Greeley nearly sips KoolAid in Jonestown

(Apologies for taking a month to post this piece from the National Enquirer)

Earlier this week, upon arriving at the airport in Georgetown, I was met by a blurry eyed charismatic looking man donning a Hawaiian type shirt who called himself “Mr. Jones”. He asked if I would be interested in joining him to visit his “community” somewhere in the idyllic countryside of Guyana. He said there would be women, tall grass and tasty drinks. Since I am a curious man at heart, and I had never been to Guyana before, I rejoiced in this invitation and headed towards his car. As I was about to get in, a tall, rather good looking man jumped out in front of me screaming “David, don’t drink the Kool-Aid.” And thank God I was saved, and by no less than a fine newcomer to the Country Club, Chris Brady. Chris whisked me away in his limo, without my even being able to bid farewell to “Jim” -and thank God he did. The rest of my sojourn in this South American/Caribbean nation was peaceful, and, most importantly, I am back stateside to be able to tell you about it. And yes, Chris did suggest we indulge in local Guyanese Bank’s beer (as the attached photo attests to) rather than drinking Jim Jones “Kool-Aid” and your never hearing from me, the Country Club Founder, Governor and sometimes Benevolent Dictator, again.

Brady & Negus in Lockstep

Messrs B & N both made the move to 73 countries.

Mr Negus wrote from the Dominican Republic of a sip of red shortly after arrival. Mr Brady, wrote on June 5 "I am flying through Bangkok after a full week with MSI's Vietnamese crew (quick project design mission for the government). Soumitro was there at the same time developing a different proposal. As you can see we dined with Carlos Ferreros. Always interesting to hear his stories and learn about DKT's approach to social marketing. Of course there was also Lots of reminiscing and comparing stories .. .the good Ol PSI days and host of characters --

In any event Vietnam represents a new country for me. Various alcoholic drinks were consumed, and thoroughly enjoyed in Hanoi. But what I really blew me away was the food. I plan on trying some powerful new recipes back in Santa Barbara."

Ms v/H creates three way tie for 16th

Ms v/H rang last night to describe a qualifying cabernet sipped in a bucolic location one hour north of Oslo. This brings her to 54 countries, tied with Mr Sempliner and Ms Thuermer.

Odessa - Amsterdam is 2800 kilometers

Yours truly traveled to four new countries en route home from Odessa, including Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Article 3.1 of our by-laws was strictly applied and my experience is that the qualifying beverages are far superior to the food. Here, the Moldovan Cabernet is the only non-frightening thing on the table (that is a schnitzel in Slovakia).

Amsterdam-Odessa is 3200 kilometers

Yours truly is in Odessa resting from nine days of riding my motorcycle from Amsterdam to what "in your pocket Ukraine" calls "the world's most wretched roads." I'm on the Ride-On Motortours 16 day "Ukraine All Road" trip. A fine Ukrainian Cabernet from the south Crimea makes the visit qualifying and my 85th country. Tomorrow, inshallah, Moldova. Below, the route from L'viv to Sinovir.

Mr v/d Z takes the Midnight Train

To (the other) Georgia, his 90th Country. Red wine made the visit qualifying.

Dana Eyjafjallajoekull Gets a Century!

I write these words from Doha, Qatar, where I am stuck on my way home from Nepal to London. I believe this is my 100^thcountry visit. I guess there is a silver lining in every (volcano) cloud.

It is a fitting way for one of us to reach the century mark, truly representative of our club’s karma. This visit wasn’t planned. It wasn’t desired, as I want to get home. And on my way here, I didn’t even realize Doha was in a separate country – I thought it was one of the Emirates, like Dubai, which I have already visited.

To mark this century, I would like to propose to our grand poobahs and esteemed Board of Governors that we rename our humble club the Eyjafjallajoekull country club, after the volcano that pushed me, unwillingly, over this milestone.

Hereafter, we would call ourselves Eyjafjallajoekull-ians. We would greet each other with the words: May you live long, prosper, and Eyjafjallajoekull. Our founding members would be described as “Eyjafjallajoekull-icious”. The only requirement to enter the club would be to pronounce Eyjafjallajoekull 3 times, while standing on one foot, patting our heads, and rubbing our tummies. When any of us reach the 100 country mark, we would officially change our last names to Eyjafjallajoekull, thus truly becoming travelling brothers and sisters.

As in most good Middle Eastern countries, the scotch flows here. And it is flowing through me, as I await my fate.

Yours in suspended animation and travel.

Dana Eyjafjallajoekull

Is Mr Brady Too Short?

Welcome from Beirut- that makes it 72 for me, and a tie with Mr. Brady. I have several other secret (and new) destinations lined up for the next two months, so I guess Chris is the one who needs to stay on his toes now....

