Hiking Season Has Begun

Last weekend and today were our first two hikes of the season.  On March 19 Kathleen, Jenny and I did an organized hike with the Appalachian Mountain Club.  The hike was at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland.  The hike was led by one of the researchers.  He gave us a tour of SERC and explained the work there before the hike itself.  Pictures from this hike are at https://picasaweb.google.com/jg2adventures/SmithsonianEnvironmentalReserachCenter?authkey=Gv1sRgCP-fkL_O2uL18AE&feat=directlink .

Today Jenny and I went to Shenandoah River State Park near Front Royal, Virginia.  This is a fairly new park and the trails were very good.  We took Buster the dog (a Corgi), and let him off leash for the first time.  He heeled very well, except for when the deer came close.  Then Buster took off, but he returned eventually.  Pictures are at https://picasaweb.google.com/jg2adventures/ShenandoahRiverStateParkHike?authkey=Gv1sRgCIeZk5yCmcOfJg&feat=directlink .

An Unexpected End

The below entries were all written February 13 and 14.  Excuse the delay: you’ll understand why I had little Internet access over the past several days.

Wed, Feb 09

The Vendors Conference went well.  They understood the presentation messages five-by-five, and we had productive discussion as well.  My back, however, was another matter.  I returned to the hotel in extreme pain. The hotel staff helped me to my room.  I got pain killers and spoke with the U.S. Embassy staff a couple of times during the night.  At about 8:00 am I squeezed in to a Toyota Corolla and was taken to the Abuja Clinic (http://www.abujaclinics.com/) by a hotel driver.  Alerted by the Embassy, the Clinic was waiting for me.

Thurs, Feb 10

The Abuja Clinic is probably one of the better ones around.  It was recommended by the Medical Officer at the Embassy and is located in the middle of many embassies and very nice diplomatic residences.  I was met by the equivalent of an emergency room physician, examined, admitted, and brought to room 302.  Thankfully they had an elevator, only the second one I saw in Nigeria.

I had a private room.  The air conditioner was on and the window was wide open.  There was a TV that got three channels: British soccer, other soccer, and Independent Television.  ITV showed talk shows and heavily advertised their Valentine’s Day dance (2,000 Naira for couples; 3,000 Naira for VIP couples).  I asked for soap and toilet paper for the bathroom, but they don’t supply towels.  The walls were pretty Spartan, adorned by a calendar and a sign saying that the bed can only support one person so if it breaks due to overcrowding, the patient is responsible.  I was put on four pills.

There are a couple of companies that specialize in dealing with, if not evacuating, people that need medical attention in foreign countries.  The doctor from company I spoke with, as well as the Embassy Medical Officer, recommended that I refuse all diagnostic testing.  This is because these tests would just have to be repeated in the U.S.  So, despite the urging of the clinic doctors, I declined an x-ray and a CT scan.   

Andy brought me some tomato soup, fresh-cut fruit and some outstanding chocolate brownies.  By evening I was starting to improve.

Fri & Sat, Feb 11-12

Friday I had visitors from the SCMS Field Office and the Hilton.  I also got a lot of phone calls on both my personal cell phone and the Nigerian one loaned to me by the Field Office.  Andy brought me a change of clothes from my hotel room.  Eventually, Robert and Bash picked me up from the clinic, took me to the Hilton where Robert packed up my stuff from the room.  We arrived at the airport by 8:30pm.  Airline staff were waiting to help me get on the plane.

I was, and am, so grateful to my visitors and to all those who arranged for my return to the States.  I arrived home safely and, considering the circumstances, uneventfully, on Saturday afternoon.

The Beat Goes On

Yesterday morning and this morning I trained several of the Field Office staff on the terms and conditions in the three major types of contracts SCMS uses.  I translated the legalese to common language, highlighted the differences between the contract terms, and discussed what’s negotiable and what’s not.

Yesterday we also visited two suppliers and three today.  We’re mixing up the assessment teams a bit to give others experience and to accommodate meeting schedules.  Yesterday it was Joseph, I and Friday.  Today, Andy and Kelley joined Joseph and me.  Tomorrow we visit one supplier in the morning, and I present to a Vendors Conference in the afternoon.

All of the suppliers we visited are invited to the conference.  My presentation will review what SCMS is all about and why we are doing this vendor prequalification project.  Next I’ll cover some of our observations during the vendor visits.  I’ll try to end on an inspirational note to encourage the Nigerian supply chain to be a model for other countries.  I expect to talk for 30-45 minutes, and we’ve left plenty of time for discussion (which I expect to be lively).

