This is the view from our Lagos apartment. It's not much of a view but we do have a swimming pool. The empty shell of a building on the left is one of many Nigerian scams that ran short of cash. The apartment complex is surrounded by a wall topped with razor wire, has it's own unarmed security force. It's mostly superficial but it's a fact of life.
|
Not far from the apartment is the Lagos Yacht Club. We go here on weekends to eat, drink, and sail our boat. Most sailing takes place in the Lagos harbor. One must always keep a wary eye out for the large ships and floating debris (and an occasional bloated corpse). For these reasons, the Hobie sailors prefer to sail out the harbor into the open ocean, where the large swells add to the excitement. |
Luckily, I've fallen in with an adventurous group of cyclists that are keen to ride. We've spent many hours seeking out trails that wander through the bush and local villages. Of course, the children think it's great, yelling "oyibo, oyibo" (white man) as they run alongside.
|
Although we haven't played much, there are many beautiful golf courses in Nigeria. This one is in Ibadan, about 2 hours north of Lagos, and was particularly nice. This is the 9th hole, down the hill, over the water, and onto the "brown." |
|
This being the tropics, there are always health concerns. Everyone has regular bouts of diarrhea, and mild food poisoning is common. However, the real killer is malaria. The mosquito is the deadliest animal in the world and they are unavoidable. At first, malaria feels like a mild case of the flu. In my first experience, I was misdiagnosed for 24 hours. Unfortunately, that single day allowed the parasite to multiply exponentially. I had never been so miserable in my life. I lie on the cold tile floor to relieve the fever, then alternate to bone-shaking chills. For 5 days I was delirious with fever. The following week, I had not enough energy to rise from the sofa. In the end, it was over a month before I felt normal. Today, I pop malaria medication at the first sign of fever.
