehanzin in the center of town (Goho Square)...

Later in the day, we went to a market where fruits, vegetables, fabric, and other goods were sold. In the back, there was a voodoo section with piles of dead birds, reptiles, monkey skulls, and some live animals in cages, including an enormous rat and some birds of prey, which was very sad. We took a look and left, and most everyone was a little sickened by it. On the way through the market, there was a foosball table surrounded by boys. One boy appeared to be in charge of the table, taking on challengers. Our friend Jonathan stepped up to play. The boy threw a coin on the table, and Jonathan threw down his to match it. Somehow it was established they were playing best of five goals. The kid won easily, 4 to 1. Then Dan took the challenge and hung in a little better, but in the end the score was 3 to 2. The table was rough, and the handles on the rods were big round wooden balls, kind of like doorknobs. Here are some photos and a video.
Voodoo section of the market..-

Sunday evening, we had dinner on the terrace of another hotel that our tour guide was affiliated with, but that didn’t have enough rooms for our group. Before dinner, a group of African men set up kind of a drumming circle below the terrace and danced singly or in pairs, while the rest of the group sang and chanted. Two men removed their shirts and used their hands to beat out a rhythm on their chests. They are very fit and the movements were fluid. Sheryl, who organized the trip with her husband, was enticed to join in the dancing at one point, throwing in her own moves, which one of the dancers copied with ease.

Monday morning we packed up and drove a short distance to a spot where we could board a train that would take us to Grand Popo, a city on the Atlantic coast very near the Togo border. The train consisted to two engines and two cars. The first car was built in 1922 and the second had been reconstructed to match it. The first car has a sleeper room with a double bed, a toilet, a tiny kitchen, and a common area that had two sets of bench seats with tables between them. The roof is rounded and everything is made from wood. The windows just have drop-down panels, and so we rode open-air through the countryside. The second car is open with a bar in one corner and about a dozen wicker chairs for seating. Behind the bar, there was doorway to a viewing platform on the back. We later learned that the train had two engines because second gear didn’t work in one of them and the brakes didn’t work on the other. Combined, they had it covered. Top speed for the train was only about 35 mph, so it took us about three hours to get to our final station. Along the way, we stopped at one other station along the line. I’m not sure if the line has been abandoned and now only used because this British guy bought this little train to run on it, or if it’s used for other purposes. Riding through the countryside was relaxing and fascinating. We passed many small villages, some with houses made of the red clay or red clay bricks and some made of grass and palm fronds. In Benin, 85 percent of the people support themselves through farming. We saw many people clearing ground, harvesting pineapple, and other crops. When the train approached, little kids would run out from the villages, waving and smiling at us. Older people would look up from what they were doing and wave, too.

At the end of line, we regretfully boarded the vans again and continued for another hour to Grand Popo. The Auberge Hotel there is right on the beach overlooking the ocean. It consists of a bar lobby area, a few two-room bungalows, and more rooms in two other buildings, one of which is a grand-looking two-story structure with a porch wrapped around the bottom and a balcony wrapped around the top floor. We stayed in a bungalow that had a small but clean bathroom and a queen size bed with mosquito netting. The owner said the buildings were colonial, circa 1930s, and had been refurbished. The beach was beautiful to look at, but a little more difficult to enjoy. It dropped fairly steeply to the water, making it somewhat awkward to just have a walk along the water. You had to decide to go in or just enjoy the view from the upper beach. You have to time the moment to get quickly out past the break, and then time the moment you want to come back in so that you get ahead of the waves and run up the beach before they smack you. It was deep just a little way out, which is all the further we went. The water was warm and clear, so it was refreshing.

The hotel set up tables for our dinner near the edge of the high point of the beach. There was a full moon, and a good breeze, so it turned out to be quite enjoyable. They grilled kabobs of fish, beef, and shrimp with sides of fries, rice, couscous, and salad, and crepes with caramel sauce and pineapple for dessert We listened to the story of the one of the owners who had bought a military jeep in Belgium and drove it down through France and Spain to Gibraltar, where it was shipped over to North Africa. Then he drove it down the west coast of Africa

Tuesday morning, we began the trip back to Lagos, stopping at the stilt village of Ganvie. It is a small city, population 30,000, built over the water of the lagoon. All of the houses are on stilts, as are beauty shops, a medical clinic, gas stations, churches, bars, etc. People travel everywhere they need to go by handmade canoes. The men there fish and the women take the fish to market to sell each day. They have a market on the water and they also canoe to a market on land. Each family has a plot of water that is theirs to fish, much as farmers have a plot of land. Our guide for this visit, a man named Christopher who said he grew up in Ganvie, said it wouldn’t be apparent to us which part of the water belonged to whom, but the families know the boundaries well. He said the government at one point was going to try to tax the people of Ganvie for their fishing lands, but they resisted, saying how can we pay for something that belonged to our ancestors? Then, the government sent police to try to force them to comply, but still they resisted, and the government finally gave up. Christopher manages a hotel on stilts in Ganvie, Hotel Gemain, and took us there for lunch. He had told us that all families have canoes for the father, the mother, the boys, and the girls. We saw many children in school uniforms paddling themselves back to school when we were leaving. They had been home for lunch.

Checking the fish traps. Fishing with nets

People...

Market...
Market on your doorstep...

Kid paddling his boat made of jerry cans back to school.
Sailing... Sailing...

Getting the fish from the traps (with sleeping child.

We ended up about two hours behind schedule, and didn’t get to the border and finish our processing back into Nigeria until close to 5. Many say that the border is the only place in West Africa where there are such problems because the officials are looking for ways to hassle people to get money. We saw Nigerians – Africans, anyway – passing their passports through the customs window with money, as if that’s standard procedure to avoid problems. On the way back, back in the big bus with police escorts, we were able to drive through many of the police checkpoints without stopping. But there were big backups at the first few. The checkpoints are just a shakedown in which drivers are basically expected to hand the police money. We were glad we were not caravanning in our own cars. As it was, the traffic was a nightmare most of the way. At one point, the lead vehicle decided to take a detour through some of the Lagos streets (this is mainland Lagos) to avoid the gridlock on the main lanes. But then we were caught weaving in and out of narrow streets packed with people and motorcycles and other cars. In such situations, it’s helpful to have the police escort because they will, at times, stop and get out and yell at other drivers to get out of the way.

This trip to Benin was great. Thanks to Sheryl and Gordon for organizing it for folks of the Nigerian Field Society.

Biking the Third Mainland Bridge

2009-02-28T13:17:00.000-08:00

Bright and early on sanitation day, a groupof about 40 riders set off on a 30km trip from Ikoyi across the Third Mainland Bridge and back again. Below, everone is attentive to me and my instructions.

On the bridge, the sun rising over the lagoon.
Many fisherman out for their morning catch.

Collection of sand boats very near the turn around point, which is the first bridge on Ikoyi. These boats are being unloaded. If you look between the two boats on the left, you will see two men with large bowls of sand on their head. What hard work! When the boats are empty, they are much higher in the water. When they are full, any wake or waves from another boat will cause them to take on water and sink.

Brief stop at the turn around point (not all pictured here). Logs waiting in the que to go to the lumber yard. It is a really amazing site. Lumber yard. Terrible but true... Poopin' where they fish! See the two men squatting on the logs closest to the bottom edge of the photo... The government should really do something about the infrastructure in this country... if only there was adequate plumbing and sewage treatment!

Fishing with a net... Getting ready to throw it out....

...out it goes...

...see the circular mark in the water, that is the edge of the net where the weights are...
...pulling up the net as the weights on the edge close in around the fish. Again, and again, and again...
View of buildings on lagos Island, near the marina.

Relaxin' by the pool after the ride.

Get ready for the next ride in the Fall 2009.

Past bike rides with links to blog post:
November 2008 ride cancelled as sanitation day was cancelled.

February 2008

November 2007

Ikogbo Masquerade Festival

2009-02-15T18:14:00.001-08:00

Link to a Nigerian Field Society trip I went on but never wrote about...

GLO Lagos 5K Corporate Fun Run

2009-02-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

The day was a bit overcast, good for a 5K run, but warm and humid. It was the GLO corporate run and we recruited a bunch of folks from work to participate, some that run all the time and some that don't but this has motivated them to. I was excited to be one of the people motivating others to get out and run or walk. We did try to put together a team of fast people and they did fantastic, taking first place and winning 1 million naira (~$6700; 150naira:$1) which will be donated to the Nigerian Heart Foundation. The team consisted of all men but we had one Nigerian woman Uche who should have been on the fast team as she performed excellently taking first place overall for women. I think I took 5th place for women but they are sorting out a computer glitch so I hope I get it (I should). The prize will be a Blackberry and 100,000 naira airtime (~$670). Friend Jonathan who was on the 1st place team also won 5th place overall for men. It was a great day. Everyone finished and had fun, which was the point of the day.

