Cardiff, John Legend, all about Tokes’ Birthday!

It’s my friend Tokes’ birthday today, and I thought I’d wish her a happy birthday by reminding her of the incredible time we had for her birthday last year! Ready? Not before you say a birthday wish and prayer for her… Done? Story story!

So, I spent most of September 2014 in England, and the original plan was to come to Nigeria on the 6^th of October to follow through on existing and new projects. Two weeks to the day, plans changed, thanks to people who not only have my ‘mumu button’ but know when and how to deploy it!

Anyway, my plans changed from leaving on the 6^th to the 11^th of October because the 9^th was Tokes birthday, and she wanted to spend it in Cardiff!

Who is this ‘keeper of my mumu button’? I met Tokes early in December 2013; we were on the same team planning Nigeria Dialogue’s fundraiser for January 19^th 2014. Somehow God brought us together and after a meal at Busaba Ethai with Fumbi were we discussed everything from careers, food, to boys, Tokes and I have become literally inseparable. I couldn’t be more grateful for this gorgeous, beautiful-spirited young woman; she’s a real sister!

She’s also CEO of Bubble Tii in Nigeria! They’re on Instagram as BubbleTii, website is www.bubbletii.com and you can find them on 34 Adeola Odeku beside Spice route VI. Call 09093840201 to get your deliveries anywhere in Lagos!

Anyway, before her head swells to uncontrollable proportions, let’s move swiftly on to the birthday do!

So, itinerary for the 9^th of October included going to see John Legend play (whoop), and I remember that night we were battling with ticketmaster.co.uk to secure our seats. Hilarity!

Before we knew it, it was the 9^th. Whoop!!

Actually, the birthday fun started the day before; I’d booked a spa date for us at Crystal Palace, somewhere near Marylebone station (oshey GroupOn). It was so much fun!!

Anyway on the 9^th Tokes had to drop her mom off at the airport, I had errands to run, etc. Of course we missed our trains, but here’s a photo of the birthday girl while we were waiting for the bus!

Birthday lunch on the train? Hello Burger King! Anyway, a couple hours after (Cardiff is far jor), we got in, and here’s a very big thank you to the man we chatted to on the train who pointed us in the direction of our hotel!

A couple selfies just to welcome ourselves to our lodgings – the 15^th floor at Radisson Blu – and it was time to explore the city! And shop, smh. We decided however to start with Cardiff Castle and Museum and oh, what a beauty!

The ceilings were everything!

Now, we got to the there about 4pm. The museum was to close at 5pm, the House at 5.30pm, and we could traipse the grounds till 6pm. So, off to the museum we went! We were all shades of silly inside there!

Salute!

If I had a gun…tra la la la la…

Defeat the army Tokes, we’re counting on you!

In solidarity with this nurse. Or the Red Cross. Or…

Then we went in the house, given as a gift to the people of Cardiff. So, while indigenes of the area are allowed in for free, people like us parted with £15 apiece to get in.

But it was lovely. Having a walk through the building, looking at the beautiful ceilings, the furnishing, how the Arabian room was strong with beautiful Arabian scents, it was all really beautiful! And we had the loveliest guide to talk us through everything, give us a bit of history, etc.

Sigh… We’re supposed to be grown women o!

But it was a lot of fun!

This guy was the son of the man who gifted this castle to the people of Wales. So we decided to ‘marry’ him!

Then, it was off to the castle! According to our electronic guide, there were 130 steps to get to the top, and we were determined to climb them all. And we did!

 

Climb every mountain…

 

We went from singing ‘wiggle wiggle wiggle’ on the way up to begging God to guide us safely down when it started drizzling because the steps were so steep!

Imaginary friend: Who’s that hot girl? Can I get her number?
Me: From up here? Hian!

We made it!!! 130 steps!!

Got down without incident (thank you Jesus) and after a quick dinner at Carlucci’s (everywhere was pretty swamped), we ran home to shower and change for John Legend’s concert! Whoop! The man himself!

I just love sea bass… #Foodie Don’t think I’ve ever eaten this quickly ever!

But first, a selfie, in the elevator!

This is the ‘best’ photo I can share o!!! The rest? For our private collection!

