Ola from Lagos... the seaside town of Bogan Aussies and 2 for one happy hour!

We arrive in Lagos about 5pm I think it was... but first I need to rewind to the train trip because like always there is a story to tell there... dont know if it is a good story but theres a story all the same.

So we get on the train... all is good think we watch a movie or sleep or whatever it is we do to kill time on train trips.. It was only a couple of hours and then we had to change trains in Tunes... SO we noticed in Portugal some of the stations don't have signs and none of the announcements are in English so you kind of wing it to work out what station is yours... well that's what we thought anyway... the train was due to get into tunes at 3:42 at about 3:45 the train rolls into a station with no sign.. The time is right so must be Tunes right? Wrong... I load up my backpacks and step off the train into the platform... little did I realise Sarah was confirming the name of the station with a little portuguese lady who spoke no english... after getting nowhere she starts to disembark as well by this time I am about half way along the carriage on the platform thinking to myself.. I thought there would be more bogan aussies swapping trains for Lagos as we had heard it was a crazy party place and there were aussies everywhere at Latomatina... it was then that I started thinking hrmmm.. I don't think I am in Kansas anymore... aka this was not tunes!!! this all happens (in my mind of course) as the little Portuguese lady works out what Sarah was asking and chases her (she is still on the train just about to hop off) and tells her NOOOOOO this is not Tunes...next stop.. At the time the ticket man chases me down and does the same... he races me back on the train at the end of the next carriage.... close call... I nearly woke up in an ice bath... with Sarah still enroute to Lagos... although I did see a nice little shanty I could have made myself at home in... I think I could have really made a life for myself in that little unknown Portuguese town... but know I will never know... so back on the train, Sarah walks down the carriage and joins me at the other end where we crack up about our close call of leaving me behind and waking up in ice baths... it then dawns on us that the train from tunes to lagos leaves at 3:56 and it is already 3:52 and we had just left that last station.. Our kidneys were not safe yet... we were eagerly waiting for the train to arrive in Tunes and on the way we created our own song to the tune of that song... im on my way from misery to hapiness today ah huh ah huh ah huh... our version was sometihng a little bit like this- Im on my way to loose my liver in Tunes today ah huh ah huh ah huh, gonna wake up in an ice bath today ah huh ah huh ah huh ah huh ah huh no need to be scared just hold my hand we will be okay.. Ah huh ah huh ah huh... there were several other lines that some made sense and some didnt but the song lasted about 5 minutes with us busting in with lines after each other... this kept an american or canadian.. Always hard to tell rather amused who was listening to our song... We arrived at Tunes and half the train departed... ahh that makes more sense I thought to myself... we litterally walked across the platform and 2 mins later the Lagos train was there... it was also delayed... We heard other Australians talking 2 girls so we went up to them to check it was the right train and they were of the opinion it was we then said "ahh sweet we thought we were going to get stranded and loose our livers or kidneys" to which one girl replied with "really" which I said "no it was a joke" hrmmm these girls were a bit let's just say carrot stuck up their as$ hahaha.

We jumped on the train and sat with an Aussie guy Tyler he was from country Queensland... we chatted with him for the hour or so journey mostly about food as we were all so hungry by this stage... The train finally rolls into Lagos and we are blown away with how amazingly beautiful it was... and that was just the marina.

We jump into a cap and we shared it with a Canadian guy... Sarah and I kept making references to the movie Taken... I think this made him a tad uncomfortable as we were pretty much painting him as a kidnapper that was going to sell us as sex slaves in Eastern Europe... his hostel was one street away so it made sense to share... We arrived at ours... Shangra Lagos Hostel... look it was cool I dont know if I would stay there again... it was small and had really chilled people staying there but at midnight the terrace closed and there wasnt anywhere else really to sit and chat so if you didnt wanna go out then at midnight you pretty much had to call it a night or go to this small stuffy movie room and talk quietly as it was right near the dorm rooms... Anyway we dumped our stuff and went for some food. Casa Rosa.... if you ever go to Lagos you go to Casa Rosa I am serious... the food is cheap as chips and really good... they have a parmi as well that's like home but no ham.. But that's ok... they have burgers, nachos, burritos, salads... the food, service and price were all 5 star in my books.. I had a chicken burger and it was amazing... we plated connect four and then once we were done we walked around the town... Sarah and I fell in love... it was chilled and really funky... we went back to our hostel and showered and got ready and then headed out... by this stage it was about 9pm and happy hour at 3 monkeys had just started... €7 for 2 pints of cocktail... we were in love with Lagos... the bar tender Todd was aussie as was the other one Jimmy.. It was todds first night and three monkeys doesn't get good til like 11-12 but Sarah and I liked how quiet and chilled it was and also the cheap happy hour drinks... as it was todds first night and there were only a few of us in there they kept giving us free shots.. One after the other after the other... 3 or 4 I think we had... plus our half dozen cocktails... our quiet night with a few drinks turned a bit bigger... at about 1:30 I think we called it a night... Sarah went and got a kebab and then we went insearch of the beach... I had a few bites of the kebab and to my shock actually liked it... the beach was a failed mission as we could see rocks but no water... we figured we would head back and investigate during day light.. When we got back to the hostel there were 2 girls form Sydney there Liv and Georgia they had just flown in and got to the hostel... Sarah chatted with them for a bit and I passed out...

