Do You want an Adventure..?. Review on Nigeria, General

Africa.

This is an amusing place to visit. But It is very highly recommended to know a lot, do a lot of research before entering this adventure. You think freefalling, bungee jumping are adventure sports..? Travel to Nigeria (That?s the only place I lived for about 18 months) will give you a better sense of adventure

Travel

I am one of the most fortunate souls to have traveled by one of the most craziest airlines in the world, Ethioipian Airlines. I will not jump too much into this subject, will give u just a glimpse. In short, I would say traveling in an Airconditioned Bus in Mumbai would have given you a better sense of comfort and luxury. We had to change Flight in a place called Addis Ababa, an airport which would be dwarfed in comparison with some of the better bus stands in the country. Entry into the aircraft is on a First come first served basis. Allocation of seats is a good prelude to the Musical Chair. In Short, It is a Stampede really. That?s enough of travel.

Nigeria, The Adventure Capital of the World

As I had mentioned earlier, daily life in Nigeria is an adventure of sorts. Everyday survival in Nigeria is in itself a question mark. You will never know what is going to happen at the end of the day

The Country

It is one of the better developed countries of Africa. The country boasts a long Western Atlantic coastline. The Atlantic is beautiful, really. You can spend hours on the beach. Fantastic blue green waters, very friendly beach resorts.

Nature has cast its beauty spell all over the country.

The country is rich in Oil Resources, but still lacks economic growth. We can hear about corruption in India, Nigeria is the King. The cost of Petrol is about 21 Naira per litre which will come to around 8-10 Indian Rupees.

National Language is English.

There are some very very attractive beach resorts around the country. ?The Eko Beach Resort?, about 80 Kms from Lagos, is a beautiful resort. There are about 100 Cottages which will cost you anywhere between 70 ? 200 USD per day. You can bargain to get a good deal. There is nothing more heavenly than spending the night on the Beach, which is more like a private beach. The water is suitable for all kind of water sports, including surfing. Water sporting is one of the best adventure sports you can get to do while being in Nigeria.

The People

The people can be broadly divided into two categories, The Extremely Rich and The Pathetically poor. There is no concept of a middle class. On the non-financial side also, you can base them into 2 categories , the Extremely Good and the dangerously bad.

In general, the people I have come across are very very friendly. They are very emotional. When they want to enquire about you and your people,they say ?Hello, How are my people ??.

The Nigerians, have an interesting accent which I found difficult to grasp initially and got used to in the course of my stay there. They have this habit if appending an ?o? to all their phrases.

Plenty Go Slowoo: Heavy Traffic Jam.

Now the catch. Enter at your own Risk

Needless to day, this country is filled with fun and adventure, But there is a very dangerous aspect to this Country, which by least to say, is a show stopper for anybody who wants to ?LIVE? here.

Armed Robbers

One of the most respected profession to choose from if you are a resident. People are harassed by these groups of professionals. Their strategy and approach is simple.

Dress up as Officers and stop your car. If you encounter this, DO NOT show absolutely any form of resistance, give them every thing they ask without offering least of the resistance. They will let you go. If you resist, be assured you are DEAD.

Every country has its share of highway robbing, mugging etc, but this country is BAD, really BAD.

Area Boys

Well, they are not as dangerous as Armed Robbers. These guys are more or less like our Hindi movie dadas who go out collecting charity money from shopkeepers, auto drivers, taxi drivers etc. Well if they demand, you better give what u have otherwise you shall end up definitely in a Hospital (Which can be more dangerous actually..?). I am still shocked when I recollect the incident where I saw a Cab drives being shot dead in the Market place because he did not handover the cab keys to these guys. (It was the most awful and pathetic cab I have ever seen)

Instant Justice

No need for Police. I was going to work in the morning. I happened to see a large crowd pelting stones on one funny looking person, who had a truck tire around his neck. After 5 minutes of stone throwing (the traffic was stopped to witness this spectacle), people decided enough is enough. I thought great, now we can leave. It happened, the most unexpected and gruesome sight of my life. This man was set ABLAZE ALIVE. My car driver was so cool about it. It seems the guy who was burnt alive was a car thief who unfortunately was caught and that the man knew well that was going to be killed by the public.

I was desperate to get my work completed in that godforsaken place and returned to India after spending about 18 months. Believe me there is nothing like HOME

There are innumerable other incident where myself and my colleagues have suffered, which I would rather not go into. You can make a lot of Money and live an exquisite lifestyle. Do you think it is worth it..??

My return Travel was great. Kenyan Airways and Emirates and very lucky to be

back in One Single Piece.

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO RATE THIS IF YOU HAVE TIME. COMMENTS AS ALWAYS, MOST WELCOME.