LOCO IN LAGOS!

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Our trip to Lagos was one that I will never forget. Before we left, things were chaotic. The original plan was for Hayley, Devin, Susan, Meghan, and myself to rent a car from Jerez and drive it to Lagos where we would meet up with our friend Tegan. The day before we were suppose to depart, Susan tells me that she decided not to go. She made a few excuses but none of them were valid. Susan’s lack of consideration created a huge problem for the rest of us because Susan is the only one of us who is over the age of 21 and therefore, the only person who could sign for the car. We were angry, frustrated, and upset that she put us in this situation less than 24 hours before we were suppose to leave. We tried to find another person who was over 21 to go with us, but nobody was able to come on such short notice. Finally, I realized that my classmate and friend (Danielle) had just turned 21. We were so relieved to have solved the problem and we were finally able to get excited about our trip again.

Unfortunately, the excitement only lasted a couple of hours, because we found out that Danielle doesn’t have a license, because she didn’t need one where she lived in New York. Obviously, we wouldn’t be able to get the car if the 21 year old signing for it didn’t have a license. Again, we went into panic mode. We were going on less than ten hours before we had planned to depart. At this point we were drained and we wanted to give up. We couldn’t back out because we had already put a deposit down for the hostel and if we were going to cancel we would have had to do it 24 hours in advance. We threw around the idea of taking the train and the bus, but it was a pretty steep jump in price from 60 Euros for the whole trip to 65 Euros just for the transportation alone. Another downside was the fact that it would take all day to get there by train and bus, whereas the car would have taken 5 hours at the most. Unfortunately, at the end of the night we were left with only one option, which was to take the train from Cádiz to Sevilla and the bus from Sevilla to Lagos.

Thursday October 6, 2011

We left the train station at 10 in the morning and arrived in Sevilla a little after noon. At this point, the only people who had not backed out were Devin, Meghan, Danielle and myself. We had to take the local transit from the train station to a stop where we could walk to the bus station in 15 minutes. We bought our tickets to Lagos and had about two and a half hours before our bus would depart, so we walked to a Starbucks that was not too far away. On one of the main streets in Sevilla that we crossed on our way to Starbucks, we were pleasantly surprised to find a protest going on. We couldn’t quite understand what they were yelling due to the mass amount of people shouting simultaneously, but we gathered that it had something to do with a nearby bank. All of the protesters were in their late teens or early twenties. They were firm and passionate, but not out of control. There were hundreds of people singing, chanting, and jumping in the street. It was amazing to see so many people unite for a common cause and stand up for their beliefs.

At 4:45 we boarded the bus and arrived in Lagos around 8:30 pm (Lagos time). We watched the sunset during the last half hour of the bus ride and it was incredible. We were so excited when we finally arrived! We walked from the bus station to our hostel (which only took 10-15 minutes). We instantly fell in love with Lagos. The streets were clean, the buildings were beautiful, and the people were friendly. I am so use to people having ulterior motives (such as pick-pocketing or advertising a club) when they approach me on the streets that I ignored the first guy who asked which hostel we were trying to find and quickly walked away. It was only after I heard him helping the group of people behind us that I realized he was just trying to be friendly!

Our hostel was deep in the center of Lagos. The owner was waiting to greet us when we got there and he already knew my name (since I was the one who made the reservation). The receptionist was extremely helpful and friendly. She gave us a tour of the hostel and gave us a map with a description of the best places to eat, fun places to go out for the night, and the best beaches to go to during the day. She circled them all and explained to us the best way to get to each place. Something I forgot to mention is that the majority of the people in Lagos speak English as their first language, which was a nice surprise! The hostel was 3 levels. We stayed in an 8 person bedroom on the bottom level. There were two showers and two half bathrooms that the bottom floor shared, as well as a common room with a TV, 4 computers, and couches to lounge on. Everything was very clean and updated. They had over 50 travel books in a variety of languages and over 200 DVDS to choose from. The middle floor is where the reception desk is, along with a few rooms and the kitchen. The kitchen has 3 fridges that we were allowed to store things in as well as cabinets, two stoves, a microwave, two sinks, an abundance of cookware, dishes, and two tables. Upstairs there were more rooms and the best part- a terrace. The terrace has a grill and a lot of seating so that all of the guests can meet each other while they eat meals.

We went to a restaurant that the secretary recommended. She called it the Blue Door, which is not the actual name of the restaurant but she said it is easier to find it if you just look for the restaurant with the blue door because the sign is hard to read. We chose to go there because the prices were low and we wanted to taste some authentic Portuguese food. I had a dish, part of which was some the freshest shrimp I have ever tasted. Yummy! Our free entertainment for the night was an image that will not escape my memory for years to come. In a plaza outside of the restaurant was a man in a green sequined Speedo with a matching green vest. He was riding a unicycle and juggling knives. He was actually quite entertaining, especially when he juggled the flaming batons! Afterwards, we went back to the hostel to rest up for the next day.

