Leaving
Lagos
I
guess before I can start my story I should give you the reason why this story
came to be. A young lady who worked for
my husband several years ago planned to wed in Nigeria and we were fortunate
enough to get invited. As soon as I
found out the location of the wedding I booked round trip tickets from South
Bend Indiana to Lagos Nigeria. Our plan
was to go to Nigeria for the wedding and then after the wedding travel on to
Kenya or South Africa. I wanted to
experience two things during my visit to Africa; A cultural Nigerian wedding
and a nice safari. After checking for
several months online it appeared that South Africa offered the flight that
best fit our schedule. The only problem
was the flight was through Virgin Nigeria and you could not purchase tickets
online. So we decided we would wait and
purchase tickets once we arrived in Lagos.
Once
we arrived in Lagos we soon found that we could not use any credit or debit
cards to access money. We had only
brought around 900 USD since every other international trip we had taken
allowed us to access cash through ATMs or banks once we were at the
location. The very kind people of
Babcock University tried to help us book a flight to Kenya, but Kenya denied us
a Visa. They insisted on four blank
passport pages and our passports were full except for the very last page. We found this out very late in the week so
that is what brings me to our story of ‘Leaving Lagos’.
Once
we found out that we could not go to Kenya because our Visa was denied, and if
we went to South Africa it would cost us 1,900 USD and we would only be able to
spend 3 days in South Africa we decided we would try to switch our original
ticket so that we could take the Lagos to Amsterdam leg a week early. Once in Amsterdam we could take Ryan Air or
Easyjet to Rome and spend a week in Rome.
I called KLM to set this up a few days before the day we wanted to
leave. We wanted to fly back to
Amsterdam Sunday August 19th after the wedding. The operator from KLM informed me that the
flight was full for both Sunday and Monday and told me if we flew standby we
had a fifty percent chance we would be able to fly. She told me to be at the airport by 6pm.
The
day of the wedding everything was perfect.
The bride was beautiful, the ceremony lovely, and the reception was so
much fun. We left from the reception
around 5pm after thanking everyone for a wonderful time. Jide (Busayo’s cousin) took us to the airport
so we could continue on our African journey.
We arrived at the airport and immediately went to check into the
flight. We were told that we needed to
wait until around 6:30pm. Stacy changed
from his tux into street clothes and we grabbed a coke and fries at the airport
diner. We started to make our way back
down to check in around 6:15pm. To make
a long story short, after waiting for quite some time around 8pm they told us
there were 7 seats available and to go get our tickets. I followed one of their agents up to the
ticket office on the second floor. I had
to wait another 20 minutes before I could speak with anyone. Finally I was told that I had an electronic
ticket and could not fly standby with an electronic ticket. I told them that we were told there were 7 seats
available and we could make the flight.
Once again the gentleman told me I could not use an electronic
ticket. I insisted then that he switch
the ticket to paper so we could board the flight. He then explained that they acquire all of
their paper ticket stock from Air France and Air France had just depleted their
stock and there would be no more paper tickets available until the following
day.
I
went downstairs to inform Stacy that we would not be taking the flight. He begged the counter agent (Please Uncle) to
get us on the flight. Busayo had taught
us that by addressing someone as Uncle or Auntie you were showing them a sign
of respect. The agent was very nice and
did all he could but it still came down to Nigerian rules and we needed a paper
ticket that did not exist.
Stacy
and I started to discuss an alternative plan.
We checked on several other flights that were departing for Europe but
found them all to be full. All the
flights to South Africa required a cash payment which we had none!!
Finally
I asked Stacy to go up to the British Airways office to see if by chance they
might have a flight to Europe yet that evening.
He inquired and of course they only took Naira so we had no more
options. While in the British Airways
office my husband ran into a gentleman who was a pastor and had also been at
Busayo’s wedding earlier. Stacy
explained our problem and the pastor told us he would help. He called Pastor Ola and Pastor Ola sent Jide
back to pick us up. Jide arrived and
took us back to the Seventh Day Adventist compound where we had been
staying. We decided we would see what
was available for later in the week and how we would acquire money to pay.
