Wonderland

A friend and I trekked to Garki Village last night. Lagos Drive is aptly named - the area is a small slice of Lagos, with none of the usual sanitised/Rufai'd vibe you get elsewhere. Down a back street (I think its called a lungi in hausa), we settled down for a Star or five in a local bukka, while another friend ordered fish. Up above, Venus and Mars looked down with a twinkle in their eyes. All was well with the world..

After a while, I needed to urinate. The 'toilet' was a patch of earth at the back behind some shacks. My friend directed me. In the shadows nearby, a group of women were lounging in the shadows.

'Hey tall man. How are you? What is your name?'
I told her my name was Romeo and I was from Rome. She followed me back to my white plastic seat.

She told me she was a library scientist. She had studied at the University of Maidugiri. Her uncle is a diplomat in Italy. We left it at that.

A little later, three hajiyas came and sat down nearby. They had the northern babe look. My friend assured me they were women of the night. Later, making our way to another part of Garki, driving back down Lagos Drive, we passed the full spectrum of Abuja working girls. You have the breasts-pumping-ready-for-action Lagos-esque ones, then you have the covered from head to toe hajiya types. Something for everyone really.

Later, we ended up at Wonderland. Not the new Lebanese-owned Amusement park near the white-elephant stadium, but an area of open ground somewhere in Garki (can't quite explain where). You get there by driving down a lunar road, then across a rickety bridge. There are about ten bars scattered amongst the neem trees. Its quiet and very laid back, an excellent place to go with friends for conversation. Our table was full of the local Tiv boys network, with lots of jollyment under the stars. I found out to my dismay that the nearby Tiv strip-joint has been closed down. What a pity - it was an excellent night out while it lasted (it featured both male and female strippers). I had a memorable lap-dance there for 50 naira once...

At one point while at Wonderland, a couple of Katsina musicians came and praise sang for me - the music sounded malian and divine. They requested payment in either dollars or Euros. I gave them 400 naira. We found our way home by midnight.