Jaunted - ng

Under No Circumstances Should You Steal Hotel Towels in Nigeria. Ever.

Omri — 2010-09-24T15:49:01-05:00

A few years ago we published three or four Nigerian etiquette tips, just in case you ever find yourself in the area. You probably won't need them since Nigeria is divided between people who live in abject poverty and super-mega billionaires who go there to party, confident that they can engage in insane bacchanalian debauchery and then bribe their way out of any potential trouble. But just in case you do have to hop there for business or whatever, we wanted to have you covered.

And now we can add one more entry to the do/don't do list: "don't steal towels from hotels." Apparently one woman tried, and has been sentenced to three months in jail because of it. The alternative is to pay $20, which frankly sounds like a better deal, but salaries in Nigeria are so low that it might not be worth it just from a missed wages point of view.

Sophistonauts Travel: Western Africa Heating up for Jet Setters

pbb — 2008-08-13T13:45:10-05:00

While billionaires may be getting kicked off the coast in Italy, a new playground is popping up for them in Nigeria. Turns out that Lagos is even more pricey than LA and DC, though it hasn't yet hit Moscow levels of decadence. The New York Times has a sampling of prices you can expect to pay:

Dinner for two at an average restaurant costs more than $200. A cocktail costs more than $15. A box of cereal costs $12 at a supermarket. Hotel rooms under $400 are difficult to find.

Of course, only an elite few in the capital can afford those things, but that doesn't keep oil executives and money managers from popping Dom and partying all night on yachts. While the average Nigerian earns less than $2 a day, kids in the capital try to catch just a sliver of the city's new wealth, hawking gum and phone cards to the superrich as they spill out of clubs.

[Photo: zouzouwizman]

Nigerian Etiquette

AVB — 2006-01-25T12:50:49-05:00

For those who are planning a trip to Lagos, Nigeria in the near future, some freshly updated travel tips from the Economist:

--Don't mention corruption during business meetings, and if the topic comes up, just say that "it's the same everywhere".

--Rush hour in Lagos lasts from 3pm until 9pm, so budget an hour at least to get anywhere.

--Don't be surprised if on the street, people yell "Oyibo!" when they pass you. It means "foreigner", although the literal translation is "he who looks as though he has been stung by a bee".

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