I’m being boring for dinner tonight.  I’m here at The Fulani Bar by the pool with a 3,200 Naira (about $21) burger and fries.  Pretty tasty, but the hotel hasn’t displaced Ray’s Hellburgers, Fudruckers or Five Guys for the “Best Between the Buns Award”.

Readers' Choice

Write a comment to this blog entry with your choice of titles.  Vote from among:

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Voting ends Tuesday, 09 Feb.  Ties are decided arbitrarily by the author.

I lingered in bed this morning, finally rising to have some coffee, ibuprofen, and a hot shower.   I think the hot water on my back helped.  I watched some of "Arabs Got Talent" on a TV station from Bahrain.  My poolside lunch was for maximum nutritional and medicinal purposes: two 60cl Star beers and some peanuts they put on the table.  By then I was not only feeling much better, but I was keeping hydrated as well!

I brought my laptop out with me, and worked on a presentation for this coming Wednesday until the battery was dry.  A rather pleasant way to work.  Peter and his wife happened to pass by, and we chatted for a bit.

I was feeling well enough for a walk.  I started with the “Artisan Village” which is on the hotel grounds.  They sell beads and carvings and art, much of which is indistinguishable from what you’d see in other Sub-Saharan countries.  I wandered the rest of the property, ventured in to the city for a bit, and returned as the sun was thinking about setting.

Back in Abuja

This is a typical, although light, gridlock scene in Lagos.  There are very few traffic lights in Nigeria, and only a few intersections are controlled by police.  The yellow vans are public buses, which are usually well beyond capacity and the drivers are very assertive (to put it nicely).  Small-engine, Asian motorbikes are all over.  They'll squeeze through any small opening they can find.

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We made it back to Abuja with no problem.  I’m in the Hilton again, which is about four times as expensive as the hotels in Lagos and Onitsha.  Abuja is a much more expensive city than any other in Nigeria, but the Hilton is also more upscale than the other hotels.

I managed to pull a muscle in my back a couple of nights ago, and it’s pretty painful now.  The driver stopped at a pharmacy before dropping me off at the hotel this morning.  Like drug stores in the States, they sold cosmetics and other products.  Unlike U.S. drug stores, it was small with narrow aisles, and there were only a couple of choices for each product.   All the over-the-counter drugs were behind the counter.  There was one branded ibuprofen, one generic, and Tylenol.  I went for the branded ibuprofen – 1,000 Naira (about $7) for 16 pills.

Today was the last day for voter registration, and many people waited until the last minute.  We saw some large crowds (no lines, just crowds) surrounding the registration desks, which were out on the sidewalks.  Those people must have been there all day.

I had the buffet dinner at one of the hotel’s many places to eat.  Among the fare I tried: massa (a moist corn meal cake with a sauce made up of fish stock, dried fish and beef), lamb stew, Nigerian rice, small skewers of spiced and fried beef and chicken (which also has a Nigerian name that I forget), and a dense chocolate mousse. 

With any luck my back will settle down during the night.

Heading East - 04 Feb

It was a long day.  The Lagos Airport check in area was very crowded by the time we arrived, but there was no problem making the flight to Enugu.  The taxi driver was close at hand when we emerged from the terminal and we headed off to Onitsha.  The road was pretty bad in parts.  The car scraped bottom several times on the more severe pot holes and bumps.  To avoid others, cars veer off the road or on the other side of the road in to oncoming traffic. 

Above:  Hanging out in Lagos.  The clothing is very typical.

Below:  Bringing food to market in Onitsha.  I don’t know how they manage it, but they never drop those baskets.

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After the supplier meeting, Amaka, I, and the company owner had lunch.  Another buffet.  I had the spiciest spaghetti I’ve ever tasted and my mouth was on fire.  Some gum, actually, cured me, but I was ready to drink a bottle of Lidocaine.  While we ate, Joseph and Terfa registered to vote.  Amaka did so later. 

The registration process is answering some questions, and a person enters the data in a computer.  Finger prints are taken.  All told, it takes almost 30 minutes.  I was told that they register every four years or so.  In this case, there’s a presidential election this month.  There are four candidates vying for the job, but Goodluck Jonathan appears to be the front runner.  There are posters and large billboards all over advertising his campaign.  Others too, but Jonathan has the most.  I haven't been watching TV and can't comment on whether there is political advertising there as well.  The winning candidate is the one that gets the majority of votes in at least 20 of the 36 Nigerian states.  If no one does, the voting is repeated with all conadidates who wish to continue on.  There's no run-off with, say, the top two candidates.

On the way back from Onitsha, our taxi was stopped by police at one of the eight or so check points along the road.  Police block half of the road with barrels or sand bags, then choose vehicles to inspect as they slow down and approach.  The policeman checked our IDs and some of our bags.  When he saw my American passport, he shook my hand, introduced himself, and called me “friend.”  I thanked him and we were on our way.