Fortunately, Motor Point Arena, where the concert was to hold, was spits from our hotel so we made good time. And our seats were pretty decent; we were only 5 rows from the stage! Yaaaasss!!

Whoop!!

Number after number John Legend serenaded the crowd – what an incredible, effortless performer! He talked us through some songs he’d been on when he was still coming up (I had no idea) and it was really nice that he acknowledged the people who helped him up on his journey.

Sometimes we stood, sometimes we sat, sometimes we screamed, other times we cried; emotion after emotion, Legend worked the crowd! I made two videos, so you can imagine you were there too!

What an incredible night!

Next day – breakfast where I overdosed on smoked salmon and salami, lol. We did a bit more shopping (sigh), and then we literally had to race for our train!

Still on a birthday high!!

Tokes can photobomb for Africa…and Europe!

Here’s the incredible part. Soon as we got back to BlackHeath I shoved my things into a cab and we started racing to the airport! I know, but there was a flight to Nigeria I couldn’t (literally) afford to miss!

Babes do you remember there were flowers waiting when we got back home?

Happy birthday sweetie, hope I told the story of this super fabulous day correctly. I’m super glad you convinced me to stay and do this trip with you. We have to do Morocco together soonest! Love you!

OF FLIGHTS, HEAT, MY BLACKBERRY, AND SOME!

Ok! So I’d been looking forward to my trip to Nigeria from the day I landed in London in January (wondering how this settlement business is going to work if I don’t stop feeling this way). Anyway, so I’d been looking forward to it, my little treasure chest of goodies was filling up slowly, I bought the ticket, and then the countdown began. Plus, there’s a trip to Asaba embedded in this one so I get to see my folks and eat of my mom’s magical cooking! Whoop!

I must say I was scared when half the tweets from my friends in Abuja were about the heat and dismal power supply; seven days after touching down and my fears were not unfounded. I can almost say I wasn’t even as afraid as I should have been!

True to form, I packed on the day of the trip; no surprises there at all. For some funny reason I had a major Burger King craving the entire day (haven’t been since September and I’m super proud of myself) but I didn’t go. Ended up with Nando’s chicken, sanu all-protein diet!

Got to the airport, checked in, bought chocolates, settled in and waited to board. Boarded, and started watching ‘The Sapphires’ almost immediately – got through with all the ‘good bye’ and ‘see you soon’ calls first though.

Dinner was chicken tikka masala. I ate o, including the rice. I was hungry, who runs on only two chicken breasts and malt for an entire day? Especially the crazy day I had.

First movie over, and I must say I wasn’t really really impressed with it. I enjoyed all the singing but from seeing the trailer, I just expected more. Anyway, I started on ‘Hotel Transylvania’ but I slept half way through it. Woke up just as we were prepping to land so I filled out my immigration form, and started putting my stuff together.

Touched down (thank you Jesus), and because I traveled with family and together we had nine pieces of luggage, of course we had the Nigeria Customs Service to deal with. They wanted to look through all nine pieces, and then said four of the boxes had items we had to pay duty on.  I went into their office and the officer behind the desk asked a colleague what items were in the boxes.  As they told him, he would look up, and then write down a figure.

After watching him for a few minutes I asked if there was an items list he was consulting in determining the figures he was writing down. He said no, that he was using his discretion. What!&%$?! By the time he finished, the bill came to N55, 650, and then he gave us a discount (he alone knows what percentage) and we ended up paying N25, 000.  Two thoughts haven’t left my mind since then:

• How hard is it to create a formula and publicize it so both Customs officials and the general public know how import duty fees are derived? What’s to say we didn’t get ripped off that day?
• How much duty does the government lose each day because of these ‘discounts’ and what’s the criteria for qualifying for them?

That’s the officer writing down figures – not a single computer in the office. *sigh*

It wasn’t this smooth mind you, I just saved time and space by leaving out the bits with the horrible attitude of one particular officer with an ‘Ekpensi’ name tag. He’s the type that’ll be forming boss but in an interview refer to his ‘Oga at the top’. #Fail

Got into town, caught a nap, ran to the bank, and then to the best part, I went to pick my nephew from school! My darling boy!! He has three teeth now, how time flies!!

My darling boy!

