Baby Beach on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
I played on this beach as a toddler. The refinery you see in the background has been there since the 40s, when Esso opened it under the name Lagos Refinery. At its height, the Esso colony had around 2,000 families but when we lived there from 1981 to 1984, it had dwindled to about 500.
The refinery closed in 1985, and then reopened later under another company entirely. The neighborhood surrounding it, once a private gated colony of expats, has by and large fallen into ruin, although the entire island can now drive through and enjoy Baby Beach, which is one of the best on the island.
Time does keep marching onward.
I’m putting this here because I didn’t realize it, but this vacation I took represents #88 on my life list. It’s remarkable because my brother Max lives in Brazil, never comes to the States, and we vacation together as a family once a decade, on average.
There are a couple more life list items I’ve knocked out - this trip also fulfilled #6, spend New Year’s Eve on a beach - and tomorrow night there’s a particularly exciting one coming up, courtesy of my awesome husband. Can’t wait to tell you about it.
