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Sintra, Portugal

Sweet "Pillows" in Sintra, Portugal

Cardiff, United Kingdom

24 Hours in Cardiff

Screen name:

geotraveler

Age:

Gender:

Female

If you must know:

I'm taken

Travel status:

Traveling soon

Hometown:

Nigeria

Currently in:

Stockholm

Expert Nigeria

Having spent half of my life growing up and living in Nigeria, I can provide you a real grassroots insight into this wonderful, powerful, yet complex country I call home.

Matador Travel Writer: Articles (2)

Writer Bio: View Articles (2)

Nigerian-born Lola Akinmade’s photography and travel writing are characterized by vibrancy and hope. Obtaining a Masters (MSc) degree in Information Systems from the University of Maryland with a solid background in Geography, she currently specializes in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and her affinity for the geosciences and maps meant she was born to travel. She has written articles and features for Ariztos Magazine, World Hope, Eco-Challenge, Black Travels, and Matador Travel, among others. When not designing cool web-based maps for a living, she volunteers as a photojournalist with both World Hope International, documenting their projects in countries such as Nicaragua and Cambodia, and C.H.I.E.F - http://www.chiefngo.org – an NGO based in Nigeria that promotes grassroots health development, HIV/AIDS awareness, and the empowerment of women.

Traveling Next:

Nigeria, maybe Estonia

Favorite places I've been:

Peru, Poland, Fiji, Iceland, New Zealand, Wait! Do I have to list them all? :)

Places I want to go to:

Every other country I haven't been :(

About me:

Editor, Matador Goods (http://www.matadorgoods.com). Played competitive rugby for many years, appeared in a cheesy commercial once, currently run a comic strip called Office Supplies, photojournalist, travel photographer, trying to play the guitar, pitifully trying to learn German & Swedish, love Jesus with a passion, adore Van Gogh who inspires my paintings, growing a mean afro, create interactive web maps for a living, and oh yeh....love to travel too!

Profile URL:

http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/geotraveler

Read more about geotraveler

Tunes I rock out to:

U2 (Bono for President!), Pearl Jam, Jeff Buckley, The Bravery, The Charlatans UK, etc

Travel style:

Solo. Also a great team player so I work well in group situations.

Quote:

"To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting."..... E.E. Cummings

Sports I do:

Rugby, Soccer

Favorite artist(s):

Van Gogh

Favorite books:

Currently reading a couple travel anthologies. Anything by D.H. Lawrence & Jack Kerouac

Who I'd like to meet on my travels:

Bono

I want to make a difference by:

being a living example of transcending barriers and dedicating more time to serving others.

Languages spoken, other than English:

Yoruba, (trying to learn Swedish, German, and Spanish)

Why I travel:

To be a cultural ambassador as well as soak up the wisdom of other cultures.

Ideal place to watch the sunset:

Close to the Arctic circle. Unbelievable.

Let's collaborate:

Photojournalist and travel writer/photography with experience working with NGOs and adventure racing.

My links:

Personal Site -> http://www.lolaakinmade.com

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Post New Comment

by jgbrandt | 2009/04/08

Hey Lola,

Thanks for the shout out. I like the new series idea too. I'll have to keep up with all the books to put on my list.

Jon

by Darrin DuFord | 2009/03/01

Congrats on your bronze & TWO honorable mentions in this year's Solas Awards! - Darrin

by Chad Barnes | 2009/01/28

no worries. cool pictures. good luck.

by Nellie | 2009/01/14

hey Lola, just read your article '500 words about my hometown -Lagos, Nigeria'.. loved it. It's straightforward, and brings us straight to the heart of Nigeria. Definitely love to visit it soon!

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by Kelsey | 2009/01/03

Thanks for adding me. Your photos are great. I especially like "Windy Day" -- too funny. Keep up the great work and hope to catch more of you on Matador. - Kelsey

by divya | 2008/12/14

Thanks! I sure do feel welcome....

by adamrussell | 2008/11/26

Thanks for the posting into Matador Goods. I hope to contribute more stories.

Adam

by nzm | 2008/10/02

Hi Lola

Thank you for posting your welcome message on my profile page, and for the praise for my images.

regards
Michele (nzm)

by VagabonderZ | 2008/09/17

Hi Lola,

I've PM'd you with a writeup about earplugs - I have a pic too if you can use it.