Picture before the run. Unfortunately not all team members are in the picture.

It was finally confirmed by video evidence that I was the 4th woman to cross the line... I am waiting for my Blackberry and airtime minutes. ; )

UPDATE: GLO presented he awards at a ceremony and I was asked to come to reeive my gift. It was presented to me as if it was a Blackberry (it was in a bag) and I trusted them. Big Mistake! They gave me a SIM card with no minutes on it and a USB wireless modem. One I realized I had been duped, I let them know and I was told they had no Blackberrys available (BS!) and that they owed me a 50,000 naira airtime minutes. I won't hold my breathe waiting on that!

Stay tuned as next weekend is the GLO Lagos Half Marathon.

Weekend in Idanre

2009-02-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

I don't have time to post much now but I will post 2 videos that shows how beautiful the area around Idanre, Nigeria is. Idanre is located east of Lagos in Ondo state and the drive was about 4.5 hours long to get there.

Bob was not on this trip as he was in Houston for business. ; (

Thirteen people in a caravan of five cars departed Lagos on Saturday morning. Enroute to Idanre, we stopped at a rampart in Epe, a 100km long wall from the 10th Century that used to surround an old kingdom. The areas outside the wall was considered sacred.

Just after Epe, we had an encounter with the infamous sticker boys, people stopping cars to get them to buy local state stickers they say are required to drive on. Sharon and Jonathan’s driver, in the front vehicle with the guard, violently swerved the car toward them to avoid having to stop and nearly rolled the car. It was a very unsafe move and a stupid move when you are with a caravan of cars. The sticker boys threw a stick with nails (a common practice here) in front of the second vehicle who ran it over requiring us to make a short stop down the road to get the tire repaired. I was in the last vehicle and had no idea any of this was going on in front of me.

After many police stops along the way (20+), we checked into the Rock Valley Hotel and then broke up unto two groups, one group that was hiking (group of three) and one group that was biking. Ten people (me included) set out at 2PM for what we thought was a 2.5 hour bike ride but it ended up being 5 hours long and strenuous but fun. The scenery, with Yosemite-like views, was beautiful along the road which went around one of the large granite outcrops (inselberg) through small villages. The first stop along the way was to see the drying of the cocoa beans (300 naira/kg) and down the road Sharon opened a cocoa pod for us to see and taste the goop around the seeds… None for me please! One by one, people got off their bikes and into the SAG wagon that followed us (which ran out of water) or the one that eventually met us from the other direction (met us late but had water). Since we did not anticipate such a long ride, most of us ran out of water or were very low on water which was one of the major reasons folks stopped riding and hopped in the car. Five of the ten completed the whole ride and I am happy to say one of them was me. Back at the hotel we ate a dinner of chicken and chips (fries) or fish and rice. The food was good but the chickens here are very skinny! ; )

On Sunday, the goal was to hike up on top of the inselberg and to get there we ascended over 700 steps and stopped at a few very nice view points. On the hike, we came across a hunter who used a sling shot to kill rodents and he happened to have made a kill that day (see below). Jonathan wanted to see how good the hunter’s accuracy was so he asked him to aim for a particular tree. He aimed his sling shot but missed a few times over, but he was close. We walked through an old village up on the inselberg but it is uninhabited now. As I said before, the views were beautiful. We hiked down a steep rock face to “The Footprint,” a foot-shaped depression in the rock that is used to determine if you are a witch or sorcerer. If you place your foot on it, and it gets stuck, then you are one! Sheryl’s foot fit but she was not a witch. I could have told you that! I did not try! ; ) We walked to the peak to take in the views and then walked to an overview of Idanre, where old unused chalets exist. We may have to come back here to camp.

We hiked back down and reached the bottom about noon and started our drive home which took 5 hours and we had not police stops… they much have all been in church.

A link to another trip write up posted on the Nigerian Field Society page.

New Skirt made with the Fabric from Balogun Market

2009-02-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I did some shopping at Balogun Market in search of fabric to make a skirt to go with my fuschia shirt. Here it is. I really like it, though I don't think this picture of me is too great, sort mug-shot like!

Notice on Bathroom Wall in Lagos Bar

2009-02-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

Girls
You are welcome to XXXXXX Music Bar as long as you don’t create a problem or disturbance.
We don’t prejudice or filter who is allowed into XXXXXX Music Bar until you cause a problem.

Rules
Show Respect at all times
Don’t rush the customers
Don’t approach men until they have been served their 1st drink
Don’t approach men accompanied by other women
Don’t persist or keep pushing after a customer has said No or said that he isn’t interested

You will be bounced if:
You break one of the above rules
You disturb customers so that they complain
You fight with the bouncers, customers, employees or other girls

You will be banned if:
You cheat customers (here or there)
You steal from customers (here or there)
We receive two or more complaints about you from customers
A regular customer requests that you be banned
You fight or argue with the bouncers

Customers can call a bouncer at any time to have you removed if you are disturbing them.

What to Bring and What Not to Bring when Moving to Lagos

2009-02-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

I have been asked many times what should folks bring when moving here. Bob and I came to Lagos for business about a month prior to moving here so we had the opportunity to go to the stores and see what we could buy in country. As I recently mentioned in a post, you can get almost anything here but you will likely pay for it. While you may find a certain item at the grocery store one week, odds are it won't be there next week. Grab it if you see something you want. I buy Dr. Pepper (for about $1 a can) whenever I can find it!

Electronics
If you are coming from Houston, go to East-West electronics and get your step down transformers to covert the 200V power to 110V so that you can use your 110 appliances if you choose to bring them. We saw that the transformers were available in Lagos but the quality is not very good. We brought all our 110V appliances as we did not see the point in buying all new stuff and putting our stuff in Houston storage only to retrieve it 3 or more (hopefully more) years later.

Pictures
I brought a picture printer so I can print pictures to give to people, especially the people that let me take their picture! Bring replacements ink cartridges and paper too!

TV
We bought a TV and surround sound in Lagos. If I could do it again I would probably bring it in my shipment. I think we paid a little more buying it here. We did buy dual voltage so that we could take it anywhere we go next. The good thing about buying it here is that we had it right away and did not have to wait for our shipment, which took 4 months to get here.

Couch
We brought our couch. Most couches here are stiff and not very comfortable.

Paper Products
The toilet paper form the US is heaven compared to the stuff here and the paper towels that I have bought here disintegrated in my hand once they got wet.

Laundry Detergent
Laundry Detergent is Expensive as it is imported from Europe. If you are a brand snob, then bring what you want because you won't find it here. This applies to more than just detergent.

Sports Equipment
There are lots of activities to do here in Lagos. You can join the Ikoyi Club and play tennis, squash, golf, or swim. Membership is expensive but tennis coaches are not. Bring your own gear including shoes. If you like to sail, join the Lagos Yacht Club to sail (or learn to sail) Lightnings or Hobie Cats. Bring your own life jacket and sailing gloves. We enjoy biking and have our mountain bikes with road slicks here. We have done some road biking but mostly enjoy mountian biking in Idanre or IITA.

Food
As I mentioned, you can get many items here but you just pay for it. I bring olive oil and canola oil in my shipment as it is very expensive here. Canned goods are more expensive but available. If you have a shipment, then bring some goods if you want but don't go overboard.

I will post more if I think of something else.

Camping at Wreck Beach

2009-02-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

What a great night. Jonathan had planned a camping trip some time ago and it finally happened. We left the dock and headed to the beach about 3PM on Saturday arriving at 4PM. We had lots of gear and lots of help to get it to the beach (1 km walk). We hoped to find the village bale (chief) to ask permission to stay the night but he was not around. Hopefully he won't have a problem with it when we see him in the AM. Upon arrival I passed out about 20 pictures I had taken on previous trips and they were really pleased. A number of people were very happy that I brought them, which made me very happy.

Next we hit the waves on our boards (four boogies boards and one surfboard) and some of the sets were very big. It was exciting, as always.

About 6PM we set up our tents and started dinner. Everyone fended for themselves but there was enough food so much was shared. The locals gathered some firewood and grass to burn. The fire was nice and added to the atmosphere (ambiance), though the heat was not needed. The weather was comfortable but a bit wet and sticky. All were off to bed by 10PM.

Most rose by 7AM to get in a few rides before packing up and heading out at 9AM. I stayed dry and snapped some photos.

Local man from the village fixing his fishing net.

The village bale (chief).

We got home around 11AM with plenty of time to clean up and have a relaxing afternoon. It was a great trip but it would have been better if Bob had been there. He would have enjoyed it.

