the trip so far

I am nearing the halfway point in my research, so I thought I’d run some numbers:

Forms of transit used: 7 (plane, minibus, okada, tuk-tuk, cab, private car, diplomatic corps van)
Disliked foods voluntarily eaten: 3+ (a whole banana, for the first time ever, an egg dish, and mystery meats—almost certainly a variety of organs)
Coffees: 1 (at the British Council, for a princely sum)
Beers: 3 ½ (ugh. Lager.)
Hotels: 7 (yes, in 3 cities)
Interviews: baker’s dozen
Archives perused: 2 (Nigerian National Institute for International Affairs and National Boundary Commission)
Moleskin sheets used: 3
USB key viruses caught, then vanquished: 1
CNN hours half-watched: better left untallied
Pieces of clothing hand-laundered: a couple every evening
Souvenirs bought: none (there is no tourism here, so not even a postcard in sight)
Photos uploaded to web: 9 (finally!)
Money spent: around $2000 (including Lagos-Abuja flights, Nigeria-Cameroon flights, and Cameroon visa, which isn’t too bad)
Days sick: <1
Crime experienced: none, unless you count cab driver gouging

Overall, the numbers look a lot better than I anticipated. And, from a logistical standpoint, the hardest part of my trip is over (knock on wood). Tonight (Sunday), I’m flying to Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon. From there, I’ll travel to the political capital, Yaounde, for 2 weeks getting the other side of the research story. I’ll return to Lagos on May 14, but I’ve already got that hotel booked, know my way around the city, etc. So it *should* be fairly straightforward. I return to the US on May 18.

Based on what I’ve heard so far, Cameroon will be easier (and cheaper!) for travel, but research there will be harder. Nigeria, while quite the travel challenge, has been extremely research friendly; people speak very freely here, so I’ve gotten some great information. Ah well, there are always tradeoffs.

Next post (insh’allah!) from Cameroon!