Friday October 7th, 2011

Our first full day in Lagos was perfect. The temperature stayed between 75 and 85 degrees. We started our day off with a grotto tour, which is a one-hour tour of the coast on a small fishing boat. While we were waiting at the marina for the boat to arrive, we met a charming older couple from England who had been traveling for the last few weeks throughout Spain and Portugal. The man was quite entertaining and we enjoyed his witty remarks throughout the boat ride. As far as aesthetics go, Lagos is at the top of the list. I have never seen more vivid and gorgeous scenery. The blues and greens of the sea were shades that I didn’t know existed outside of photo-shopped pictures. Lagos truly is a paradise. The boat took us through and around caves and rocks formations. We also got to see all of the beaches during the tour, which was a great way to figure out which beach we wanted to visit after lunch.

Lagos has the best quality and variety of food that we had eaten since we arrived in Europe. The secretary at our hostel recommended this little hole in the wall café called Café Odeon. It was right around the corner from our hostel and conveniently on the way to the beach. The four of us walked in the café to find a tiny room with only two tables (one of which was occupied by two surfers) and a bar with bar a few stools. We sat at the empty table as the owner greeted us in Portuguese. Luckily, Meghan is studying Portuguese and was able to teach us how to say “thank you” and a few other useful words. The menu had a variety of classic English breakfast combos as well as some wraps and hamburgers. I ordered the “Odeon” which consisted of two pieces of toast, topped with two of the best tasting sunny side up eggs I have ever eaten, four pieces of bacon and a giant pancake. Did I mention that this was all for 2 Euros! We were all in heaven. As if that wasn’t good enough, we took a risk and ordered milkshakes that were also really cheap. I say risk, because in Spain the milk is not real and can be stored in a cabinet and the milkshakes we had in Spain were warm even though they had maintained the thick consistency of a real milkshake—it was pretty disgusting. When the cute little old man brought us our milkshakes, the moment of truth was upon us… AND THEY WERE DELICIOUS!!! They were cold and creamy and finally satisfied what we had been craving them for weeks. We were in heaven.

With our overly stuffed bellies, we waddled our way across town to the beach. It was nearly 4:30 already and the temperature had dropped a few degrees, but it was still nice outside. We hiked through a wooded path and down the stone steps to one of the smaller, more intimate beaches in Lagos. There were about 15 people relaxing on the sand, looking serene and carefree. We chose a spot, sat down on our towels and gazed and the beauty before us. The tide was high, the waves were crashing against the rocks and I felt at peace. It was if all of the chaos from the day before had been washed away into the ocean. Nothing mattered except that moment in time. It was the first time in weeks that I hadn’t thought about homework or class or my professional future.

When the sun started to set we went back to our hostel to shower and eat dinner. We had brought groceries with us from Cádiz to save money and we got some fresh fruit from a stand outside of our hostel for dessert. We ate on the terrace with a group of 10 Germans who were staying at the hostel as well. I thoroughly adore meeting new people, especially Germans because they can usually speak Spanish or English and they tend to be really fun people.

I feel like I don’t experience enough of the night-life in Cádiz, so I wanted to make sure I took advantage of the opportunity to go out in Lagos. We went to a bar to toast to the success of our trip. The bartenders we entertaining and they played some great music. We spent most of the night there, but eventually migrated to another bar, which we didn’t like as much. Luckily, we met a nice guy from Denmark who was in his mid-twenties and had moved to Lagos a few months ago to surf. I think he is the first person I have met that legitimately lives in a van. He loves it though. He took us to a club called Freddie Pauls, because there is a live band that plays every Friday night. The crowd was a little older than the crowd at the bars, which was perfect for me because it made me feel like I was back at home hanging out with the neighbors and my family. I met a lady in the bathroom who has a niece studying abroad and she said her niece is extremely homesick. She gave Meghan and I a big hug in honor of our mothers who were so far away. It was a touching moment. The rest of the night consisted of dancing, which was a blast and eventually a mission to help a drunk girl find her hostel—which was not so fun. Nevertheless, at the end of the night I went to bed with a giant smile on my face.

