Kano or bust

Stating a time in Nigeria to meet or be picked up is a little loose around the edges. Having checked out of the Crystal Palace Hotel at 9am we were picked up just before midday to go to the VSO Office where we met our employer from National Youth Service Corps named Mahadi, collected our allowance of N36,000(around £144 to last a month...) and left. However it took us a long while to find the way out of the city as many roads were close due to election rallies. There are few signposts anyway. After nearly seven hours, we arrived at the outskirts of Kano and suffered a flat tyre! Seeing three white people standing idle but for chatting on the central reservation(!) caused a little stir. Another bus was called to retrieve us and onwards we went. Kano was completely overwhelming. Cars were actually pushing their way around junctions with pedestrians and motor bikes weaving in and out under a thick layer of dense blue exhaust fumes. A further two hours later and out of the city we arived at the boys college where we will be staying. In pitch darkness the principal welcomed us by torchlight. I went to sleep in my clothes on a bare mattress as we will have to provide our own bits and bobs for every day living. The only torch to hand was Shay Brennan's wind-up duck! The stars were amazing...