Lagos Marathon Registration Extended with Excellent Prizes

2009-01-31T01:24:00.000-08:00

From the website:

The 2nd Glo-Lagos International Half Marathon comes up on February 21 2008 and is a 21.098km race. Cash prizes totaling over N35 million are up for grabs in the half marathon with the winners (male & female) getting $50,000 each. The introduction of second level prizes for the first six Nigerian finishers in the race has raised excitement among local runners and increased the demand for registration materials. Globacom is offering a brand new Kia Picanto car for the first Nigerian male and female winners. The second set of Nigerians to finish the race in the male and female categories will get N1,000,000 each. Globacom will also cap the special provision for the Nigerian runners with N750,000 each for the third Nigerians in the male & female categories to finish the race.

Registration deadline extended until February. Stop by a GLO location or Register Online.

Goat Detained Over Armed Robbery - Lagos, Nigeria

2009-01-26T11:15:00.001-08:00

Bob ran across a gem of an article this evening. Read for yourself!

Goat Detained Over Armed Robbery

I have not heard too much about black magic here though I have heard a few stories... and I have walked through a JuJu market but they would not let me take any pictures.

Sample of a few grocery items and the cost here in Lagos

2009-01-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

I ran out of cereal so I made a trip to Goodies Supermarket to pick some up, along with any other items that might catch my eye. I ended up spending $10 on cereal, $6 on Crystal Light (4-pack) and $5 on Nesquik chocolate drink mix.

To determine the US$ equivalent, I used the current exchange rate of 150 Naira to the US dollar. A few months back the exchange rate was about 120 Naira to the US dollar. If I bought these items a few months ago it would have set me back $26, but this week it set me back a whopping $21. I think this would have cost about $14 if I had bought it in the US.

This grocery chain is owned by some Lebanese people. I sure wish my money was going into the hands of Nigerians!

Life in Nigeria - No Complaints!

2009-01-25T01:55:00.001-08:00

On a recent post I was asked for advice by a family who is considering moving here. They essentially asked what the pros and cons are of life here. I was a reluctant to post based on a recent negative comment I got on the blog, but what I post is just my opinion based on my limited experiences over the past two years. Prior to coming to Nigeria I had traveled to few other countries so I can only compare my experiences here to what my life has been like growing up in the US.

As you know from my blog I do not have any children but I do know many folks who live here and do. There is a good American International School that goes through grade 11 and a British Junior School and High School. The kids take part in many sporting activities; just like at home... soccer (no American football), baseball/softball, etc. The kids (and parents) have the opportunity to interact with kids (and parents) from around the world, an opportunity anyone would benefit from.

The positives of life in Lagos - Nigerians are very family oriented and most people are very friendly. You get to learn about a new culture and travel to places you might not travel if you did not live here. A safari is a MUST do and I highly recommend that the families get out to see Nigeria, it is an amazing country. Go to the Nigerian Field Society website and check out the trips and talks section. They do run kid-friendly trips. The weather here is good, it does not get too hot though it can be humid (not as hot and humid as summer in Houston) nor does it get too cold (coldest in Lagos is this time of year and the temperature drops to about 65 degrees Fahrenheit).

The negatives of life in Lagos - Based on my experience or discussions with expats, many things that should be easy to take care of seem to take lots of effort and follow through. Some people (maintenance, for example) won't respond to you until you ask over and over again. I must say that I have had similar problems in the US with cable TV or telephone companies. The infrastructure needs work but with so many people living in Lagos I can see how it can be very difficult to manage. Most apartment complexes that I have been in (not many) have constant or intermittent plumbing problems and dehumidifiers run 24/7. To have power all the time (which many Nigerians do not have), generators are needed therefore there is always the hum of generators running… and horn honking. The traffic and the driving style here is challenging and to me there seems to be no order to it. I do not drive much as I am not aggressive enough and we have a driver to take us to work and back (most expats do for security reasons). The only other issue is access to the goods you are used to though you can get most things here, at a cost. I ran out of cereal so I need to shop for a $10 box of cereal today!

I struggled with posting this as I really have nothing to complain about. Unfortunately many expats who come here focus too much on the negatives and not enough on the positives. I think I tend to focus on the positives!

I hope this helps!

Wreck Beach

2009-01-19T18:30:00.000-08:00

Shipwreck Beach... again... but never boring. As usual, the shifting sands exposing new parts of the wreck not seen before. An upcoming post will show how the beach has changed over the last two years.

Beautiful palm trees in the background, beach hut and umbrellas on the left, boats along the beach and plenty of trash on the beach.

The group relaxing in the shade. Pictured from L to R is Joanne, Gord, Kevin, Ingo and Sheryl.

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Kids from the village standing in front of their cassava plantation.

One of the boys next to the water well.

Some of the people from the village

The people that help us carry our stuff to the beach.

A close up of momma and her baby.

I have many photos of this woman and her baby. I will print all the photos shown (and more) and take them back on my next visit as I always do.

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Sheryl and GordIngo and Joanne

Kevin and Lisa

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Sand for construction is collected by hand from Badagry Creek. The sand boats start off empty and are filled up over the course of the day by a few men with small buckets. Lucky for them the water is not too deep (I don't think). Pictures taken at about 10AM.

By 2:30PM the boats are partially filled which requires our boat driver to drive by slowly so that the sand boats do not take on water and sink! Once filled they boats are towed to their sales point and the men move the sand with shovels. These men work VERY hard.

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Partially sunken ships, like the two on the right in the picture below,

are a common sight in the Lagos Harbor.

While there are nice boats in Lagos, I think this is one of the nicest ones I have seen to date!

Local Markets

2009-01-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, Jan. 10, Joanne, Lynn and I went to Lekki Market. Joanne needed to get some gifts and I had not been in a while so I wanted to see if there was anything I needed (OK, wanted). I bought some book ends and I later found out Lynn did too! I also bought some DVDs! Shhhhhh! Here is a photo of one of the fabric stalls at the market. The colors are so vibrant and there are so many styles that it is overwhelming and beautiful.

Today, Jan 17, a group of us (Dupe, me, Joanne, Chris, Peggy, Fred, Kay and Sam) went to Balogun Market to get some fabric. A cornucopia of fabric (from Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Senegal, Mali and Indonesia and more), lace and embroidered fabric can be found on Balogun St., and on surrounding streets/alleyways. Balogun St. has more than just fabric... it has anything and everything.

The fabric stall where I bought my fabric (see below). Dupe, our guide, my friend,

masseuse and designer, is the one on the right.

Picture of me in front of the same fabric stall.
I was on a mission to get some fabric to go with a fuschia blouse I had recently purchased online. The options were endless but I was looking for something versatile, something I could wear with more than just the fuschia blouse. Below is a picture of my Ghanian fabric which I purchased 6 yards of for 1800 naira ($13 based on 140N/$1). I willl post a picture of me in the shirt and skirt when it is complete!

The market off the main street.

Picture taken from the stall above.

Piture taken from same stall looking the other direction.

Helmet Law being enforced in Nigeria

2009-01-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

A helmet law is now being enforced in Nigeria, as of January 1. I hope the okada rider above was just making a joke and was really not using this bucket as a helmet (notice the extra helmet on the handlebars) but I hate to say that this is probably his helmet (maybe the other one is to small or is for his second passenger). Most riders now have something on their head but unfortunately not anything that would protect them if they have an accident. Lots of riders have construction helmets or other helmets that do not fit properly. Many news articles (NPR, BBC, Reuters) say some Nigerians were wearing fruit on their head but I did not see that, nor do I believe it. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the law to no longer be enforced. My next task is to try to find good helmets for our driver's wife and Nigerian friends that we know take okadas often as we really want them to be as safe as possible (riding an okada is not safe).

2008 Summary... 2009 Plans...

2009-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

2008 Travel Summary
We had a busy year and are happy to be here in Nigeria as we have many great experiences here in country and in our travels within Africa.
We travelled within Nigeria to many places including Osogbo, Kano, Abeokuta & Ibadan.
We hiked Mt. Cameroon in Cameroon, then travelled to southeastern Nigeria.
I visited Benin Republic, Togo, & Ghana.
We visited Namibia.
I travelled to Houston to deal with Hurricane Ike damage to our house.
We went to South Africa for work (rough, I know!) and had a few play days there.
We visited Ethiopia.
Overall I stepped foot in 9 different countries this year. Unfortunately Bob was unable to go to Benin, Togo & Ghana as he had to travel to Houston for business. He did go to London to visit family on a trip back from Houston so he was in 7 countries.

That record is going to be hard to beat!

2009 Tentative Travel Plans
Camping in Nigeria in various locations
Benin Republic
Eastern Nigeria / Western Cameroon
US to visit family since we did not go in 2008
Uganda
Maybe another trip... Mt. Kilimanjaro?

New Years Eve in Lagos

2008-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

The end of 2008 / beginning of 2009 was celebrated

at the Lagos Yacht Club. Here are some pictures of the celebrants...

Lynn, Joanne & Lisa

Dan, Bob & Ingo
Dan, Joanne & Bob hanging out on the perch
used to repair the sail boat masts.Sparklers at midnight!
More sparklers... Joanne & Ingo

Dan & LynnBob & Lisa (decorated with stars on my arm).