Back at the hotel, our team met from about 8-9pm to filling out our supplier assessment score cards for the day and yesterday.  Tomorrow, Saturday, we leave early to return to Abuja.

Island Tour - 03 Feb

Today we drove to the Logos Island for our first two appointments, and the third was back on the mainland.  Three good-quality suppliers, which was a pleasant surprise.  When I learned that the Managing Director of the first company has a Chemical Engineering degree from University of Michigan, I told him I’m a Chemical Engineer as well, shook his hand, and said, “We are brothers.”  We got a nice smile out of that.

“The Island,” as they call it, is very densely populated.  We passed some nicer neighborhoods, but a lot of very poor ones as well.  There were make-shift groups of tents along the water, and the now-familiar one room shacks with corrugated steel roofs.  By contrast, the third supplier we visited was actually in a residential area, in a mansion that is beautiful by any standards. 

We negotiated the notoriously bad traffic to get to the Dine Club for dinner.  They had exactly the same fare as Sweet Sensation.  I had fish and coconut rice.  Good stuff.  We made it back to the hotel by about 8:00 pm. 

Tomorrow is an early start.  We leave at 5:30 am to pick up Amaka and then head to the airport.  We fly to Enugu, and then drive two hours to Onitsha to visit one supplier.

No internet again tonight and no phone service either.  The room air conditioner is … present.

Getting in to the Routine

It was a cloudy, humid, 90F by the time we left the hotel after our morning meeting, 92 within a few minutes, and went up to about 96 in the afternoon.  Definitely cooler than yesterday.  The first supplier we visited left much to be desired.  The second appointment was another site of a supplier we met with yesterday: they were OK.  The third supplier was about as good as the first.  We had a wrap-up meeting after returning to the hotel to score our assessments, which finished around 7:00 pm.  I think we’re really gelling as a team and getting in a few good laughs in the process.

I’ve put some unedited pictures of street scenes at: http://picasaweb.google.com/jg2adventures/Nigeria201102?authkey=Gv1sRgCIaPt8XR08uPew&feat=directlink

We had a late lunch at Sweet Sensation again.  This time I tried a potato dish covered in something orange and spicy, and had a mixed fruit drink with it.  While eating we talked about our personal lives and got to know each other better. 

We left the restaurant to learn our taxi broke down again.  This time someone came over carrying a car battery on his head and two wires.  The jump start worked.  During the procedure I took a picture of a delivery truck with Sweet Sensation signage on it, and the security guard said that would cost me 1,000 Naira (a bit under $7), payable to him.  I just pretended I didn’t understand and eventually the shake-down ended.

Not For Eskimos

After breakfast, I met with Amaka, Joseph and Terfa to discuss the check list for how we will review and assess the vendors we’ll meet during the week here in Lagos, and on Friday near Enugu.  We met two suppliers today, and will see two or three each day.  By the time the taxi picked us up, the streets were already bustling.  Sidewalk vendors were all over (like the one above, directly across the street from our hotel), selling almost everything, but mostly food.  Traffic wasn’t too bad in the morning.  Even though the rule of the road is “drive on the right,” that seems to be more like a suggestion.  Also, with no lines painted, drivers’ lanes are where their cars are.  The main roads are generally in good condition, but side streets are very uneven.

Lots of people are on foot.  Many carry large baskets or other things on their heads.  Many men wear pants and long, loose-fitting pullover shirts made from matching fabric.  Many women wear billowing dresses.  The fabrics are bright-colored and remind me of the ones I saw in fabric shops in Windhoek and Lusaka.

After the first supplier meeting we unexpectedly had some extra time since the taxi broke down.  Another driver took us to Sweet Sensations for a late lunch where I had a tasty meat pie and rice.   By a bit after 5:00 pm we were finished with the second supplier.  Traffic was very bad on the way back to the hotel.  Drivers seem to have one hand on the wheel and one on the horn.

It must have been close to 100F today.  On the humid side, too.  Electricity has been on and off quite a bit in the hotel tonight.  Good thing I got that flashlight app for the iPhone.

First Impressions

Jan 30

As the airplane approached Abuja from the north, I could see vast expanses of completely untouched land that was mostly forest.  As we got closer to the airport, there were a few small villages with perhaps 10 or 20 structures and livestock.   The airport itself is unremarkable.  It was a slow process at Customs, but once through, my suitcase was waiting on the carrousel looking a bit frumpier than 24 hours previously.  The driver, Bash, was waiting for me, and we drove to the Hilton. 

The Hilton, I’m told, is the largest hotel in Africa.  It’s the only place in Abuja, if not all of Nigeria, which regularly accepts credit cards.  Nigeria is otherwise a cash society.  The room is comfortable with excellent air conditioning and just a couple of small ants.

