My Travel Article

Sound, Within Ones Soul

By Hannah Williams

 

Have you ever thought about how noise could have such an impact on the environment?

Growing up in the quiet area of Essex, for me this holiday was a movie unfolding. The music blasting in your ears, police sirens and car horns echoing from afar; this was just a normal day in the city of Lagos, Nigeria. Travelling there with family during summer a few years back, I was filled with excitement to finally experience the culture I had grown up hearing about. Largest city in Nigeria and also the former capital until 1991, with Abuja becoming the capital on the 12^th December 1991. It has a diverse and on-growing population.

 

Lagos Surroundings

  The glistening, bright cobalt sky and radiant sun directing heat onto the skin is a factor you struggle to bear but the view of big & beautiful houses, extravagant attractions and the eye-catching, colourful attire of by-passers leaves you in awe. At this point heat was the least of my worries- as we made our way to Victoria island smelling fried chicken & charcoal from the side markets with the few wafts of petrol.

This all transformed to a cool breeze of fresh air which slapped us in the face as we landed on the island, surrounded by expensive hotels and huge shopping districts, the view of the beach was what caught my eye- Bar beach.

 

Bar Beach Island

Sweeping your feet along the scorching sand, whilst the soles of your feet become dry and rusty- the essence of the earthly surroundings and appealing views are what take compassion in the minds of individuals- well, in my case that is.

Whilst embracing the mainland viewings one is able to witness the borders of Ikoyi shining bright in the rare; the most affluent neighbourhood in Lagos with a mix of 4* hotels and 2 main estates. We were lucky enough to pass along the hectic way of Awolowo road (high street filled with shops & boutiques) quicker than expected.

  The extreme ‘hold-up’ forces drivers to leave cars at bay, loud hooting of horns and the shouting of impatient individuals yelling at each other through car windows continues to ring in your ears. After an hour, we finally reached our destination- The National Museum, where history begins.

 

 

Nigerian National Museum

Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed inside- such a shame, as there was so much to see. Fascinated by the many ethnicities that surrounded in this one museum, surely took me by surprise, I guess this was due to the fact that Nigeria contains more historic cultures & empires than any other nation in Africa.

Inside, the attraction of Nigerian art and sculptures leaves people feeling mesmerised at the historical aspects the platforms set- several different aspirations built around the information captured.

  Once heading back into the market, the continuous smell of charcoal burning was what flew into my nostrils; and of course I could not resist but to help myself to a piece of suya (fried spicy chicken), the hot pepper sizzling on the tip of your tongue has you quickly engulfing a sachet of ice cold water like never before.

This was the usual procedure in the blazing heat of Lagos; by this stage any bit of breeze would take you into a deep meditation.

 

 So, now the end had come, the time to revisit the destination of reality. As we landed the cool winds circulated on my bare skin with the peaceful views and aroma lurking from afar.

Back to Essex, where quietness reigns.

 

 

LAGOS

•  Lagos is a port and the most populous city in Nigeria. It is the second fastest-growing city in Africa and the seventh in the world. The population of Lagos according to the Lagos State Government, was 17.5 million. Wikipedia

 •  Area: 999.6 km²

•  Weather: 26°C, Wind S at 8 mph (13 km/h), 83% Humidity

•  Population: 5.195 million (1991)

 

 

This was a piece of coursework done for one of my modules at uni (was told we had to publish it on our blog) my first travel article so its not great! Any feedback is more than welcome.

Thanks for reading & have a great weekend guys :)

Hannah x