CHEERS TO A WONDERFUL 2009!

Ethiopia post published, see below

2008-12-27T06:39:00.001-08:00

Scroll down to December 16th to see the Ethiopia post. I may go back and add more figure captions... or I may not! I need a break from the blog but want to get caught up over the holiday. I still have to post on out trip to South Africa in October and I should post on our trip to Kano for the Durbar festival, also in October.

Blog Stats

2008-12-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

Last May I started using SiteMeter to track visits to the blog. Since then, I have almost 14,000 blog visits/page views. Thanks for your help setting this up Bridget!
Check out where the last 100 views came from...

Christmas Eve Feast

2008-12-24T19:00:00.000-08:00

You may be wondering how we spent Christmas eve. We had a great night down by the pool at our complex with about 30 other folks that are spending the holidays in Lagos. The food was organized by Rachel, Sarah and ? (don't recall her name) with help from many. We had two turkeys and honey baked ham, brought in from the states, along with all the fav dishes - stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, corn stuffing, salad, potatoes, cauliflower casserole and more. For dessert there was pecan, pumpkin and cherry pie, rum balls, fudge, macaroons, homemade chocolate candies, brownies and our frosted cookies. The food and company made for a great night.

Happy Holidays 2008

2008-12-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year

Lisa & Bob

Cookie Decorating

2008-12-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

Even when we can't be with Bob's family for the holiday, we try to carry on the cookie decorating tradition. This time I did not have to make the cookies! Thanks to Daniel!

Bob and me

Joanne and Ingo
Lynn and Dan All the cookies...

Ethiopia, an amazing country!

2008-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Ethiopia “is famous for its 1984 devastating famine as well as for its Olympic distance athletes, rock-hewn churches and the origin of the Coffee bean.” (Wikipedia) The rock-hewn churches were amazing, considered by some as the Eighth Wonder of the World, and for non-coffee drinkers the coffee, which we drank every morning, was yummy.

Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar consisting of twelve months of thirty days each and a thirteenth month of five days, six days in a leap year. The calendar is about eight years behind the Western (Gregorian) calendar. The Ethiopian New Year begins on the first day of the month of Meskerem, which falls on September 11th on the Gregorian calendar. Ethiopia is three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The 12-hour clock is sometimes used locally, although all are familiar with European time, which can be confusing to tourists. The first cycle starts with "one" at 7 A.M. and goes on to "twelve" at 6 P.M. The second cycle starts at 7 P.M. with "one" and goes on to 6 A.M. at "twelve.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6
We arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at 6AM, got a visa (very quick and costs $20), went through immigration and changed money. We ran to the domestic terminal next door with 45 minutes to go before our plane was to depart, only to find that it was delayed for 2 hours. Bummer! The airport was basic but nice and breakfast was good, the first of many scrambled egg or omelete meals.

We arrived in Bahir Dar at about 11AM and were shuttled to the Summerland Hotel by Solomon, the young man who would help us make arrangements in town. Our first stop was Blue Nile Falls. We were taken to a point upriver of the falls where we crossed the river to begin our hike to the top of the falls, which was not far. The waterfall is not as large in width as it used to be as 75% of the water is routed through a power plant, nonetheless the 40m waterfall was beautiful. Along the way I bought some fabric and we bought some sugar cane to try. I had a hard time eating it but Bob and Jonathan munched away at the sticky sweet treat. We crossed the river downstream of the falls and had a captivating view from a point above the falls and continued to hike towards where our car would pick us up. We crossed the river on a bridge built be the Portuguese in the early 17th century. Very nice. I like bridges!

After the Blue Nile falls we asked our driver to drop us at the Blue Nile River where we hoped to see hippos! Didn’t see any… We saw lots of big birds but I am not sure what kind they were… we forgot the binoculars! We enjoyed a beer and watched the sun set over Lake Tana and then headed off to try Ethiopian food at a place recommended in our guide books, the Bahir Dar Hotel. The food was… not so good. We ordered shiro, tibs and kitfo and went home hungry. All meals are served with injera, a type of pancake made from the teff grain and is used to pick up the meat and has a slightly sour taste. I am not sure why they don’t eat more beef with the number of healthy looking cows. Most of their meals are made with sheep. Bob and I lost weight!

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7
Sunday we woke up early, ate breakfast and set out at 7:30AM on a boat to see the monasteries on Lake Tana. Our first stop was the Narge Selassie monastery on Dek Island which we reached via a slow boat ride at 10:20AM. Greeting us were fishermen in papyrus boats. The monastery was a circular structure with timber beam construction and large wood doors. The interior was vibrantly painted with scenes depicting stories of the bible. St. George, the patron saint of Ethiopia, can be found painted inside all churches and is depicted slaying the dragon.

Other monasteries visited are Ura Kidane Mihret and Azua Maryam, two circular churches, Kibram Gabriel (typically closed to women and Bob and Jonathan found out it was closed for renovation when they got there), and Debra Maryam (constructed of stones brought from Jeruselum and all paintings have been ruined).

All churches have a sacred area reserved only for the priests called the Holy of Holies and typically hold a replica of the Arc of the Covenant.

The boat ride took us to the start of the Blue Nile River, where it exits Lake Tana, which meets up with the White Nile in Khartoun, Sudan (headwaters of Lake Victoria), then flows into Egypt to empty into the Mediterranean Sea. The Blue Nile Gorge, which we saw from the plane, is the Grand Canyon of Ethiopia.

We asked our guide Abeba where he would like to go if he could go anywhere. He said he wanted to see the Taj Mahal and the Serengeti desert.

It was amazing to see the amount of Obama paraphernalia in Ethiopia. We had dinner at the Obama Restaurant where Bob had really good pizza. We tried an Ethiopian chicken dish (doro wat) but decided from there on out to rely on the pasta typically available due to the Italian influence.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 8
Early we met up with our driver Johnnie and hopped in our 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser enroute to Gondar. We were promised a newer model but could do nothing as it came from Addis Ababa. It worked out just fine. Along the way we saw lots of people walking, many of them with sticks that I assumed were used to prod and guide the cattle or umbrellas to protect from the heat. We saw numerous Italian tanks from the late 1930’s invasion, and a few sick people being carried on stretchers to the nearest town with a hospital. The Guzara Castle, located on a hilltop overlooking Lake Tana, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the late 16th century, and was partially restored with US funds in 2004. I noticed a sign as we were driving past so we asked Johnnie to turn around so we could visit the church. As we were driving there we saw kids running toward the car and they greeted us when we got to the parking area. One man first told us that we could not visit but we told him we were American and paid for the restoration so he had to let us see it. He let us see it after negotiating a price.

Upon arriving in Gondar, we went straight to the Royal Enclosure and took a tour to hear the history of the many castles. Gondar was the capital of Ethiopia for 200 years beginning in the late 17th century. Emperor Fasiladas’ Castle was the grandest and has had significant renovation and the upper level (of three levels) was being restored when we visited. Many castles that I have seen typically only have the walls remaining but this castle had the floors restored so you could get a feel for how grand the rooms were. Other buildings include Iyasu’s, Bakafa’s and Menteweb’s (a woman) castle. We then went to the famous Debra Birhan Selassie but we could not visit as mass was taking place and we did not have time to wait given our itinerary. I was bummed as this is the church that some of the Lake Tana churches are modeled after and was the most important church in 18th century Gondar and was the site of several royal burials. We wanted to go to the Royal Bath next but Johnnie said he spoke to a friend in town who said there were riots near the bath. The riots/stoning were between Muslims and Christians because the Christians were upset the Muslims wanted to build a mosque near their church. This day was a Muslim holiday to observe Eid-ul-Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice). We drove to the hilltop Goha Hotel to get a view of town and decided to try going to the Royal Bath before heading out of town. It was very quiet when we got there. The building in the center of the bath was under renovation and surrounded by scaffolding. It is the thought to be the second home of King Fasiladas and is the location of an annual Epiphany ceremony that takes place in Gondar in late January.

Like many places we visited, we were the only tourists. High tourism season is over the Christmas / New Year period but I think high season in Ethiopia sees few visitors.