Jan 31 am

The breakfast buffet at the hotel was excellent.  Bash picked me up at 8:30, and it was a 5-minute drive to the SCMS Field Office.  At 9:30 I gave an “in-brief” presentation to a representative of the U.S. Government and the SCMS Procurement team, which went well.  I’m a little nervous about the cash situation: I’ve tried three ATMs and they only accept “smart” cards with a chip in them.  I have a “dumb” card.

Jan 31 pm

We missed our original flight to Lagos and ended up taking a later one.  This is a very different city than Abuja.  Whereas there is little in Abuja other than government, Lagos is about commerce.  It’s much more crowded, too.  Looking through the airplane window on the approach, there was quite a bit of “suburban” sprawl of one- or two-room shacks.  By the time we landed, the buildings were very densely packed.

The taxi ride to our hotel, the Parklane, was a bit of a free-for-all, but we made it safely.  I’m glad I wasn’t driving.

Check, Please!

Passport – check.

Camera – check.

Noise-cancelling earbuds – check.

Laptop – check.

Chargers for iPhone, laptop, batteries – check.

Outlet converters – check.

Sunblock and bug spray – check.

Clothes for 9 days (since I won’t be able to do laundry until the second week) – check.

Baby clothes for Amaka’s new daughter – check.

Suitcase weighs under 50 pounds – um, hope for an updraft.

Meds and Scheds

Capitol Travel Medicine in Arlington, VA is where I go for the shots and prescriptions needed for trips like these.  I’m already vaccinated for yellow fever, hepatitis A and B, meningitis, polio, tetanus, and probably a few other things.  I gave them a call early in the week.

“Hi, I’m going to Nigeria on Saturday.  Can you call in a prescription for malaria pills?”

“Nigeria?” the receptionist said, “Oh, that’s the worst.”  Lovely.  “We have one drug, but that makes you photosensitive.  There’s another, but that can make you paranoid or delusional.”  Gee, I can take them both and be scared of my own shadow.  “We’ll give you Malarone.”

Malarone is what I expected.  No side effects on me.  You take one pill a day, starting two days before arrival and ending seven days after returning.

It looks like my schedule is firming up.  I leave Virginia Saturday night, January 29.  I fly via Frankfurt, arriving Sunday night in Abuja, which is the capitol of Nigeria and in the middle of the country.  Monday morning I check out of the Hilton, go to the Field Office, have some meetings, and then fly off with the team to Lagos.  Lagos is a big port city in the southwest.  We leave Lagos Thursday night, February 3, for Onitsha, which is near Enugu and directly south of Abuja.  There are no return flights to Abjua on Friday evening, so we head back Saturday morning.  I hope I’ll have a chance to do some touring on the weekend.  The second week will be in Abuja.

Almost Ready for Nigeria

I decided to try a blog this time with smaller, more frequent entries, rather than write one or two longer letters.  I hope it works out.  In case you're not aware, this upcoming trip will be my third time to Africa in a year.  I was in Zambia April, 2010, Namibia in August, and this coming Saturday I leave for Nigeria.  Each trip was/is two weeks.  I also went to pre-earthquake Haiti.  The trips are consulting assignments from a U.S. Government-funded project called SCMS, for Supply Chain Management System.  They buy pharmaceuticals and medical equipment with money donated by the Government, and distribute them to developing nations.  The Government wants the countries to become more self-sufficient as far as carrying out the purchases and deliveries, though, and I help them do that by working with small teams from the countries to evaluate local vendors.  We choose the ones that have the best value to offer, so the country purchasing teams have a well-defined and reasonable-quality supply chain for their products.  There are actually several other things on the agenda, but that's the work that's really getting me down there.


It's a lot of work, but the people have been great, and I've taken opportunities to get to know the countries a bit.  In Zambia, I traveled to Victoria Falls, on the border with Zimbabwe.  In Namibia, I went to game reserves and walked around the capitol city, Windhoek.  I also tried some of the local foods.  All in all: really good experiences.


Namibia pictures:  http://picasaweb.google.com/jg2adventures/Namibia?authkey=Gv1sRgCLGA1cOMotD85AE&feat=directlink


Zambia pictures:  http://picasaweb.google.com/jg2adventures/ZambiaMarch2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCInG-6PH7JuQ9wE&feat=directlink


Haiti pictures:  http://picasaweb.google.com/jg2adventures/Haiti?feat=directlink and http://picasaweb.google.com/jg2adventures/HaitiTrip2?authkey=Gv1sRgCPXNgMT70t2fuAE&feat=directlink


Weather and time in Abuja, Nigeria:  http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=742