On
Monday we slept in a little and then went to a local internet café. At the café we looked into several airlines
that flew to South Africa. We narrowed
it down to three airlines. The three
choices were South African Air (they would not get us back in time for our
flight on Sunday night), Bellview Air (you could not reserve tickets online),
and Virgin Nigeria (they did not depart until Wednesday evening). We decided to take a taxi to the airport to
make sure everything was booked properly.
One of the gentlemen from the Seventh Day Adventist compound hailed us a
taxi and we paid 800 Naira for a trip to the airport. After a couple hours at the airport we
decided our best option was Virgin Nigeria and we would take the Wednesday
flight at 11:20 pm. This would give us
time to access cash for payment of the tickets.
We
walked out of the airport to catch a taxi.
We had a taxi driver approach us and tell us he could take us back to
the compound for 3,500 Naira. Stacy
laughed and told the guy ‘No Thank You’ and that he would catch a yellow
taxi. The guy laughed at Stacy and told
him good luck because the yellow taxis were not allowed at the airport. Stacy told the guy that we would walk then
until we could find a yellow taxi. We
got a ways before another gentleman approached us and asked us if we would pay
1,500. We agreed and after following the
man for a ways in the rain we got into a vehicle which was quite a bit nicer
than the taxi that brought us, the only problem was a dribble of rain here and
there from the leaks in the roof.
We
arrived back at the compound and tried to call Virgin Nigeria to see exactly
how much money we needed. They would not
answer the phone. Finally we just
decided we would get 2,300 USD. The
first call me made was to Navy Federal Credit Union. They refused to wire money to Nigeria and
told us they could Federal Express us a check and it would take about two
weeks. Then I called my mom and asked
her to please send the money. I gave her
a bank name and address.
It
was getting late so we decided to go to bed early so we could get up the next
day and get the money and get the tickets.
Stacy got up before me and went down to the Sheraton to make sure we
could get the tickets there and make sure of the cost. When I got up we walked
down to the bank to get the funds. The
bank explained that we needed a control number and a secret question. At this point Stacy was upset and started to
grab the paperwork from the young man and tell him to forget the whole
transaction. I asked Stacy to calm down
a little because I know that Western Union does place rules and restrictions on
sending and receiving money and they do it because of fraud. The young gentleman at the bank is extremely
nice and offers to let us use his mobile if we buy credits to phone my mom to give
her the information she needs.
It
is very early in the morning at home – around 4:30am and I phone my mom. She was not able to send the funds because
Western Union does not allow money to be sent to a bank in Nigeria and I had
given mom the name of a bank. The
gentleman at the bank explains that we need the money sent to my name as it
appears on the passport and we could use the bank address. Mom does not really understand so I tell her
I will go to the internet café and email her all the information she needs.
We
head over to the internet café. The
internet in Nigeria is extremely slow.
My first problem is when I sign into email. Yahoo has deactivated my account and I need
to call to activate it. This of course
cannot be done since I have no phone. Then
I go to create a new account through hot mail and this takes what seems like an
hour. Finally I get an email off to mom
with all the information. We wait for
quite some time and there is no answer.
Finally I walk back to the compound to see if Busayo’s dad is awake so
that I can use his phone to call mom.
Luckily he is standing right inside the compound with his phone. I call mom and she has just received the
email. I tell her to go to Martin’s now
and even though the office does not open until 6am they will let her send the
money. We agree to meet back on email in
about an hour.
It
actually seems like almost two hours before we actually meet again on email and
mom has provided the control number in a phone number format, good job
Mom. We head off to the bank to collect
our funds.
It
takes us about an hour to go through the process. In the mean time we notice that they are
selling shares in the bank. We decide
whatever money we have left from the transfer after buying the plane tickets
will be invested in the bank. We were
treated so nicely by the staff it seems the right thing to do. They ask us how we would like the funds
distributed and since the plane tickets were quoted in USD we ask for US
dollars.
We
take public transportation from the bank to the Sheraton to pay for the
tickets. Public transportation consists
of yellow VW busses that you can hop on and off at any time for about 20 Naira
a ride. This equates to about 16 cents
USD. We arrive at the Sheraton and have
to wait about forty five minutes before it is our turn in line. At first the gentleman at the Virgin Nigeria
counter tells us the flight is sold out but then he finds available seats and
tells us the cost will be 240,000 Naira.