Saturday October 8th, 2011

Our plan for the day was to spend the morning at the beach, eat lunch around 2 at the hostel, and then explore the town. The weather was perfect for the beach! The water was cooler than what I would normally swim in, but I found it oddly refreshing. We had sandwiches at the hostel for lunch, but they weren’t quite satisfying because we were all craving a round two at Café Odeon … so off to the café we went. I can honestly say that round two was just as amazing as the first round—milkshakes and all! I think the little old man was very flattered that we had come back again so soon. We left the café satisfied and we set out to explore the town. We definitely worked off the milkshakes walking up the steeps hills in Lagos! The town is beautiful. Most of the buildings surrounding the cobblestone streets are white with red roofs. The people are relaxed and a lot calmer than the Spaniards. The people in the restaurants and in the shops asked us how our day had been and if we were enjoying Lagos etc. It was definitely a nice change of pace. We returned to our hostel in the evening to clean up before dinner to find that we had three new roommates (two girls and a boy) who happened to be Americans who were studying abroad in Sevilla.
It was a special night for the Gold Coast hostel because at 7 PM on the terrace, the owner served homemade Sangria to all of the guests! It was so incredibly delicious. It was fun to have the entire hostel up on the terrace together, just talking and getting to know one another. We met some more Germans; this group was actually studying abroad in Cádiz! What a small world!

For dinner we decided to go to a burger place that is famous for making the list of the top 50 burgers in the world. Let me just say, I think top 50 doesn’t cut it, this burger had to be in the top 10! My burger was massive. It was topped with the chef’s special secret BBQ sauce, an egg, lettuce, tomato and probably a lot more, but it was so delicious that I didn’t stop to pick it apart and see what was in it. Devin and I had split the burger and probably embarrassed ourselves because there was absolutely no way to eat that big of a burger like a civilized human being. We also split their famous nachos, which were almost as amazing as the burger. The nachos tasted like a Mexican chili—filled with peppers, cheese, beans, meat, onions etc. I could have passed out right then and there from food coma. Needless to say, we were not up for another night out on the town after dinner.

Before walking back to our hostel we made a pit stop at the “Rising Cock” which is one of the top 10 party hostels in Europe. We wanted to see what all the rage was about due to the mass amounts of people who had been talking about it. The staff member we met was belligerent from the Booze Cruz he went on earlier that day with the hostel. I’m sure it would be a fun place to stay, but it was a little too similar to a crazy frat house for my liking. I was happy with the hostel I chose and so were the other three girls. When we got back to the Gold Coast we decided to watch Monsters’ Inc. When the movie started, it was just Devin, Meghan, Danielle and I downstairs. When the movie ended, I turned around to find that the majority of our hostel had been watching it with us. It was really neat. We were exhausted from the sun and the walking around so we just took it easy for the rest of the night. In general, the German students that we meet tend to have a hard time comprehending why we would want to relax and not go out every night, but nevertheless we had some good conversations with them before they left for the bars.

Sunday October 9th, 2011

Sunday was a sad day. I did not want to leave Lagos. We were not looking forward to the long bus ride to Sevilla. We had to checkout of our hotel by 11:30, which was hassle free. We ate near the bus station at Café Fresco to kill some time before our bus left at 1:45. The waitress was a sweet older lady with an English accent. We were savoring our last moments of kindness and simplicity before returning to our homes in Cádiz, where people generally aren’t quite as accommodating (with an exception of my family of course!). The bus ride back to Sevilla seemed like it lasted forever. We finally made it there around 8:30 and hurried to the train station to catch the 9:50 train to Cádiz. We arrived in Cádiz around 11:45 PM, but we were starving, so we stopped to eat in one of the plazas on the way back to our houses. The waitress was cold and impatient, which is typical for the servers in Cádiz. We soaked in all slowly and finally arrived back to our homes around 12:40 AM.

My trip to Lagos was my favorite traveling experience so far and it helped me realize something important. Cádiz is a very special and unique opportunity to adapt to a life that is completely different than what I am use to. I enjoyed Lagos and the town is perfect for a long vacation, but I am glad that I didn’t study abroad there (or anywhere similar). I wouldn’t have the same opportunities to learn about the culture, because everything is in my comfort zone there. Cádiz is totally and completely out of my comfort zone, which has challenged me and made me grow as a student and as a person. In Cádiz I am learning a language… I am trying food that I didn’t know existed, I live a unique family life and I am learning to adapt in ways I never thought I would have to. Even though it seems difficult some days, I really enjoy the excitement of being surprised with something new (whether it be good or bad) every single day. All of the characteristics in Cádiz that seem like barriers are actually gateways to new opportunities and new perspectives on life. I am very happy with my decision to come here and I can’t wait to be here for the next three months.

A SPECIAL MENTION GOES OUT TO ROD AND MELINA MORTON!!!! I opened a package today from them and it was awesome! They gave me Yahtzee so I can teach my host family how to play, which is such a great idea. They also gave me a Magazine (yay!) and last but certainly not least- because it is the best gift in the whole entire world- they made me a picture book! I can tell that they put a lot of time and thought into it. It has a lot of pictures from my going away party and some other great pictures with the family. I love it so much and I can't stop looking at it!!! Thank you guys so much, it really means the world to me. I love you!

I leave for Paris on Friday and my parents will be here when I get back! This next week should be great! Thanks for reading this ridiculously long blog,

Jerica

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