Traffic and markets

07.06.2010

I find myself not writing nearly as much as I actually want to. The words come to me while I am in the car, scanning the markets with its vibrant colours and textures, when I meet new and interesting people and when I am puzzled and amused about customs and peculiarities of a society so different from what I am used to. Back at home, instead of writing, I get absorbed with making home, cooking and yes reading the fascinating Nigerian literature of Chinamanda Ngozi Adichie, Whole Soyinka and Eugeunia Abu. ( I have given up on reading the newspapers as their badly written, elaboratly long boring articles is just incomprehensible when you think that they do have such excellent writers as role models.)

Abuja is a very young city into which a lot of money has been poured. It has not grown organically but was purposely designed with a dual carriage freeway around the inner city in which very few Nigerians live as it is too expensive for them. They live in the vast outskirts. They do however work here and the place is full during the week and Friday evenings, but weekends are quieter except around the markets on Saturday. Abuja center is a showcase with wide open arterial routes and circular crescent roads in between. All the buildings are relatively new, mainly built in the last twenty years since it has been declared the new capital of Nigeria. The result is some quite spectacular buildings without really a uniform style. However it certainly does not look like South Africa, maybe more eastern European with the block like houses with fairly small windows with no sign of outdoor life visible. It is usually very difficult to see if a building is inhabited, except when they become run down, which happens fairly quickly here as maintenance is not high on the priority list.

Even though the roads are not nearly as congested as in Lagos and a foreigner can drive here once mastering the road etiquette, the Nigerians still drive very different from what we are used to. Nick say they drive childish, which makes me think of the junior school kids who will push and shove each other to get to the front. That there are not more accidents is surprising as the white dotted line in the middle of the road does not seem to mean anything. They push and scramble and stop anywhere they want to, regardless of any cars behind them. Crossing a road is a real challenge. Traffic lights seldom works, sometimes they will have a listless looking individual in a uniform standing in a box in the middle who will make some incomprehensible sign, which looks more like trying to feed a dog or scratching a fly out of the air. Most of the times there is nothing and the vague rule is that the motorist in the widest road has preference, however often there are two equally important roads crossing each other. Then the rule seems to be that the biggest bully and the most fearless goes first. Intimidation comes naturally and the hooter plays a big role and becomes a language of its own. Driving on the pavement happens sometimes and u-turns are common even on highways. Luckily, unlike other cities motorbikes are forbidden in the inner city, which is appreciated once you have visited Lagos. I heard today from one of the other High commission wives that they tried to get a drivers license for her son. They paid the fee and then enquired about the driving test. The response was there is no test he can drive now….. That certainly explains.

I had the privilege the other day to have been taken on a tour through the markets by the Nigerian High Commissioners wife. She is a real character, has been here for 5 years already and knows all the ins and outs. We went to look for some beads, and she also bought a big box full of Brazilian chicken, which are cheaper than the locally bred chicken. I order my chicken from a farm in Jos, the plateau estate; about three hours drive from here. They deliver to your home once a week. Their chicken tastes different from ours at home but is delicious. I also order vegetables from a farm in Jos which can be delivered twice a week. The veggies are so fresh that it last about 10 days. Now that I am getting used to everything I discovered that I can cook almost anything I want and we are eating well: lots of fresh salads, good chicken and bacon and had a pork roll tonight that was not too bad. We still have to tackle the fish markets. That apparently is something else and people dream about the fish braais when they leave the country. I will write about that experience. We will probably go when Alison is here….which is in three days time.!!!!!

Attached also some pictures of two birds on our window sill doing their mating dance.

Enjoy the world cup. We, South Africans here, are going to a big World cup opening party at the Protea Hotel with the Mexican expats on Friday. Should be fun!!!!!