A beautiful drive took us to Debark, the town is at an elevation of about 2800m (9200ft) at the base of the Simien Mountains, where we stayed for two nights. The Simien Park Hotel where we stayed had new rooms and was only $18/night with a hot shower. It was cold when we arrived (5PM) and we went for a walk to get a beer in a local bar, then grabbed dinner. Most people walk, ride bikes or get around using horse- or mule-drawn carts. Very few vehicles are used. Debark was relatively clean and had no piles of trash, like Lagos does.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9
Today we went hiking in the Simien Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage site. If we had more time, we would have loved to camp. The hiking trail, which leads to Ras Dashen the highest peak in Ethiopia at 4543m (~14,900ft), parallels the road and is right along the edge of a 1000m (~3300ft) escarpment. The scenery was stunning! I wish the visibility was a little better.
Our guide was Bini and he was smart and funny. He said he wanted to go to Mt. Kenya, Baltimore, Maryland (to see the beaches he said - I told him of CA beaches), and the Grand Canyon. Our scout (armed guide) was Kidani, a 52 year-old man who looked MUCH older.
Early in the hike we saw the endemic gelada baboons documented in the DVD series Planet Earth (see Mountains DVD). At one point we saw about 100 of them and they allowed us to get up close. We ate lunch at Sankaber Camp then hiked to the Jinbar waterfall (400m/1300ft) in Gich Abyss and saw some klipspringer and more baboons. Our hike ended there due to time limitations but we decided to drive as far as we could go, to Chenneck Camp, thick with giant lobelias and gorgeous views in all directions.
Back in Debark after a 2 hour drive from Chenneck, we had a candle lit dinner as the power went out for about 3 hours, the first power outage experienced in Ethiopia.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10
We departed Debark early enroute for Axum. Along the way we saw baobab trees along the banks of the Tagane River, ate lunch in Shire, stopped to see teff threshing, and arrived in Axum at 3PM.

Teff threshing using cattle... the cattle crush the husk and the teff grains are collected through sifting in the air (lower picture).

Our first stop was the museum and main obelisk field, a UNESCO World Heritage site. One obelisk was returned in 2005 by the Italians (taken about 70 years ago) and had just been erected, a huge event in Axum. Scaffolding surrounded the two largest obelisks as they stabilize the new one and testing the soil beneath the old one. A third large obelisk laid on the ground in pieces and was said to have fallen while erecting it 1600 years ago. Below ground were 10+ empty tombs, one for King Romehia.
We checked into the Ark Hotel, another $18/night hotel (smelled like sewage, annoying mosquitoes and a loud road), ate dinner with candle light again, and went to bed.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11
In Axum we visited the Mary of Zion church, built in 1965 by Haile Selassie so that women could worship. Our tour guide was Deacon Michael and he explained all of the buildings on the compound. The chandelier was donated by Queen Elizabeth and in the church was the oldest book (so they say) in Ethiopia (goat skin used as paper). The museum displayed many old crowns, traditional clothing worn by the king, umbrellas and musical instruments. Bob and Jonathan visited the oldest functioning church in the compound (women forbidden), built by King Fasiladas in 1665 on the site of sub-Saharan Africa’s oldest church (destroyed). In a chapel on the grounds built by the queen in 1950, resides the Ark of the Covenant (so they say), to be seen by only one monk.
From there we saw King Basen’s tomb (empty, of course) and Queen of Sheba’s pool which is now the local water reservoir. We then stopped at a juice place to drink thick mango, papaya and avocado juice. It was a meal.

Our next stop was Yeha, the oldest standing church (or the walls anyway) dating back 2500 years ago, and the center of a monastic Christian community in the 6th century. Adjacent to the ruins was a newer monastery, that we could not enter, and a museum. This part of Ethiopia really looks like the southwestern US, with the many buttes.

On to Debre Damo, a 6th century monastery where visitation by women – while they are alive – is forbidden. This was one of the sites that Bob and Jonathan really looked forward to because it required effort to get there. The monastery is perched on a 2300m(~7500ft) high butte. To get to the monastery one has to climb up a 15m high wall, with the aid of a leather rope. All food, supplies and building materials must go up this cliff. I waited at the bottom and showed all my photos to the local kids while Bob and Jonathan got the tour. On the cliff top (~0.5km2) is the main church, built of layers of wood and whitewashed stone, a secondary church, rock-hewn tombs, 150 houses, 150 monks, 200 students, and 150 water reservoirs. Recently electricity was extended up onto the cliff top. Along the cliff face are many hermit caves where the hermits stay 24/7. They are lowered bread and water and when they no longer accept the food they are assumed dead and someone is sent to retrieve the body and then another hermit moves into the cave. Such dedication!

The main road between Bizet and Adigrat was closed due to construction but luckily the bypass road was the one we had taken to get to Debre Damo, so we continued on that road and gave a local student a ride to town. He said he travels 35km from school to the monastery every day to pray. When we arrived in Agridat, we noticed a significant military presence (more than normal according to our driver) as we were ~8km from the disputed Eritrea border. We stayed at the Hohona Hotel for about $20/night and had another night with a candlelit dinner.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12
We were all excited (I was nervous) to get to make the precarious climb to Abuna Yemata Guh, by far the most spectacular church we visited, primarily due to its location. This is a rock-hewn church that takes some nerve to get to (45 minute hike up). The description in the Lonely Planet and the Bradt guide was such that I thought there was a good chance I would not be making it to see the church. My fear of heights is growing over time but I can get over it if I feel secure (roped in) but in this case we were not. One point of the climb was a 30ft vertical wall that we had to climb, for the most part using good hand holds but it was nerve racking not being roped in as the wall was vertical. A shorter vertical stretch followed which took us to a small flat area with 200m drop on both sides. From there we had to walk along the rock face and a 4 foot ledge along the 200m drop off. The church was carved into the rocks with carved pillars and beautifully painted ceilings. Many of the photos did not turn out too well as we were not allowed to use a flash and failed to bring a tripod. On the way down, the guides pointed out the tomb with mummified remains. Thanks to Bob and Jonathan for putting up with my whining and I would not have made it without your support.

Abuna Yemate Guh is on the other side of the pinnacle accessed through the notch.

Hopefully these pictures capture the vertical climb and show that once you are near the top, there are 200m sheer drops on one or two sides. Yikes!

From the base of the cliffs we, based on incorrect info from the local kids, hiked to two more rock-hewn churches, Debre Maryam Khorkor and Daniel Khorkor, on the adjacent hilltop. The kids told us the hike to the next churches would be shorter but it was twice as long (1.5 hours) with one long jump (or stretch for me as I was too chicken to jump) and no water.

Debre Maryam Khorkor

Tired and thirsty, we waited for the priest to open the church.

The hike from Debre Maryam Khorkor to Daniel KhorkorOn the ledge outside Daniel Khorkor church... one wrong step and see ya!

The hike to/from the Khorkor churches We headed to Machew, stopping quickly to visit Abreha we Atsbeha church, and stayed at the seediest hotel yet, The Lemelem Hotel, for a whopping $8/night. We both slept in out sleeping bags at this place, partly because it was freezing but mostly because it was nasty. Initially ther toilet was not plumbed and three was no toilet seat. They had to fix this for us to stay!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13
We departed early for Lalibela (via Sekota), one of the main attractions in Ethiopia, and another UNESCO World Heritage site. The drive took 9 hours but we did stop at a small village along the way to see what life was like there (rough! – many flies as they focused on breeding livestock, some of the kids eyes were covered with crust and flies) and took a detour to see the Yemrehanna Kristos monastery built in a cave. The monastery was constructed of limestone from Jerusalem and wood from Egypt and in the cave was 5000+ mummies of pilgrims that came from Egypt, Syria and Jeruslaem to worship in mediaeval times. We were asked to take the priest to Lalibela so we abliged and stopped at Arbuta Insesa along the way, a basic sunken semi-monolith church surrounded by scaffolding.

Yemrehanna KristosWe arrived in Lalibela at 4:30PM, checked out a few hotels and decided to stay in the Tukul Village hotel for a spendy $45/night including breakfast. We had a good dinner and headed out to partake in local taj (honey wine) and Ethiopian shoulder dancing at the Torpedo House (aka Askelach Taj House) which ended up being more of a stand-up act with audience participation (faranji (foreigner) participation). It was the Ethiopian Sonny and Cher show. I was a little bothered because they spoke in the local Amharic language so we heard the translated version and I am not so sure I believed the translation. That aside, the dancing they did do was great. We all had our chance to try while in the spotlight and I must say that it is hard to move your upper body without moving your lower body! Here is a link to a video on YouTube by the artist Kebebush. The name of the song is Eyale Megalo. Check out the dancing. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14
The 11 rock-hewn churces of Lalibela were said to have been built over a period of 23 years from 1157-1189, with help from the angels according to legend. Our guide Tadesse was a bright guy and taught us lots! At the time the churches were built, Lalibela was called Rohan. We first visited the Northern Cluster with the largest monolith church Bet Medhane Alem built 11.5m high with 72 pillars (36 on the inside, 36 on the outside), representing the disciples, and Axum and Latin cross windows. Carved into the surrounding walls are tombs or hermits caves. In this church was the 800 year old 7kg cross made of gold, which is only brought out on Sundays so we were lucky to see it. This cross was stolen in 1997 and sold to a Belgium art collector. Though there are inconsistencies in the story details, it was returned 1n 1999 and still used in the church.