We tell him that we have USD and he explains that they only take
Naira. He tells us he will hold the
reservation while we exchange the funds.
Stacy
leaves me at the Sheraton while he goes out to change over 1,900 USD into
240,000 Naira. It seems like he is gone
forever which is probably only about 45 minutes. He arrives back with both cargo pockets on
his shorts full of Naira. He explains
that while he was at the bank changing the currency a young lady that worked at
the bank was explaining to a friend that there was an American changing 1,900
in US currency. Then suddenly Stacy does
not see the friend anymore. Now his is
extremely nervous because he has to leave the bank and return to the Sheraton
and someone is aware how much cash he is carrying. The bank hands Stacy a black plastic bag to
carry the money in but he realizes that people will know what it in the bag and
instead decides to use his cargo pockets.
Luckily all goes well and he is able to make it back to the Sheraton
with the needed cash.
We
wait in line again for about another hour and finally we are able to purchase
the tickets. With tickets in tow we head
back down to the original bank to buy some shares. They have just closed for the day. It is now already after 4pm and we had
started at 9am. Instead we pick up some
groceries at the local super market since we know we still have a couple of
days left.
Our
biggest desire to leave Lagos is because we do not want to be a burden to the
family. They have taken such good care
of us the entire time we have been there and we know that the wedding is over
and they must return to work.
The
next morning is Tuesday and we wake up and head to the bank to buy the
shares. We use our last 400 USD and
purchase 50,000 shares in Access bank.
Then we head back to the super market to pick up a couple more items. Finally we head back to the compound to
eat. Once we are done eating we head to
the local internet café to plan our trip for South Africa. We reserve a car and decide exactly what our
plan will be. We are starting to get
really excited and put together a three day itinerary. We head back to the compound before dark so
that we can get a good night sleep.
Wednesday
morning we wake up and I pack everything.
We take a walk through the market and stop at the internet café again to
make last minute plans for South Africa.
We have Grace the young woman who takes care of the guest quarters; call
a driver around 4:30pm even though our flight does not take off until
11:20pm. We planned to grab dinner and
relax before the flight departs. Busayo
is also flying out today so we also hope we can see her before her flight
leaves. The driver arrives with a pickup
truck so we load our luggage in back and hop in the front. Kwami Grace’s son rides in back to keep a
close eye on the luggage.
We
arrive at the airport and check in our luggage.
(PS – yes we do pass some Naira to the airport official to get all of
our bags through quickly) We then grab a
bite to eat like planned. We check to
see what time Busayo’s flight departs and we are a little disappointed when we
see it does not leave until 1:20am which means we will miss her. We head to our gate around 8pm to find the
flight has been delayed until 1:20am. We
are actually a little happy about this because we will be able to say good bye
to Busayo.
While
waiting at the gate we meet Rex from South Africa. We immediately like him and he tells us
everything we need to know for our three day adventure. He tells us where to shop for the good steaks
and great box wine ( a little of red and of course a little of white). He tells us to buy a Coleman at the Woolworth
to throw everything in and then we can grill out on the Webber (or is it Weber)
and take our time getting to Kruger Park.
He explains how at first we will just look into the bush and then as we
get familiar we will start to spot things in the bush. Now Stacy and I are getting really excited.
However
1:20am arrived and we are still not boarding.
Finally around 2am an announcement is made that the pilot has food
poisoning and they thought he would be released by the doctor but the doctor
has decided not to release him. They
said that when the pilot was finally released the crew has exceeded the number
of hours they were allowed to fly. They
are delaying our flight until the next day at 12:30pm. They explain they will put us in a hotel for
the evening and we are to be back at the airport at 10am.
There
is a lot of chaos and we sit in the van that is to take us to the Hotel for
what seems like forever. When we finally
arrive at the Hotel there is even more chaos.
They want people to share rooms and we have to fight for a key. It seems logical to give us a key right away
since there are two of us and no deciding but they don’t. Now we have made friends with another nice
gentleman called Wilhelm.
