Nigeria Trip // Day 2-Lagos

Echina Court, Banana Island

That night, we headed straight to Onikan to my aunts house to see my grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousins. We were tired and smelly (from the plane) but really happy to be there. We spent a few hours there and then headed to our hotel where we settled in quickly, ordering food and drinks at 2am and taking a celebratory shot of Grey goose with my uncle and cousins and after a quick shower for all four of us we called it a night. The next morning, Sunday, we woke up pretty well rested and hungry, we ordered breakfast, I blew up my curling iron and soon after, my cousin and her husband turned up with their little girl to take us out to see Lagos..for me it was to realize how things had changed and for Austin and the kids, it was all new and fascinating. We drove from our hotel in Victoria Island to Banana Island and then over the 3rd Mainland Bridge to Onikan which is a suburb of Lagos located on the mainland.

Banana Island is under construction, its a colorful, intricately detailed juxtaposition of old and new, unfinished and finished. Its an eclectic mix of architectural styles, rich materials and varying densities and sizes. Towers, mansions, condos and single family homes mingle together to form the gated community, it is its own little town with modern amenities, cobblestone roads, manicured lawns, security and a collection of highly ornate gates. I think this was most surprising to my husband because the common portrayal of Lagos is not so at all. My cousin had said repeatedly, the Lagos no longer has a middle class and I suppose that sentiment is related to this rapid development in places like Ikoyi and Lekki. I believe the average salary required to live in these areas is at least half a million dollars per year..not many in Lagos can afford this yet its become quite pervasive in recent years.

We parked to marvel at this new cable stay bridge which connects Ikoyi (Banana Island) to Lekki, which is also another haven of development in Lagos right now. It is massive and really beautiful. I was proud to see how progressive things had become and that my husband could finally see what he could only imagine for many years. In hindsight, I wonder how this type of development will affect the dwindling middle class and the real "Lagosians", hopefully they aren't all replaced by foreigners because quite honestly, the people make the city.

Ikoyi-Lekki link bridge

I also remember Austin commenting on how clean Lagos was, he hadn't expected it to be so well maintained but sure enough as we drove through, there were people sweeping the roads, we passed garbage trucks picking up garbage and even laughed at the sign on one of the gates to a development which threatened to interrupt garbage pick up if residents did not pay their monthly fees on time.

Ocean Parade Towers

Airtel offices

Bella Vista Towers

Just across the bridge and mostly publicized in the media is a place known as Makoko, its been studied by one of the most respected Architects in the contemporary world, Rem Koolhaas, its been the subject of many research projects and competitions and fascinates many but curiously, it only is a small part of Lagos. Its an old sawmill community which started at the fringe of the city and has grown into a partially floating community with its own order and organisation. I must say, it is quite fascinating from an urban morphological standpoint but I know its an eyesore and parasite to the Lagos residents and their already fragile infrastructure.

In between the extreme poverty and the high brow community, there are some parts of the city which cater to the middle class. The amenities are more culturally similar but no less fascinating and the homes are modest but there is where you find the Lagos residents who are the heartbeat of the city. Certainly, there are many colorful characters in this array from very hard working entrepreneurial types to schemers all mixed together. I was always careful but never feared anyone. In general, the people either were very friendly or just stared at us..not so much at me but rather at my very tall Caucasian husband and two little very light skinned daughters.

We ended up at my aunts place for lunch and some family hang out time. It was good to see her, my grandmother, who lives with her and my cousins and nieces. The funny thing about my family is that no matter how long its been since we've seen each other, its like it was yesterday. Everyone is just constant, real and always there for you. Even the new additions (through marriage..the husbands just fit right into this) we were able to catch up with them and just relax. We even had a few surprise visitors which was nice as well. Later that evening, my younger sister, three cousins and aunt arrived from Manchester and New York. We headed back to the hotel pretty late.