Exploring Lagos With My Guests

5 months ago

This festive period, I'm excited to take my visiting guests around Lagos to experience some of what makes this city so vibrant!
First stop on our tour is definitely going to be Victoria Island beach. I'll make sure we go early in the morning to enjoy the ocean breezes and soft sand before the crowds arrive. We can snap some photos of the palm trees and city skyline in the distance. If my guests are up for it, we might even get our feet wet or buy a fresh coconut from one of the beach vendors.

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Next I want to show off a modern side of Lagos so it's off to the Shoprite in Ikeja. I'll warn my guests that it can get packed and chaotic, but that's all part of the energy! Compared to grocery stores back home, Shoprite always has dozens of Nigerian staples like yams, plantains, colorful spices and fabrics. We can grab a quick bite in the food court too - I love introducing visitors to suya, meat pies or chin chin.

At Shoprite, I also want to pick up some ingredients to cook a traditional Nigerian feast back at home. My guests will get to sample classic dishes like jollof rice, moi moi and fried plantains. It's my favorite way to share tastes of my heritage and culture. With full bellies, we'll have had a perfect busy day experiencing true Lagos!

We gotta take my guests to Purple Mall in Maryland, Lagos too! Even though it can get real crowded and noisy, that place always has so much action popping off. They got these wild 3D video games there that are lit , me and my friends will play for hours trying to beat each other's high scores! We get so hype when we level up. And Purple Mall got good junk food spots all over to grab ice cream, meat pies, kilishi, don't matter what you want, they usually got it. Oh, and can't forget about the crazy VR experience they have too! We strap on the goggles and headphones and it feels so real like you flying a plane or riding a rollercoaster. So fun hanging and acting silly goofing off in there together. Really gives visitors the hype Lagos flavor. We might need to chill after though just from being overstimulated! But that Purple mall place always got something wild going on with mad energy.

Gotta take my guests so they can really experience Naija fun and say they been to one of the craziest malls in Lagos.

Of course, I can't show off the best of Lagos to my guests without taking them to sample some of the city's phenomenal food scene! There are so many fantastic local specialties to try from high end restaurants to busy street markets. We will eat so well.

First, a dinner at one of the upscale celebrity chef restaurants on Victoria Island or Ikoyi Island shows Lagos's flair for combining international flavors with beloved Nigerian ingredients and techniques. We'll dress to impress and try a platter of exotic meats like grilled crocodile and antelope accompanied by sumptuous palm oil jollof rice or rich egusi soup and pounded yam. Maybe there will be a live band playing Afrobeat music too perfect ambiance.

Next day, I think my guests need to experience true Nigerian street food. We'll check out Balogun Market and try bites like spicy mosa meat with onions and peppers stuffed into a puff puff bun, or crispy fried akara balls made of black eyed peas seasoned with chili powder and lime juice. Fresh sugar cane juice or coconut water makes the perfect refreshment between hopping from stall to stall sampling more savory treats.

Alex Haney

For a sweet ending, a trip to Ikeja City Mall, food court lets us indulge in decadent chocolate crepes, cold scoops of ice cream or pastries filled with chocolate and peanut butter. While enjoying our desserts we can discuss all the new and fabulous flavors we got to discover on our Lagos food adventure! With full bellies (maybe too full!) we head home after an incredibly fulfilling culinary journey.

_{This is my responses to the hive learners prompt week 92 edition 1}