Bet Maryam, the House of St. Mary, is another monolith with detailed paintings and carvings on the ceiling. All other churches are semi-monoliths or connected to the rock wall by at least one side. The House of Cross (Bet Meskel), a narrow church, has 10 arches, representing the 10 commandments. Also visited were the House of Virgin (Bet Danaghel), the Twin Churches of St. Michael and Golagotha (no women allowed), and a dedication to Mt. Calvary, the tomb of Adam and Eve.

My favorite church, Bet Gyorgis, is a 15m high monolith built in the shape of a symmetrical cruciform tower for St. George. It was excavated below ground level with a sunken courtyard surrounding it. In a tomb carved in the wall were some mummified remains. We ate lunch at the Unique restaurant for some unique pizza. It was cooked on a large, flat, circular stove with tomato sauce and vegetable. We went in the back (curious Jonathan) to see how it was being cooked and saw the sanitary conditions we expected… raw meat and vegetables being cut on a small table very low to the ground. It tasted good though!

The Southeast Cluster of rock-hewn churches consisted of the:
Twin churches Bet Gabriel & Bet Rafael – basic, functional semi-monolith churches
Bet Lehem – a primitive structure, thought to be the home of King Lalibela’s horse
Bet Mercurios was reached via a 35m dark tunnel (the tunnel from Hell to Heaven) and was the second largest church prior to its partial collapse more than 400 years ago.
Bet Emanuel is a 12m high monolith with 3 stories. Nine rooms symbolize the 9 saints and 4 pillars represent the 4 evangelists. There are many cracks and pockmarks (bullet holes?) in the church exterior. This is one of the most photographed churches.
Bet Abba Libanos is separated from the rock on all four sides but connected at the roof.

Sunglasses to protect from the flash! As of 9 months ago, these churches are covered to protect them from the elements. While it may be protecting them, the scaffolding really takes away from the photos!

We ended the evening with some sunset beers overlooking the nearby valley then some rug shopping which may have been a mistake as they smell like a barn!

MONDAY, DECEMBER 15
The morning was short; we had breakfast and Jonathan and I walked to the post office so I could mail some post cards. We then went to the airport where we sat for hours as our flight was delayed. To get to Addis Ababa, our flight was supposed to have gone from Lalibela, to Gondar, to Bahir Dar and then to Addis. Since there were plane problems, Ethiopian airlines rerouted those with international flights. Our flight went from Lalibela to Gondar and then to Addis. We had hoped we would have a decent amount of time in Addis to go the market but we only had time to go to Makush, an Italian restaurant/art gallery. It was good. Our flight departed late and arrived in Lagos at about 6AM Tuesday morning. Jonathan went to work while Bob and I relaxed at home.
I would recommend Ethiopia highly. The people are very nice. The weather when were there was perfect. In the highlands it was cold at night (no hotels or restaurants had heat) but sunny and dry (~75 degrees). The maps of Ethiopia are deceiving when trying to estimate time to the next destination. You really need a topo map, which we had thanks to Jonathan, to get an idea of the mountainous terrain we would be covering. There is also an art to dodging the many goats and cows on the road. Many people fly from Bahir Dar to Gondar to Axum to Lalibela but we chose to drive to see the country and we are glad we did. The roads are well maintained and zig zag up and over the mountains dissected by the many rivers.

WONDERFUL TRIP
BEAUTIFUL SCENERY
FRIENDLY PEOPLE
AMAZING CHURCHES/MONASTERIES

Amharic Language Basics:
Hello - Selam
Thank You - Ameseganalow
OK - ishee
Goodbye - Ciao!

Much of this info came from tour guides or from the Bradt Ethiopia book (4th Ed.).

We met a Canadian photographer at one of the churches and look forward to seeing his pictures.

Vacation in Ethiopia

2008-12-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

Bob, Jonathan and I are off to Ethiopia to tour the "Historic Route" in the north. Sharon we really wish you were going with us. Here is a great website with background and pics of many of the places we will be going. Woo Hoo!

Feb 2007, National Geographic Article on Nigerian Oil

2008-12-05T02:06:00.000-08:00

This National Geographic article came out the month before we moved to Nigeria.

Nigerian Fabric

2008-12-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

On a fabric shopping trip to Abeokuta in August, I bought some fabric that I thought would be great for a shirt for Bob. Here it is! I think it turned out great! We had a tailor copy a shirt that Bob bought in Thailand (Jim Thompson).

Lagos Webcams

2008-12-02T20:30:00.000-08:00

I was recently told there are webcams around Lagos. Check it out if you want to see what the traffic is like on Lekki Expressway near Shoprite (near the office where Bob and I work), on Eko Bridge which runs from Lagos Island onto the mainland (and is part of the Lagos half marathon route), and one Ikeja (on mainland Lagos) but I am not sure where.

Offshore Fishing

2008-11-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

Today was my first time fishing offshore Nigeria. Unfortunately Bob was not there as he was at work! ; ( I went with Jonathan (trip arranger), Sharon, Mike (fisherman friend with all the know-how and gear), Toussaint (S&J's cook), Steven (S&J's cook), Daniel (our cook, Toussaint's brother), and Johnson (Mike's driver). Lucky was our boat driver. We had a great day trolling for fish and snorkeling around some wrecks that were 0-50 feet below the water surface. The visibility was poor at the first wreck, which broke the surface of the water, and just got worse as the day went on. Here are some pics from the day.

Back Row (L to R)- Steven, Toussaint, Johnson, Lucky, Daniel, Mike; Front Row - Sharon, Jonathan
Here I am relaxing in the boat. Daniel is in the background as is one of the many wrecks poking through the water surface.

Toussaint (below) caught a small Mackerel, with Daniel and Mike by his side.Mike, smiling as always, and helping Daniel get trash off the line. We caught lots of plastic bags today and some water hyacinth!

Along with fishing was a bit of snorkeling and playing with the underwater camera. As I mentioned the visibility was poor so I took very few photos. Here is one from the first wreck with a fishing net and some colorful soft coral. While at the first wreck two guys came up with spear guns. They were catching all sorts of fish. We saw them again at the second wreck and they were diving down to the top of the wreck, at about 50 feet deep, then shooting a fish and slowly coming up. Mike had a spear gun that he was taking out for the first time into the ocean (he had practiced in the pool). We learned we all need to develop our lung capacity if we ever want to spear fish!

Just like in Dubai, they are trying to build some islands offshore by dredging sand and pumpng a sand slurry into the new island location. There were two Chinese ships doing this. In the background you can see that they are just offshore from the beach and I will be surprised if they can get the sand to accumulate with the currents here. Only time will tell!

The big fish award goes to Sharon. Great fight! She reeled in a 20 lb. Cobia, which was immediately put on ice and then bled and gutted soon after. Below is Sharon and Johnson back on the dock taking photos for proof (and having fun). Jonathan caught a Mackerel as did Toussaint.Toussaint and Daniel also wanted a picture to show off the catch of the day!
Once at home, we filleted the fish and grilled it up by the pool enjoying dinner outside.

It was a great day!

Toilet Situation in Lagos

2008-11-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

Warning: If you are easiliy disgusted then don't read on...

There are no public toilets in Lagos! Last year, after doing a fundraiser fun run, I needed to use the restroom as I had drank a lot of water. I was told there was no restroom and to go behind the building! I thought this was crazy! How can you run any kind of event with no toilets! That is the situation in Lagos. When looking for an article online about environmental day (also called sanitation day) being cancelled, I ran across this article online called When There is no Toilet... It really describes the situation here. On a typical drive you always see at least one person squatting in the bushes! Why doesn't the government do something!!! This is a health disaster waiting to happen!

Dignified Mobile Toilets, a company that rents mobile toilets, has a motto which is The Shit Business is Good Business!

Third Mainland Bridge Bike Ride

2008-11-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

I am now organizing the biannual Third Mainland Bridge bike rides for the Nigerian Field Society. We had about 35 riders signed up to ride the ~30km bike ride during environmental day this morning but I had to cancel the event on Friday afternoon. Envoronmental day is a day when people are to be cleaning and therefore are not to be on the road from 7AM to 10AM. This is the only time it is safe to bike the Third Mainland Bridge. On this day, environmental day was canceled (no movement restrictions) due to national examinations that were scheduled in the morning. Bummer! Link to news article.

Bob and I have done this ride on a number of occasions in the past and have some great pics. The bike rides usually occur in November and February. Check out these posts.
February 2008

November 2007

Activity next door

2008-11-25T19:00:00.000-08:00

In the past, I have posted pictures of the new beachfront property near our place. After they built out the beach (Aug 2007) by pumping in sand, they piled a bunch of sand in a rectangular shaped mound. Within the last week, dump trucks have been taking the sand away (they took about half, not much more than what was removed in pic below). I was told the sand was placed there to help pack down the sand so that a building could be built on it. It makes sense... I guess. I will let you know when construction starts!

