Some Last Thoughts in Nigeria

It seems that the entirety of the country is really one big, extended marketplace. Nearly every significant road doubles as a sort of shopping center, with hawkers selling everything imaginable along the side of the road -- furniture, mangoes, spare car parts, draperies, carrots, ground nuts, heaps of grains and beans, and even that final need, coffins. For some reason, there are many sellers who seem to be dedicated to the sale of things that are red -- namely tomatoes and scotch-bonnet red peppers. Their neatly piled tomatoes and rows of peppers are a thing of beauty.



Sometimes the market and the road come together and merge as one. This seems to happen most in the midst of actual markets. It is quite difficult to determine where the market ends and the road begins, as trade often spills out into the traffic, with people buying from their cars as the traffic passes slowly through the market. In one case, a goat escaped from the meat market, and a small boy was sent to corral him from the traffic. The smell of all kinds of street food drifts out over the whole scenario, and the omnipresent dust makes the water and other drinks being sold at road side all the more attractive. 

Music is everywhere. Not the kind of gently muzack that tends to dominate shopping in North America, but often loud and aggressive music. The beats of the music blend with the surroundings to somehow complete and amplify an already full experience. 

One of about a million roadside churches

Everything is negotiable. Although there are many fixed-price stores, street-side shopping involves bargaining. As much as I love travel, I hate -- abhor -- detest bargaining, although I've gotten better at it with the passage of time (I'm sure I still pay at least slightly too much). Finding that "sweet spot" of a first offer that is low enough to land you a good deal, without being so low as to look silly and/or offensive, is an art that I doubt I'll ever master. But not only prices are negotiable. So is much of the driving experience. A road block has been put up? No problem. Just go and negotiate with the officer. You need to get something from an office that has just closed for the day? Strike up a conversation with whoever is there. A hotel doesn't have the room you reserved available? Strike up a long conversation. I've been amazed to watch these conversations and participate in a few of them. They almost always involve lots of laughter. It's a good reminder that in most of the world "no" doesn't necessarily mean "no." 

one of many roadside furniture markets

Drivers who know the city of Lagos are a gift from God. I would venture driving in many places. Lagos is not one of them. The infrastructure, by comparison to many other global cities, is decent. Yet the absolute lack of road signs and the necessity of knowing multiple short-cuts to avoid traffic jams ("slow gos") is amazing. 

All the mannequins are white. This is not only a Nigerian phenomenon, but it continues to puzzle me as I travel in Africa.