The
Hotel is a roach hotel ‘literally’. When
I walk into the bathroom there is a dead roach in the middle of the floor. I am not talking Palmetto Bug – I am talking
dirty roach. There are no towels or
toilet paper in the bathroom and the blanket on the bed looks as if it should
have been retired twenty years ago. It
is 3am and the church next door is playing extremely loud music. This music will continue through the entire
evening. I have to laugh now looking
back because the next morning people were explaining how they used their sheets
and pillow cases as towels. I am afraid
to ask what they used for toilet paper.
Finally
sometime around 7-8am Rex knocks at the door.
Wilhelm works in Lagos and has called his driver to take us to the
airport. We are extremely thankful that
they have watched out for us and offered us a ride. We hop into their van and head off for the
airport. Wilhelm’s driver is not quite
sure what way to take for the airport so he stops to ask the assistance of an
Okada (motorcycle for hire). The Okada
takes him to a place he can take a u-turn.
The driver takes the u-turn and is ready to pay the Okada for his
assistance when the police show up on another Okada and approach the van trying
to open the passenger door. The driver
yells lock your doors and speeds off. We
are involved in a chase by both the police and the Okada driver who helped us
all the way to the airport. We go down
below where arrivals are and then circle and go above for departures. It appears we have been able to lose them. We hurry out of the van and into the
airport. They kept our bags the previous
night so we have no luggage to check.
We
head towards the gate and stop for coffee and breakfast on the way. We all plan to leave within a couple of hours
for South Africa where our credit cards will work so we spend the remainder of
our Naira on our breakfast.
After
breakfast we head to the gate. Once
again we are supposed to start boarding and we don’t. An announcement is made and the flight will
be delayed further due to mechanical issues.
They announce it could be up to two hours. We finally depart around 2:30pm and sit on
the runway for quite some time. Finally
– yes finally – we take off. We are in
the air for about half an hour when the captain makes an announcement that
there are still mechanical issues with the aircraft and we will be returning to
Lagos. They said they will land and tell
us more when their mechanic has addressed the issue.
We
return to the runway and sit on the plane for a while. Finally they announce that the issue cannot
be resolved and the flight is canceled.
They plan to bring a plane in from London for Friday morning at 9am.
I
cannot believe what just happened. We
are back in Lagos with no Naira. We wait
our turn to talk to one of the agents.
They tell us that they will put us up in a Hotel for the next three
nights. We explain that we saw what type
of Hotel they used and that we are not interested. We ask for a refund at which time they
explain they do not do immediate refunds.
We must fill out paper work and wait for a minimum of two weeks. We explain that we have no Naira, we have no
way of getting Naira, and we refuse to stay in Lagos without any money. We also explain that we do not want to take
the flight out on Friday since we have to fly back Sunday. We don’t want to spend 240,000 Naira for 36
hours in South Africa. We offer to let
them put us up at the Sheraton or another hotel on Victoria Island. They decline telling us they do not have a
relationship with those Hotels.
I
am quite frustrated at this time and want to sit down and cry. We tell them we will catch the flight to
South Africa on Friday if they help us get a flight on Tuesday from
Johannesburg to Amsterdam and we will delay the second leg of our trip home on
KLM. They take us to the KLM ticket
office to help us but in order to change our flight it will cost us 1,600 USD
each. That is just too much so we
decline. At this point we say good bye
to Rex who has a driver waiting to take him to the Hotel on Victoria
Island. He will wait for the Friday
flight. Wilhelm has decided it is fate
that he does not get on the Virgin Nigeria flight and rebooks on South African
Air.
Finally
we offer that if they can help us fly standby on that evening’s flight to
Amsterdam, we will take the Lagos to Amsterdam leg of our trip early and spend
three days in Amsterdam. Quite a while
later we finally find out that they have seats available and Stacy goes with
the Virgin Nigeria agent to convert our electronic tickets to paper and get us
on the flight. We almost believe we
won’t make it because it takes us forever to get through immigration. Finally we are on the flight and headed to
Amsterdam.
It
is 10pm on Thursday night four nights after our original attempt to fly to
Amsteredam. We did not have time to fill
out the paperwork for a refund for the South Africa tickets so we will have to
do that once we arrive home and hope we receive the funds. I guess my biggest question is – will the
refund be in Naira??
The
End
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