Happy new year!

Now I’m planning to be completely impartial and non bias – I think this is possible especially being a journalist.

I spent Christmas with family in London and shortly after headed to Ghana and Nigeria. Both visits were for a number of different reasons; a wedding in each, work meetings and networking, and enjoyment!

Both very busy trips that I definitely wouldn’t call a relaxing holiday. I could probably count the hours of sleep I had throughout.

I stayed in Accra in Ghana, and Lagos in Nigeria.

Nonetheless, time spent in each created the most awesome memories spent with wonderful people. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been to Nigeria with my parents originally being from there, and have been to Ghana three times now.

Here’s a breakdown of the differences I noticed between the two over the festive period:

Food

In Accra food took so long to come everywhere! Think because it was such a busy time of year and popular restaurants like Starbites were always inundated with diners. Food in Accra of course is delicious, but I know my body well enough to know what I do and do not like – heavily spicy foods being one of them, which unfortunately led me to have an upset tummy for a few days!

Food in Lagos is very scrumptious and nutritious, but after having an upset tummy from dabbling in too much spicey food in Accra, I didn’t explore too many food choices.

Locals

The locals in Accra were really chilled and laid back even during such a festive part of the year. Happy to help around too.

In Lagos on the other hand, it’s as if no one really had time. People were so busy so if you’re out there on your own it’s so important to be organised and have a plan of your movements and pre-book meet ups with friends; it’s not really the time of year to “just wander.”

Nightlife

In Accra it was absolutely mental and probably the best time of the year to enjoy it. I had lots of friends from London with me too which made the experience more enjoyable. Leaving the club at 6am? That I didn’t expect! Recommend going to Sandbox or Bosphorus.

 

I know that whatever the time of year in Lagos I am always guaranteed to catch a vibe. Met with some old friends and danced all night! Highly recommend Velvett or Cova.

Transport

I found it really frustrating using Uber in Accra as surges were constant and estimated time of arrival was always off due to traffic. Don’t use the ‘pay with cash’ option on uber as it’ll eat up all your money! When losing my phone out there and getting a new one, I had no choice but to use the cash only option.

Enjoyed using uber way more in Lagos as I came quite early in the new year so the season had “lessened” a little. Despite the fuel crisis, I never paid more than $6 for a trip and they were very frequent in the area I stayed in being Ikeja.

As for travelling from Accra to Lagos, I flew with Africa World Airlines. Very cheap flight (less than £100) booked 2 weeks prior to going. Journey was less than 1 hour too. There are other ways to travel eg. Via bus, but no thanks!

Another awesome thing I was also able to do on these trips were to organise a BBTravelMeetUp! It’s a travel movement founded by myself and Doyin. We’re both black and British (hence the BB) and wanted to facilitate hangouts for those who are also black, British, and love to travel! See more on our Instagram.

Both very beautiful parts of Africa and highly recommended to travel to. I hope to scratch another African country off my list this year!