Cheers!
Carlo

by jesspaul14 | 2008/09/01

Thanks for the welcome!

by Lost_Soles | 2008/08/28

Awesome.
Thanks for the update :)

by novoarte | 2008/06/10

Great, Lola! Can't wait to read it!! :)

by novoarte | 2008/06/10

Lola-

Where can we find your guest blog about living your passions??

by Racso11_11 | 2008/05/28

Hey great job on all the writings you got.
Very interesting stuff.

Cheers

by peregrinafem... | 2008/05/17

BTW, nice personal website and that EE Cummings quote is one of my favorites.

by peregrinafem... | 2008/05/17

Hey thanks for the friend request! I'm still figuring out this website, but it looks cool so far :)

by jgbrandt | 2008/04/27

Hey, I saw your article on GoNOMAD. It was really cool and well written.

by Akmonki | 2008/04/23

Hey,
Thanks for a encouragement, as always. And it's interesting that you like my slower blogs.. I actually get kind of panicky when things slow down and I'm not sure what direction I'm headed. I actually hope that things will pick up soon, so... sorry, haha.

by Valerie | 2008/04/23

Cool! Walking around the Old Town & New Town are a must. See the Occupation Museum (it's free) to learn about Latvia's history. Take a day trip out to Jurmala (Majori is the main town). Enjoy the nightlife, though you'll have to look out for stag groups on the weekends. I've heard that Lido is a good place to get authentic Latvian food, but I never tried it. Overall it's difficult to find authentic food here because it's just not that popular anymore, especially with young people. Are you going anywhere else?

by geotraveler | 2008/04/23

Hey Valerie. Thanks for the great tips. Right now, its only Riga for the weekend. I still have my sights on a Baltic road trip in the future.

by Valerie | 2008/04/11

A Baltic road trip sounds interesting. I feel like I'm not doing this region justice just seeing the capitals/largest cities. And you will definitely feel exotic here - not many blacks or Asians. I just went to Jurmala today, near Riga. It was pretty cold, but would be so nice during the summer. More soon.

by YoLeven | 2008/04/07

Thanks for the Matadortrips tip. I'll check it out.

by Ross | 2008/03/31

Lola!

Your 50 most inspiring travel quotes piece continues to get hammered on BNT! It is now the third most viewed post of all time and on it's way, i believe, to number one. Congrats!

by Akmonki | 2008/03/31

Hey there,
Thanks for the comment. I'm not writing blogs as much as I'd like to be, but I appreciate the encouragement.
So you're preparing for the inca trail? that's great, and I'm sure you'll be able to handle it fine. If you're with a guide, they'll make sure that you have everything you need. Just make sure that you spend a fair amount of time in the area to acclimatize beforehand (I'd suggest at least a week). Plus, I'm convinced that coca (in the form of tea and candies) really does help too.

by Tim Patterson | 2008/03/08

Hey, have you seen how your 50 quotes piece is doing at BNT?!? Incredible! It's already our 7th biggest post of all time. Great job :)

by Valerie | 2008/02/01

Hey thanks for your suggestions! I loved your article on Poland. How long would you suggest I stay in Warsaw & Krakow? Right now I'm planning on spending 2 full days in Warsaw and ~2.5 days in Krakow, including a day trip to Auschwicz. And would Auschwicz be a full-day trip? I have a feeling I should budget more time for Krakow...
I'll let you know how the Baltic states go, I'm getting excited already!

by Mae | 2008/01/08

Hi traveller .thank you to have passed a few on my page , nice place that yours , where i ll come back to pick up some good stuffs very often
warmly welcome to my bubble of traveller and dreamer
greetings an
zorionak eta urte berri on --- happy new year-
Mae

by First Light | 2008/01/02

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS FOR THE SANTHAL TRIBAL CHILDREN TO TEACH ENGLISH IN INDIA ...

by Jay Martin | 2007/11/30

Thanks for the comment. I enjoy the reality of your posts.

by Tim Patterson | 2007/10/07

You're going to Cambodia? Do tell! Will you get to the islands?

by Zen Nerd | 2007/10/06

Beautiful picture of the monks!

by ZTP Teo | 2007/08/04

Wow, Poznan, used to be 97% German pre 1945, but they surrendered early...