The next morning I skipped breakfast and didn't get up til nearly midday was so tired... and slightly hungover... the 2 sydney girls were the only others in our room still sleeping to... we all go up about the same time and decided to hit up some breakfast together... these girls were champs.. Just typically aussie chicks who had some stories to tell and were just chilled and liked having fun... we got directed to a place called Fools and Horses as the place everyone raves about was closed... we all had the big breakky and afterwards felt like we could roll out of the cafe... after breakfast we went down the beach... I have one word for you BREATHTAKING!!! The water was a crystal greeny blue colour... the beach was actually sand not pebbles and there were cliff faces and caves and it was amazing... words and even photes do not give any justice to how awesome the beaches were... We explored a few beaches and then settled on the first one as there were no rocks in the water... we sun-baked and swam for a few hours... the water was so cold... after this we went back to casa rosa with the girls for some food... Liv finally beat me in connect four so I was no longer the self-titled Lagos Connect 4 champion... this was upsetting but I shrugged it off like a good sport and congratulated her... I was bitter though I will be honest. Anyway food arrived and it was just as good as the day before...

After food we started heading back to the hostel to get ready for the nights antics... as we were walking we were stopped by a couple of guys who worked at a place called surf and turf.. It's this place with all you can eat chicken wings and prawns... they tried to get us to go in and eat but we explained we had already eaten... Liv then made the mistake of asking if they had espresso... to which they replied with yes... Sarah and I looked at each other and were straight away onto them... no way they had espresso and we were right they didnt.. The guy walks out with a beer bong... so of course Liv has no choice but to do it... we say thanks and walk off back to get ready... liv still without her espresso.. Also if you ever come to Lagos don't go to Surf and Turf... the guys are creeps...

So we get ready, have a couple beers at the hostel and meet a guy and girl who live in London... Jenny the girl was very occa but absolutely lovely and Michael was a very camp gay guy who was hilarious but a little over the top... especially the more he drank... the 6 of us headed out together to three monkeys after the beers... the cocktails poured again and we then met heather out... heather works at Melbourne University and is also staying in our room at the hostel.. she went out for dinner and met us their afterwards... we met an English guy Ian who was holidaying with his family at their villa... la di da... he was a little strange to be honest and said my accent was thicker then Sarah's... is he serious.. Has he heard an Aussie talk before...??? If he hasn't just listen to Sarah her accent is way thicker... we were both offended by this as Sez prides herself on her heritage and her accent... anyway after a few drinks at three monkeys and more free shots from jimmy and todd we head to Joes Garage where the promo guy entices us with cheap drinks... we hung out there for a bit and then it was that time of night again... Kebab time... and for the first time in my life I got an after booze kebab and I actually liked it!!! I think my palate is adjusting to European life...

We call it a night and head back to the hostel... In the morning or should I say around 11 we get up and sez and I move to the couch where we watch a couple of movies... I wrote my Valencia blog (yes I am that behind) after this we head out and today its hot... im going to go out on a limb and say high 30's we wind up and fools and horses for some food as I again missed breakfast and then we shopped a little.. After this we headed back to the hostel got our swimmers on and I grabbed my good camera and we hit the beach... I got my el-touro on (what we say in Spain/Portugal when we do tourist things) and took some happy snaps of the beach just so I can remember just how amazing it really was... we baked and swam for a bit and then headed back to the hostel via the supermarket where we got some cheap booze.. €6 bottle of vodka and mixes for pre drinks and the night ahead... when we got back to the hostel we dropped our stuff got ready and then went to Nahnahbah... do yourself a favour.. Fly to Portugal, go to Lagos and have burgers at this place... Oh My Freaking Goodness they were the best burger I have EVER had... We met Tyler there... in case you had forgot Tyler was the guy from the Tunes to Lagos train... after dinner we headed back to the hostel, cracked open the vodka and had a few drinks... tyler came and had a drink and we chatted with some german girls who live and study where the music festival I went to was and some aussie and kiwi guys as well.. It got to midnight and we had pretty much polished the bottle off but we were in the chilling out drinking mood not the partying mood... at about 12:30 they kicked the few of us that were left out of the terrace area.. We headed upstairs to the movie room where we attempted to continue drinking at a quiet level... this didnt work so well but we lasted a couple of hours.. At about 2 or 3 I can't quite remember we called it a night...

The next day we got up and had showers and got ready... I booked us accommodation in Barcelona and Berlin and Sarah went to this little chicken shop where were got half a chicken and chips for €5 and the chicken was Peri Peri... hello nandos... finally we got our peri peri chicken... it was amazing... a little hot on the lips but so good.

After our brunch of peri peri we head to the station to catch the train which in my drunken state I read left at 1:20pm... we arrive and I double check if there are any stops in my timetable... it is then I realise I was looking at the Lisbon to Lagos train not the Lagos Lisbon... Fail... We had missed the train by 10 minutes... but luckly the next one was in an hour and we could book the sleeper train from Lisbon to Madrid their as well so it didnt matter in the end... fail on my behalf though... We book our tickets and wait for the train... the next 23 hours will be spent on trains making our way to Barcelona...