Too Much Pepper Soup, Lagos – Postcard

By Heidi Kingstone

As I write this from Lagos, Barack Obama is in Ghana talking tough to African leaders about getting their houses in order. The American President, who spreads his magic dust everywhere he goes, is right, and Nigeria is a case in point. With all the wonderfulness that comes from the continent’s great diversity, one thing is too apparent, corruption is rife and has blighted the future of too many of its citizens benefiting only the few powerful and elite.

There is little middle ground in Lagos as you move from extreme poverty to vast wealth in a city where dinner, private schools and hotel rooms are more expensive than in London. It is not unheard of, says a London-Lagos based friend, for people to spend $2-3000.00 on champagne during a casual night out. MPs now find it cheaper to travel the country by private plane, their own, than to go by road.

I understand their pain. In rainy season the roads flood with water and cars seem more like amphibious vehicles as they navigate through great pools of water as if they had just driven out of a James Bond movie. Kids wear rubber boots and play in these murky ponds as they jump to avoid the waves caused by the passing cars.

If you have money in Lagos, and there are plenty who do, there are certainly places to spend it. The Sky Lounge at the Eko Hotel is one of those destinations. The hotel has its reception area in the open air, a seductive tropical feature. This is one of the finest hotels in the country, and the restaurant – with its masterful Indonesian chef – looks over Lagos – on the one side the lagoon (smoking) on the non-smoking side the lights of the city. Some twinkle, most places run on generators as there is not much electricity in the metropolis, but much of the city remains in darkness. The food is elegant and sophisticated and the menu has a nice range from Thai beef salad to local prawns and sushi, plus a great wine list. Seafood in Nigeria is absolutely delicious. On Victoria Island ‘Churrasco’ offers Brazilian food, a restaurant that also overlooks the lagoon where you can sit inside or out. I opted for the seafood, and the octopus was some of the best I have ever eaten.

Travel tips concern security, and while people kept saying Lagos’s situation was safer than London, it’s hard to imagine running around town with your own armed security guard (as did my high profile Nigerian contact). You have to be vigilant, and the traffic is notorious. Locals and ex-pats suggested taking the overnight Virgin flight from London because it arrives in the early morning, which means there is less traffic on the road into town and less chance to be held up. The direct British Airways flight that i took arrived in the early evening making the trip from the airport riskier (although on the way back, crossing Africa’s longest bridge, I saw fisherman throwing their nets out as the sun set and the odd palm on the horizon rose above the miles and miles of slum dwellings.)

Some suggest booking two cars – one to pick you up from the airport, and another to pick up your luggage -which often arrives about an hour after you do – so that if they steal the luggage at least you are safe. Also, you have to make sure that the correct driver picks you up so it’s essential to have their mobile number to confirm. It’s a common scam for people to copy welcome signs, pick up the passenger, and hijack them.

For all the gloominess, staying at the Southern Sun in Ikoyi (Lagos is a series of islands that are attached to the mainland by three bridges) the staff was beyond friendly, helpful and kind, which always goes a long way. As Joan at the front desk said, “it’s a home not a house.” The hotel recently opened and it’s modern and clean – another key selling point – their coffee was good, another bonus for the caffeine addicted as there’s nothing like that first cup first thing in the morning. I’m not a fan of buffets, which are popular in Lagos, as you inevitably eat too much, but the hotel had excellent porridge and their pepper soup was very hot. This may go some way to explain the Nigerian’s excitable attitude. Too much pepper soup. No trip the country is complete without trying this local dish – it is spicy and delicious.

I was fortunate to have attended a wedding, and I gather even more fortunate that the food turned up– several hours late. I stayed around for the some of the specialities – Jollof rice, pounded yam, which I love tasteless as it is, and we celebrated with puff puff – think mini donut balls – wonderful, delicious, and worth every life shortening artery hardening calorie.

Eventually every one finds their way to Quintessence, a haven of good quality, interesting high end African crafts, clothes, bags, household items and all the other paraphernalia that you know you can’t live without when you travel abroad. My friend Aita furnished her new flat in one go with tables and chairs purchased here and at Lekki market, the polar opposite, as it’s a typical African crafts market with lots of haggling. Know that to take any artifact out of the country you need a certificate, although there may be other ways around this official minefield, but it’s problematic.