Out in the distance in the picture below is an island being created by pumping sand. A LOT of Lagos is reclaimed land. In the bottom left of the photo (above the checkered balcony) is a building that was flattened one day (it happened a while ago but I never wrote about it). For months construction was ongoing to build this house. Not too long after it was complete, but after people had moved in, someone came to demolish it. Our steward watched it from the window. We don't know why it was demolished... maybe someone built on land that did not belong to them but that is just a guess. Daniel said the windows were removed but the contents of the house were not prior to the walls being knocked down.

Pics taken 15Nov08.

LYC's Annual Sail Around the World Event

2008-11-21T21:00:00.000-08:00

The second year teaming up to run the USA Booth at Lagos Yacht Club’s Sail Around the World (SAW) was a success. Nancy and Marilyn came early to decorate and they did a fantastic job. Nancy O. provided decorations but was out of town for the event. Thanks Ladies! This year we increased the mini-burgers from 300 to 350 but the hot dogs stayed at 100 (Thanks for supplying the dogs Kelvin). Our cook Daniel prepared all the burgers in two days! He is amazing. Bob, the bartender, served lemonade solo or mixed it with Jack Daniels whiskey (Lynchburg Lemonade). When the cooking started we had an assembly line from the cook (Kelvin, Scott and Kevin (part-time)) to the construction team (Nancy, Lisa, Kevin (PT) & Malachi (PT)) who put the burgers and dogs in the buns and topped them with a USA flag toothpick.

The commute to the yacht club reminded me why we do very little in the afternoon/evening here. It took about 1.5 hours to go 8 km from work to the yacht club, but that time did involve resolving a minor fender bender. The commute should be straight forward, but due to traffic we took a longer but hopefully faster route.

I was thrilled to have two folks at SAW, TJ and another man, recognize us from the blog. The positive reinforcement just keeps me working on the blog! Thanks!

We got very few pics this year! Bummer! Here are some pics from during the prep stage.

The Booth

Scott and Nancy - Thanks again!

Degree Confluence Project

2008-11-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

A friend of ours, Jonathan, always gave Bob a bit of grief for carrying his GPS everywhere... and now Jonathan has his own. He was talking one day about visiting confluences in Nigeria that have not been visited before... some geeky thing GPS nerds do. I thought he was talking about the confluence of two rivers as that was the context in which I had used the term before. What did I know?? Well he was talking about the Degree Confluence Project where GPS geeks travel to the intersection of whole number latitudes and longitudes documenting their visit with pictures and their story on the internet. Jonathan, Sharon, Kazeem and a guard went to 7°N 3°E. Click on the link to see their story. It is actually pretty cool what they did and not geeky at all (in my opinion anyway). Many of the easily reachable locations have been visited and documented but not all. This is just one more thing to research before a trip... our next trip is to Ethiopia.

Yacht Hotel Moored in Lagos Harbor

2008-11-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

We kept hearing rumors but did not believe them. They are true. There is a yacht hotel moored in Lagos Harbor right next to the yacht club! I saw it today. The Sunborn Yacht Hotel was last moored in London. Check out the article in the Vanguard paper. Here is an excerpt from the article.

"The obviously elated Afikuyomi described the yacht hotel as a delightful addition to the Lagos skyline as it is going to add value by being one of the very few floating hotels in the world thereby putting Lagos in the league of cities like New York, Barcelona, Paris and Finland just as it has already put the state ahead of cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha which are said to be at various stages of setting up similar floating hotels."

It will be interesting to see who stays here. We just might have to check it out ourselves.

A Day at Wreck Beach - Fish for Sale

2008-11-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

We had another wonderful day boogie boarding! Bob, Sharon & Sheryl... we missed you!

The waves were great but the big event was the negotiation. Some men with line caught fish stopped by to see if we were interested in making a purchase. Jonathan bought the fish in the hand of the guy on the left. a yellowfin tuna (we think), and Wes and EG bought the huge fish. Anyone know what kind it is? grouper? Pictured above: Gord, Jonathan, Dale, EG & Kevin

Life in Lagos can be a Rollercoaster

2008-11-15T16:15:00.000-08:00

Last Monday was a bad day. It was just one of those days where nothing goes right. I tried to print something at the office and I could not find a printer that worked. I went to the bathroom, only to find there is no toilet paper (not an uncommon expereince... I should have known). I was going home and the power went out in the building so I had to walk nine floors in the dark (no back-up lights). Then I went outside to deal with the constant horn honking. Many of these experiences are every day occurrences but some days they just drive me crazy!

Now... all is on the up and up and after Monday the week just got better. I finally left the office before 6PM on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and spent some more time with Bob. This morning I went running with friends (which was great) and as I was walking back to my flat I had a smile on my face. Almost everyone I walked past greeted me and I greeted them back. Nigerians are very friendly. Life is good.

New date for Lagos Half Marathon

2008-11-08T07:11:00.000-08:00

Looks like the date of the Glo Lagos half marathon is now February 21, 2009. I will be in town and will run it. It is my new motivation to get back into shape! Just what I needed!

Be back soon!

2008-11-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

I am still here just swamped at work and have been busy travelling to Houston and South Africa. I owe lots of pics and details from past trips and I plan to do it as soon as I can!

Here is a link to a write up (not be me) on Nigerian Field Society trips that I/we went on:
Osogbo in July
Kano & Katsina in October

Botanical Gardens, Cape Town

2008-11-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Once we got to Cape Town I was amazed at the wild flowers so I had to visit the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, located on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. Here are some pictures. It was absolutely GORGEOUS! The colors were AMAZING!

Hurricane Ike

2008-10-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

On September 13, Hurricane Ike made landfall in Galveston, Texas as a Category 2 hurricane after wreaking havoc in Haiti, Turks and Caicos Islands and Cuba. We watched CNN coverage of the hurricane while in Lagos and worried about my friends and family that chose to stay in their homes, as we would have done. The effect of Hurricane Ike in Texas was huge. It also impacted our home (currently rented). Below are some photos of the sweet gum tree that fell on the house and the garage (and our tenant's car) which was hit by a very large pine, a small pine, and a cypress tree. On a half-mile section of our street 35 trees (mostly pines) fell and thankfully no one was hurt (most rode out the storm in their homes). I heard that just after the hurricane the street was lined with piles of tree trunks and branches, making the street more like a tunnel. I traveled back to Houston the week of October 13th to meet with the insurance adjuster and contractors. So far we are happy with how our insurance company has dealt with the problem.

Lagos Marathon 2008

2008-10-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

The Lagos Half Marathon will be held on December 7 based on the Glo Website http://www.glolagosmarathon.com/main_mara.html.

I was hoping to run it but I may be out of town, vacationing in Senegal or Ethiopia.

Check out the GLO site for photos from last year or my blog post from last year.

Durbars in Kano and Katsina - celebration of Eid al_Fitr (End of Ramadan)

2008-10-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

A durbar is an annual festival celebrated in several northern cities of Nigeria at the culmination of Muslim festivals Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. We visited the durbars in Kano and Katsina, both famed for the pageantry as the traditional rulers greet the Emir of Katsina and Kano, which consisted of a colorful parade of decorated horses, dancers, acrobats and musicians, and ending at the Emir's palace (where we had great seats with a view). The women had a opportunity to visit with the Emir's second wife in the palace.

This trip was run by the Nigerian Field Society and lead by Paulette, a resident of Nigeria for 27 years (from Belgium). The durbars were the main attraction but we also went shopping in a market, toured the oldest indigo die pits, visited the traditional men weavers, a pottery village, and a Fulani village, went to a camel and cow market (not for those with a weak stomach), and had our hands/feet painted with henna (those who wanted it anyway). The trip ran from Saturday September 27 to Wednesday October 1.

I will be posting more details and pictures soon.

NY Times article on Namibia

2008-08-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Check it out! Click here.

Vacation in Namibia - Pictures to prove it!

2008-08-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Bob and I were originally going to go to Sao Tome and Principe to do some diving in August but had issues booking the trip so on the advice of two coworkers we went to Namibia... and had a wonderful time. Once we got out of the Windhoek airport, we rented our double cab pickup truck and were on our way to our first destination, Okapuka Ranch, just 30 miles north of downtown Windhoek. It was a great place to relax at the start of our trip. The scenery and the buildings/rooms were beautiful and it was our first introduction to game viewing. We could have camped, for a different experience that we would have enjoyed, but I needed a luxury vacation!

Drinking a Windhoek Lager! Mmmmmm! At Okapuka we saw tons of animals and we saw white rhinos, both old and young. Here I am in my rock star sunglasses and one of the adult rhinos!
The one year old rhino. Can I say CUTE?
Giraffes, and lots of them... here are two of them. From Okapuka we headed north to Etosha National Park where we stayed at Okakuejo Ranch, which had an amazing waterhole that attracted TONS of animals, then we stayed in a chalet at Numatoni, which was tone of the nicest places I think I have stayed (and we paid for it!!). We prefer not to go on big group trips so doing the self-guided safari was just our style. Below are pics of some of the animals we saw.

