While I was recently staying at my usual hotel in Lagos - the Regent, in Ikeja - I needed to change some money.
I only had pounds sterling - but thought that wouldn't be a problem. And as it turned out, that was indeed not the problem.
I inquired at reception and here is the almost verbatim exchange:
"Hi, can you change some pounds sterling, please?"
"Yes, I can," came the reply from that rather disengaged laconic chap behind the front desk.
"Great." I eagerly countered. "I'd like..."
"But I have no cash," he interrupted, as he drew open the empty drawer by his side, with the verging-on negative energy he'd managed to muster.
"You have no cash? But you just said you can change my money?" I retorted, a tad bemused.
"Yes, I can change, but I have no cash."
The logic flawed me. Completely flawed me. Or was it a language thing?
Did he mean something like: "I could change your Pounds into our delightful (often a smidgen soiled) Nigerian Naira, if I had Naira, but I don't have Naira, so I'm afraid I can't." I wonder?!
I think that's what was intimated in the brief but rather frustrating exchange.
Regardless, I stormed off miffed.
A rather enterprising waiter, cottoned on to my displeasure and enquired as to my ire. When I explained what had just happened, he quite happily said: "I can change your money for you. How much do you want to change?"
Taken aback, but relieved, I splurted out: "£100 please, what's your rate?"
In a jiffy he was back with my (as predicted tattered, battered and decidedly dowdy) Naira. All 25 000 of them.
I was happy and when the receptionist asked the following morning, with an eager grin on his face, if I'd still like to exchange some money, I simply shook my head and said I'd had it done elsewhere, heading off for my fried eggs and breakfast.