Borsch, hum, eaten across all of Eurasia in various forms, the best in Tajikistan...

Yeah, Disco/bars, the ones in France just suck compared to Fabrique in Moscow, then again, you were probably fiesed...

'the wine is heated' as opposed to the WHOLE REST OF EUROPE AND THE WESTERN WORLD! where they drink Mulled wine, Gluewien, Svarak vino, etc...

Wroclaw or Breslau the capital of Silesia, the city that held out 6 weeks against the Red Army after the fall of Berlin? Is that where you mean, that place with a 99% German population pre 1945?...

Zakopani, yes, that has been ethnically Polish for a few centuries...

And, Gdansk, the former Free City, another one that was 98% ethnically German pre 1945...

Wow, these places are so Polish. It was so nice of them to forcibly exile 3 million Germans from their homes after the war so displaced Poles from new, conquered Soviet territories would have a place to go. It was also, so nice for 2 million of those pesky Prussians, Silesians, Pommerians and Posens to die/be murdered along the way as not to impede upon the Germans already occupied in East and West Germany.

But, I must admit, the Poles are a grand bunch of people and Warsaw is a hell of a town. I've never had a bad time there...

Then again, I would never recommend someone going to a place where 300,000,000 people are considered untouchable and not reticent to life, education, sanitation, representation or rights. But, you seem to think India is a Happy place too... like Poland.

by Ian | 2007/08/06

Love the reasons to love Poland blog. Not just because I'm Polish, but because you hit it right on with your "Reasons". I could add a few more:

1. Poznan—wonderful city closer to the German border that was not completely destroyed an has much of it's original architecture intact.

2. Borsch—Great beet soup originally from Russia, but a wonderful staple in most Polish households.

3. Disco/Bars—like most of eastern Europe, Poland has no shortage of a night life and dance scene.

4. Warmed up wine with Cloves—The wine is heated, a clove is dropped in for spice and then viola! A warm, heart and spirit warming beverage that will also make you unravel.

5. Wroclaw Panoramic Museum—Wroclaw is a great city—lots of history and great art and culture. But the Panoramic Museum offers an amazing glimps of a early Polish struggle and war. The piece is a massive panoramic painting that depicting the Battle of Racławice, during the Kościuszko Uprising. It is currently located in Wrocław, Poland. The painting is one of only a few preserved relics of a genre of 19th century mass culture, and the oldest in Poland. The panorama stands in a circular fashion and, with the viewer in the center, presents different scenes at various viewing angles. A special kind of perspective used in the painting and additional effects (lighting, artificial terrain) create a feeling of reality.

6. Zakopani—the mountain region south of Krakov offers wonderful little local cheeses and mountains—to hike, ski and see breathtaking views. The place has a very different architecture and style than the rest of Poland.

7. Gdansk—by the Baltic Sea. Offers another wonderful view of Poland—from the seaside. Lots of history as all port cities offer. Super night life and cheap amber and seafood.

Well, that's that. Long live Poland! Na Zdrowie!

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When Language Isn't There Yet

By geotraveler | Location: Sweden | 02/14/09 | Pics: 1

For those transitioning into life in a new city, there’s that period. You know. The one wedged squarely between mere traveler and bona fide local. Between a few basic phrases and a couple insider jokes.

That ongoing period called immersion. No doubt, the key to getting beneath a culture is to learn...

4 comments | Send to Friend |

Church hunting...and so it begins

By geotraveler | Location: Sweden | 01/17/09 | Pics: 2

The last few months have been a blur of activity; only a handful truly productive. From rounding out the last year to packing up and shifting base for a couple months, I had it all mapped out. Some sense of order.

Until I turned the word "y-y-yes" into 3-syllables between sniffles on thanksgiving day,...

4 comments | Send to Friend |

Breaking Down Stereotypes While Travelling

By geotraveler | Location: United States | 11/29/08 | Pics: 1

Your friend just returned from the trip of a lifetime - traveling around remote regions, being invited into homes of locals, feasting on ethnic spreads, and immersing in centuries old cultures.

Seething with travel envy, you sign up for your own life changing trip, only to arrive there and find your...

2 comments | Send to Friend |

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When Language Isn't There Yet

Church hunting...and so it begins

Breaking Down Stereotypes While Travelling