A Weekend in Cotonou
- July 02, 2018
- Fashion, Lifestyle
- 27 Comments
Hey, this should be pretty interesting so please read on. After spamming you all with my cute travel photos on instagram I’m back here to unleash the rest of the sauce.
Most of you wanted to know where I was because of the photos on IG, how much I paid and all that travel shebang. First of, it was a Girl’s trip! Yes I went on a vacation with girls I’d not met before and it was fab. Cotonou was great. We really tried to make the best of every good, bad and beautiful situation. A couple things I couldn’t stop gassing about were the Typography of the ads in Cotonou, their plate numbers, use of Ankara as an almost everyday wear(it’s almost an occasional cloth here in Lagos) and also their most noteworthy and queer architecture.
Cotonou people are patient drivers, I couldn’t ever leave that out.
Day 1
Nigerian Immigration is terrible. *Drops Mic*
…………………………….
No! Seriously, I am not sure why I did not expect to be disgusted by them! Anyway, the first day was super stressful as we had issues with the hotel we booked and ended up sleeping in another trashy hotel. I fell ill on the first day. lol! Had some pasta and I felt better. I wore my gafasandals for the road trip. I am proud to say I was one of the first few people to patronise this shoe brand. Got my teeshirt from Emmykasbit which I paired with some pants I got from my close friend, Siji.
I took a book with me which I never read the entire trip. lool! yah!
Day 2
Started the day with a visit to le plage(the beach) in Nale. I loved how it really complemented my skin. So obviously we had to leave the trashy hotel for our Lakehouse. I was so happy to see the lakehouse really was a dream. Took a long shower as soon as we settled in and changed into my Lace dress by Onalaja
Day 3
On Sunday, I spent most of the day looking at my photos. I think this was the day we went to the market place, point of no return and the python palace. It really was a relaxing holiday type thing for me as opposed to a city tour. I wore my Emmykasbit pinafore for the road, came back to chill in my Nuraniya cover up.
Later that evening, I went to the beach again, one last time. Bliss!
I decided to create illustrations of some of the visuals from the trip. The Emmykasbit teeshirt is made with markers, Nale cord in pastel, Onalaja slip dress in watercolour.
A lot of people asked on my instagram about my earrings, they are from Mango. Its only fair to wonder if I’ve become a fashion blogger with all these photoshoot like images. No! No! lol! I’m still a designer and illustrator. I only decided to try something new with the hope that you’ll like it.
I will not lie, this post was a bit tasking to do so I will deeply appreciate if you share your thoughts in the comment section. I need all the encouragement I can get to keep going with documenting stuff. Will you like to see another post? Hoping to share more about the projects I work on. But yeah! Thank you for reading this post. Here’s the link to the Cotonou travel itinerary created by Alex.
xo.
Comments (27)
Cassie Daves
July 2, 2018I love the angle you took in writing this post. Day one was really a day! Lol and the spaghetti made it all better. Trueeee.
www.cassiedaves.com
Claire Idera
July 4, 2018Haha! It's not the blogger type of post. Thank you though, I'm glad you like it.
Thefabricshopng
July 2, 2018Hi Claire, you didn't leave any details about how much the trip cost you. Please do so. Please keep documenting. 😊
Claire Idera
July 4, 2018Hey Ada, it's right there in the link at the end of the post. We didn't spend more than 60k each for this trip, I think. The itinerary for the trip and everything you'll need to know about the lakehouse is in that link as well. :)
Nesta
July 2, 2018Love the calmness in this. Please include more details about the planning of the trip. Xoxo .
Claire Idera
July 4, 2018Thank you Nesta. It's in the link on Nappyhaired's bio. You should check it out.
Banke
July 2, 2018Yes we would all like to see more stuff from you . Thanks for sharing and it’s pretty cool with the illustrations .
Claire Idera
July 4, 2018Lol! Thank you o Banke! I thought I was doing the most with the illustrations, I'm glad you like them. I think I will make them less stiff in the next posts. :*
Emediong Etetim
July 2, 2018I’m really considering going on a trip like this though. Y’all made it look worthwhile and safe too. Thank you for the info ♥️
Claire Idera
July 4, 2018Yes Em! You should go with your coolest friends. It was so calming to be away from Lagos.
Tonye
July 2, 2018Yaaayyyy she's back. I love your visuals. I even had to purchase the Ouidah guide because of the pictures. I really really love them. Thanks for blessing us, lol.
tonye
theblackwriter.co
Claire Idera
July 4, 2018Haha! My super inconsistent ass is back o! lol! Thank you Tonye, you're so sweet. I really hope the guide is helpful for you.
Naomi
July 3, 2018Hi Eniola,I love you and I love your work
Claire Idera
July 4, 2018I love you too. omg! Thank you so much Naomi.
Mulu neh
July 3, 2018I would love to read more from you.i certainly enjoyed this one.
Claire Idera
July 4, 2018lol! Thanks Mulu. I should have another one up next week.
Onyeka
July 3, 2018Yes please! Continue doing stuff like this. I can’t help but say , you’re soooo pretty!!
Claire Idera
July 4, 2018Omg! Thank you so much Onyeka. I'm happy you like it
Uche Mirabelle
July 7, 2018Differently not your everyday blog, cool concept. And yes i would love to see More, also @mirabelle_designs got you covered for fun vacation friendly and of course Nigerian made outfits... Bisoux
Claire Idera
July 9, 2018Thank you Mirabelle. When next I will be travelling, hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on one of your items.
Chidimma
July 8, 2018I enjoyed the post. My favourite parts were the illustrations. I’d like to see more!
Claire Idera
July 9, 2018Thank you Chidimma, you're the best.
Tega
July 12, 2018Hi Claire.... how can I reach you? I have some business to discuss. Cheers.
Claire Idera
July 13, 2018Hi Tega,
Email me. I reply emails :) lol
Junaid Ibukun
July 20, 2018Love them you should continue & you look so simple.. re u simple? Or u just look simply? Wondered
Adedoyin
December 5, 2018Thank you for this post, it has certainly inspired me to go to Cotonou for a small holiday. I really liked the illustrations, I must say they are beautiful.
Janefrances
April 24, 2019Hey Claire! Love u so very much! Just keep being decent as you already portray and don't join the conventional way of dressing . My woman crush. Keep it up pretty. I wish to be close to u! 😃