Some animals were encountered on the road and on one occasion we had an incident with an elephant. There was an overlander in front of us stopped in the road and at one point we all had to back up as an elephant was coming our way and seemed to be a bit annoyed. It finally moved off the road, the overlander went by and then we started to go by. Curious Bob wanted to take a longer look at the elephant and it no longer wanted us to... so it charged us. I screamed and got mad at Bob because I was scared as the elephant was charging my side of the vehicle. Thanks to Bob's responsiveness we got away and now have a funny story to tell about it. He still thinks I over reacted and maybe I did but I am glad we did not have to find out! ; ) Another giraffe...

It was so cool to see the giraffes in the distance!

When we first arrived at Okakuejo waterhole there were 20+ elephants and when they left twenty more arrived. Later that night the white rhinos showed up.

Sunset at Okakuejo Waterhole

We saw hundreds of zebras at the Salvadora waterhole. This picture shows just a few of them.

While it is hard to see in the photo below, this zebra was given a second chance. If you have ever watched the National Geographic shows to see how the lions can attack from behind, paws/claws on both sides of the rear end, and bring the zebra down. This zebra has large wound likely from a similar attack, and he luckily got away. We did see lions on two occasions, but from a distance. This photo was taken from my point and shoot camera and am now convinced I need a better camera.
There were many ostriches and other large birds (Kori Bustard).

A herd of springbok. This is the most ubiquitous antelope in the park. See close up below.

The black-faced impala looks a lot like the springbok at first glance but the black-faced impala is slightly bigger, has different coloring and has has larger antlers/horns. The oryx or gemsbok is a striking animal, with distinct coloring and large straight horns. The oryx is the national animal of Namibia.
Another elephant... in quite fa risky mood!
Blue Wildebeest
From Etosha National Park, we had quite a drive to get to our next destination, Swakopmund, a German town on the west coast. We drove along the coast and went for a walk on the beach and downtown. Here is a photo of us on the coast. We took a drive on Welwitschia Drive to see the moon landscape, or badland topography along the Swakop River, the resistant dolerite dikes (OK... so I had a geology guide book!) and the Welwitschia plant, which exists only in the northern Namib Desert.

Just south of Swakopmund, we entered the Namib Desert and a sea of sand dunes that met the coast. Swakpomund is known for the adventure sports and we could have skied down the dunes or rented quads but having grown up vacationing in Glamis in southern California... been there, done that! It did make me miss spending Thanksgiving there with my family. Swakopmond also has sky diving but we had no time for Bob to get in a jump. I am sure the view is breath taking at 14,000 feet! We checked out Salt Works and the flamingos at Walvis Bay then headed towards Sesriam & Sossusvlei. The landscape changed drastically along the drive as we south. Below is a picture of Kuiseb Canyon, where two German geologists went into hiding for nearly three years during WWII. Their story is described in The Sheltering Desert, written by one of the geologists Henno Martin. It is on my list of books to read and I know I will wish that I read it prior to our trip.

Bob and I had to stop for a picture at the Tropic of Capricorn, one of the five major circles of latitude (~23 degrees south of the equator) you see on maps of the Earth. When we go to Sao Tome and Principe (possibly Feb 2009), we will stand on the equator... We finally arrived at the sea of red star dunes in the Namib Desert. We stayed within the park at Sossus Dune Lodge an eco-lodge with 23 different chalets that were amazing. We woke up for the infamous sunrise picture opportunity of the 325 m dunes at Sossusvlei, only to find a lot of fog, which eventually burned off and made for a beautiful day.Bob descending from a dune top into Hidden Vlei of the Tsauchab River that only receives water during during heavy rain seasons. The whitish clay is deposited on the valley floor during the heavy rains. The white clay is left behind as the water seeps into the ground.
Dead Vlei no longer receives water during the heavy storms and the subsurface waters have dried up causing the trees to die. The trees are said to be 600+ years old and preserved only because the climate is favorable... not enough moisture to cause the trees to rot and intolerable for tree-eating bugs. Me pretending to be a tree! ; )
Bob tolerating another picture!

Collecting a sand sample for the nephews.

Sesriam Canyon, a slot canyon within the park and 3 minutes drive from Sossus Dune Lodge.

If you have not noticed yet, I don't always publish my posts on the date the I actually wrote them. I try to post on dates the activities occur as this is serving as my trip journal. I hope you don't mind!

Vacation in Namibia

2008-08-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

We just returned from vacation in Namibia where we drove all over (2500km (1550miles) in 6 days)! Until I get a chance to update the blog, here is a list of the places we went to and some links so you can check it out.

August 8 – Fly to Windhoek, Namibia, rent a 4x4 to drive ourselves around, even within the wildlife park (safari).
August 9 – Stay at Okapuka Ranch in Windhoek
August 10 – Drive to Etosha National Park, stay at Okuakeujo Resort
August 11 – Drive through Etosha National Park, stay at Numatomi Resort
August 12 – Looooong drive (660km) to Swakopmund, stay at Seaside Hotel and Spa
August 13 – Drive to Namib Naukluft Park, stay at Sossas Dune Lodge
August 14 – Drive nearby to Sossusvlei, stay at Sossas Dune Lodge again
August 15 - Drive back to Windhoek, stay at Olive Grove Guesthouse
August 16 - Fly to Johannesburg, South Africa, stay at a hotel by the airport
August 17 - Relax in Jo-burg before flying back to Lagos

Life in Lagos, Nigeria & Our Travels

Moved back to the US...

Upcoming Lagos Area Runs - Calendar Challenged!

Fabric Shopping at Balogun Market

I know you don't believe me but...

2009 Holiday Card

Yankari National Park, Nigeria

Recent posts on past trips

GLO Lagos Marathon postponed...

Wonderful spa right around the corner on Ikoyi Island

Mountain Biking in Omo Forest, November 8 (and Bob's trip in March)

Still working on the Paris and Uganda posts...

Oktoberfest at Lagos Yacht Club

Third Mainland Bridge Bike Ride

The LAGOS INSIDER

Staff Football Game

Offshore Fishing & Snorkeling

3rd GLO Lagos Marathon - December 2009

Long Weekend in Paris, just me and my mom

Osogbo & Idanre

Amazing Trip to Uganda - Overview & Outline

Bug Bites No More...

See post for another bike ride on the Third Mainland Bridge

Wreck Beach... the ship is still there

Africa by Toto, a remake

I got a Nikon camera, Love to take a photograph

Uganda - Rafting on the Nile River - Yikes!

Abeokuta - Fabric Market & 1st Church in Nigeria

Toxic Swimming Pool in Kano

Another Air Shipment

i hope to be back posting soon... bear with me.

Reeds Restaurant - Great Thai Restaurant

2005 National Geographic Edition on Africa

Nigeria & Cameroon Route and the fate of my camera

10 days in Northern Nigeria and Cameroon, April 3-13

WOW! I am so far behind on posting...

The Fate of Wreck Beach...

Benin Republic Palaces, Grand Popo and Ganvie Stilt Village

Biking the Third Mainland Bridge

Ikogbo Masquerade Festival

GLO Lagos 5K Corporate Fun Run

Weekend in Idanre

New Skirt made with the Fabric from Balogun Market

Notice on Bathroom Wall in Lagos Bar

What to Bring and What Not to Bring when Moving to Lagos

Camping at Wreck Beach

Lagos Marathon Registration Extended with Excellent Prizes

Goat Detained Over Armed Robbery - Lagos, Nigeria

Sample of a few grocery items and the cost here in Lagos

Life in Nigeria - No Complaints!

Wreck Beach

Local Markets

Helmet Law being enforced in Nigeria

2008 Summary... 2009 Plans...

New Years Eve in Lagos

Ethiopia post published, see below

Blog Stats

Christmas Eve Feast

Happy Holidays 2008

Cookie Decorating

Ethiopia, an amazing country!

Vacation in Ethiopia

Feb 2007, National Geographic Article on Nigerian Oil

Nigerian Fabric

Lagos Webcams

Offshore Fishing

Toilet Situation in Lagos

Third Mainland Bridge Bike Ride

Activity next door

LYC's Annual Sail Around the World Event

Degree Confluence Project

Yacht Hotel Moored in Lagos Harbor

A Day at Wreck Beach - Fish for Sale

Life in Lagos can be a Rollercoaster

New date for Lagos Half Marathon

Be back soon!

Botanical Gardens, Cape Town

Hurricane Ike

Lagos Marathon 2008

Durbars in Kano and Katsina - celebration of Eid al_Fitr (End of Ramadan)