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Favorite thing: I have just come back from 2 1/2 weeks in Nigeria. Lagos and Ibadan. Roads are a challenge - so dont plan to travel too far. Avoid public transport. You need to be street smart to survive them. Private car will come with a driver. My driver and security guards were brilliant and stongly recommend. Word of mouth recommendation is the only way to get anything in Nigeria, and the only way to avoid trouble. There are no big tour companies - only private contractors. I am happy to pass on the contacts if you want to contact me.

You will need to have a visa, and yellow fever vaccine and take maleria tabs to prevent. Prevention is critical. Medical care is really poor standard. Plan to eat only local food and drink only bottled water.

Fondest memory: The people are happy and develop a strong bond of friendship - if you are open and let this happen.

Favorite thing: Nigeria was an exiting place to grow up. I will not attempt to write a travel guide as this was many year ago.

For those of you old enough to remember the Biafra war, it was the first war with total media cover from the international media. For a kid 7 years old, it was an experience never to be forgot. At the worst we had the front 50 km from our home. We had the offer of evacuation, but later in life, I have often wondered about the Nigerians. They never had anywhere to go.

Before the war, I had many great experiences and I hope to take my family back sometime to see the country today.

Some day (if I get inspired) I will attempt to write a few funny stories.
(Read about my monkey in my Siera Leone page)

(note to self: move this to travelogue)

Favorite thing: The entrance (and exit) of the town centre of Bauchi, as of many other towns in the region, are marked with nice gates. These gates have a big entrance in the middle for the cars, buses and trucks and two smaller ones at both sides for the pedestrians.

I liked the local architecture and the colours of these gates.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauchi

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Favorite thing: From Abeokuta we drove to Ilorin, a town about 285 KM north-east of Lagos. Ilorin is a gateway city between the north and south of Nigeria, economically and culturally.

Allthough it is situated in Yoruba-land, Ilorin has also a strong Muslim influence.

We arrived in the town at dusk. At that moment the streets were very lively. A lot of people were around in the marketstreets and around the streetstalls we passed.

Fondest memory: The enthusiastic people along the road in Ilorin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilorin

Favorite thing: Ibadan, capital of Oyo State, is an enormous city, 125 KM north of Lagos.

We passed this Yoruba city of about 8 million inhabitants on our way from Abeokuta to Ilorin and Abuja. In the citycentre was a lot of traffic and traffic jam, so it took us some time to cross this sprawling city from west to east.

There is not much to see in Ibadan. There are a few markets, the University of Ibadan and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. Interesting, because I studied myself at an Agricultural University with a international and tropical section.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibadan

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Favorite thing: During our long lunchstay in Bauchi especially the kids were very curious and friendly. They looked at us freely and asked "How are you?" or said ''You're welcome'' and they liked to chat with us a little.

Fondest memory: All the friendly people and kids we met in Bauchi and everywhere along the road in the towns and villages, we visited.

Favorite thing: In Bauchi we had a convenient lunchstop. I bought some food in the streetstalls and had lunch outside in the street.

At that time a lot of people were buying some snacks, sitting just along the sidewalks, chatting with each other and looking at what was happening in the street. The same like I did.

Fondest memory: The relaxed atmosphere.

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Favorite thing: In the streets around the central market in Bauchi were a lot of streetstalls. It looked like the whole towncentre was one big shoppingcentre, selling eggs, soft drinks, fruits like oranges and bananas, bread, sweets, biscuits and much more.

I bought some food in these streetstalls for having lunch in the truck, because it was my turn to watch the truck this day.