Mr Clancy continues to gloat

Sec'y's note:  Mr G emailed the note below to the club some months ago.  He is also currently in Namibia, his 95th country.  Unfortunately, as also reported today, Mr Clancy has revised his total to 97 countries, and Mr G remains in 5th place.  

Mr Secretary

I am afraid that Mr. Clancy can gloat no longer. After a decade of virtual stagnation, I am pleased to report the addition of 3 new countries.  The first, in Mozambique, occurred in August of 2015. I had sent the information to the Club Secretary shortly thereafter, along with the requisite photo, but unfortunately, Mr. Chapman neglected to post the event due most certainly to his preoccupation these days with all things M&E. I am attaching a picture to prove that not only did I enjoy a beer at the famed Maputo Navy Club but also I did so in the company of one of the locals.  I also send a second photo taken from Mozambique with what appears to be a local beer but in fact is a clever wooden carven replica.

I have just returned from a trip to 2 new countries that I have not previously visited, and have attached pictures as proof.  As such, if I am correct, this should bring my country total to 94. I am holding on to fourth place for dear life (after Mr.Vanderzwaan, Hovig and Chapman in that order) with, unfortunately, few prospects to gain more countries soon unless either I retire or change jobs again with an organization that works in countries I have not yet visited (my main criteria for taking on a new job).

As for my recent trip, the first country I visited was Ukraine. The attached picture shows that I am deciding between drinking the local beer or a tasty fruit flavored vodka. I chose the latter in the end. In any case, I was toasting to the recent advances made by Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine.

The second trip was to Kazakhstan, which, as members of this club you would know, is the largest landlocked country in the world, is where apples first originated, and which recently bid unsuccessfully to host the Winter Olympics.  I must say I found it odd to be working in “development” and be in a country where I experienced 0 degrees Fahrenheit and being in a position to decide between going snowboarding or skiing. The first of the two pictures in fact shows me at the base of the ski resort outside Almaty, with a local beer in hand (which I subsequently consumed). The second photo is taken with one of the locals where she enjoyed locally brewed draft beer whereas I stuck to the classic Kazak vodka.

Yours truly

Country Club Founder and sometimes benevolent dictator

David Greeley