 

So far I’m like two shades darker from the heat, I average about three baths a day just to stay sane, and my Blackberry (which I got in February), just decided it wants to trip off and reboot every seven minutes! I won’t even get started on MTN’s dropped calls, and PHCN that is only fit to be buried.

I’ll say instead that I’m excited to be home again, because I truly am!

 

 

 

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LONDON TO CAIRO

Good morning from Cairo, Egypt! The land with free wi-fi at the airport, and clean toilets! Nothing fancy, but they are clean, and smell fresh. Dearest Nigeria, it is possible to have clean toilets in our airports o! Even if you want to have ladies handing out little bits of tissue paper like was done here (how they’ve predetermined how much any one will need beats me though) but please, it is possible!

Can I say the bits of the airport I’ve seen are really nice? I got a small bottle of water (Evian) for $5 but it’s all good; all these airports will answer to God on the day of judgement for their exorbitant pricing. The airport’s also got most of the ‘known’ names; Burger King, Haagen-Dazs, Cafe Ritazza, I could go on and on. You can spend sterling, Egyptian or American Dollars, Swiss Francs, and Euros at this airport.

How did I get here? It’s that wonderful time of the year when I get to be in Nigeria (whoop), and for the first time ever, I decided to fly Egypt Air. Major reason? My brother flew this airline to Malaysia sometime this year, and he was treated like a king! Hotel room on his stopover, buffet meals, the works; I said I had to see what it was about. Then, truth be told, it was the cheapest option to Nigeria at this time, considering I bought my ticket in the last couple days in November.

Yesterday (Sunday) was a pretty tumultuous day for me; from pendulum swinging emotions, to my right knee shutting down, pain in my back, loads of running around to do, you get the picture abi? One of those days. Got to the airport (thank God I’d checked in online), and to crown my day, security took my hand luggage aside to be searched. Odd because I’d checked it to be sure there was nothing in it to attract attention.

It wasn’t just the search that annoyed me, it wasn’t the near 15 minutes wait (I’m sure if there was anyone psychoanalysing my face from anywhere he would have read nothing but disgust and anger), it was the fact that the lady removed every one item from the box! When she was done she asked me, ‘why did they separate your box’? I said, ‘ask your colleagues’; trust me, it was the nicest reply I had.

I packed my box, re-arranged my dignity, and then had to walk really quickly to our gate to board; my knee was grating by the time I sat down. Window seat? Yes. Then this diminutive, pimpled guy comes, meets me sitting down and asks, ‘are you sitting here? And where do I stow my luggage, the thing is full’. I ignore the first question (because I don’t have a Christian answer) and would have ignored the second too just that it would have been rude. I point in the direction of the nearest hostess and say, ‘ask her’. Then I plug my ears with my earphones and try to ‘mind over matter’ the pain in my knee.

Young Jock (whose really short fingers I’ve just noticed – made me smile so that’s good) decides we must chat. Errr, there is a reason why my ears are plugged you know. He taps me to ask if I live in London. Yes. ‘Ok’, he says, ‘I live in Scotland’. Then he taps me again to ask my name. And then he tells me his, after which I wrap myself with my jacket and close my eyes. Arrrgh!!

Egypt Air doesn’t hand out earpieces except you ask (probably just in the Economy Class anyway) but I didn’t mind cos my Sennheiser worked, and I was forced to sleep soon by His Majesty. Oh yes, did I mention that Young Jock asked for a second helping? No harm done o, it’s the way he wolfed down both portions that ‘did me one kind’. This kind of person can eat a human being abeg!

Oh yes, there was this baby that started crying soon as we boarded, and honestly cried all the way to Cairo. I felt sorry for her mom, and inside me said a prayer for all the moms I know. This woman stood, sang, walked, played, nothing; this baby just wanted to cry. Then we touch down in Cairo, and the little princess starts smiling. If I was Catholic I would have made the Sign Of The Cross, all these things we can’t explain!

Ok, so I’m going to do a bit of exploring now, till it’s my time to board, and hopefully I can take a couple pictures too. Maybe I’ll have a Burger, or some ice cream; they opened shop at 4am! Who does that?

Me!

P:S – Dear Lord, can I have a quiet neighbour for the second leg of this trip? If he’s going to be noisy, then let him be fine! *wink*

*first chronicle from my new Macbook…..not bad at all!

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