David

Ballet slippers for Mr Negus

Mr Secretary,

I must admit that this is embarrassing, but just realized that Ecuador was left off the original list submitted. I spent a week there for work in 2005. As you can imagine, cervezas were consumed. Sorry to hit you with a trip, retroactively -

Saludos

Chris

PS. 72 has a good ring - It'll keep the others on their toes ---

et tu, Mr Greeley

Mr vdZ's announcement below moves Mr Greeley into third for the first time in the long and fine history of our club. No news yet if vdZ made it to Qatar, which is so close to Bahrain that a bridge is being built. vdZ has, with these visits, 9 of 13 countries in the Middle East.

Dear Secretary,

UAEE!! This would normally have been another exclamatory, but I felt this was
exceptionally slightly more appropriate: as United Are these Emirates as I am currently
with my Foster's bEEr. Could you confirm that this brings yours truly in a new
interesting position in our dear Club's ladder!? But more importantly: I am starting my retour
to A'dam on Friday with a two-day visit to BAHREIN, but haven't so far been able to track down
whether there are neat little boats or so from this island to the peninsula-country a tiny bit East
from it. Would you, or in fact any other of our distinguished members with travel
experience in the area, perhaps have a TCC suggestion for me?

BvdZ

IceSave

Mr Negus writes:

Since the newly arrived Mr Brady entered with 71 countries, and I have been stuck at 70 since joining, this has pushed me to immediately make a move. I passed through Reykjavik yesterday..... Icelandic Schnapps was consumed, and additional quantities were purchased for later consumption.

The Brady Bunch

Mr Brady enters the club ladder at a higher longitude than originally advertised. Rather than being at our southern end, he is substantially north of our equator (at 71 countries in fact, north of Mr Negus, and in a remarkable sixth position). Apologies for the under estimation. Mr Brady takes the lead in the Pacific Ocean, having visited four countries there, and the Caribbean, with one more country than our beloved Chairman and Founder. He also ties our Honorary Past President with nine countries in South America. Welcome Mr Brady!

No Country for (Not So) Old Men

[Our beloved Honorary Past President writes about a December 2009 visit to PNG]

Port Moresby is not high on my list of places to return to. A hard place to
get to. I needed 4 flights and about 36 hours. Violent, depressing,
corrupt, overrun by Australians extracting raw materials and precious
metals. I met the acting Prime Minister, but could only highlight the
issue of violence against women there, and the need for family planning
and services for gender-based violence. Others from the country club
will have to travel to PNG to tackle the other problems...

I understand that the rest of Papua is amazing, with unbeatable flora,
fauna, and gentle people. Perhaps in another life, I can visit there,
bypassing Port Moresby.

On the bright side, an unintended consequence of the Australian invasion
is the easy availability of high quality reds. So I had a nice bottle
of Shiraz in my hotel room, since I was cooped up there after dark,
cowering from the violence and lawlessness.....

Persian Golf

This week at the Ghallah Wentworth Golf Club in Oman, an 18-hole desert course with punishingly domed browns, Ms v/H lines up for a par putt and a one stroke lead on yr sec'y (not pictured, brow knitted). Our honorary past president and the peripatetic Mr v/d Z visited here recently and praised it highly, and, given the ease with which one can make a visit here qualifying, we now see why (a bright Spanish rose shall be noted for these proceedings).

Lake Victoria Sundowner

My obligatory alcoholic beverage taken with friends on their boat on Lake Victoria. Can I count this as two countries since, as you will notice, I have two glasses of wine in hand?

Mr Karam goes to Uganda

Speaking of irony. I have just visited my 62 country -- Uganda. I was about to invite you to the obligatory alcoholic beverage and I receive this e-mail. OK Dana, I might not be able to join you to celebrate your 100th country since I have a serious aversion to cold and snow, but please try and join me for a drink in Uganda for my 62nd country.

I have a overriding commitment tonight so I cannot make your reception, but I hope to run into you in the next two days.

Regards,
Bob

A Message from the Honorary Past President, Mr Hovig

Dear Country Clubbers,

I would like to invite you all to an important upcoming milestone. I may
be reaching my century in early 2010. To do so, I need your help, and
hopefully your participation.

I am currently at 98 countries. Short of an act of the gods, I will
visit Papua New Guinea in about 3 weeks to log my 99th.

The secretary and I have been conspiring on how best to celebrate the
century. We want to make the 100th country special. The club has
wielded the iron fist of irony since its founding. So what could be more
ironic than to visit one of the smallest countries in the world to mark
the century.

We would like you to join us for a weekend of skiing in Davos. Not a
country, I know. At least not yet. But it borders on Lichtenstein,
which would be a new country for many of us.

The plan would be as follows:
* fly into Zurich on Friday February 12th, and rent a car and make our
way to Davos (about 1 hour 45 minutes).
* I would return to London on Monday or Tuesday evening (February 15 or
16), after much new powder, lots'o grog, and hopefully muchas travel
stories around the fire in the evenings.
* sometime during the weekend, we would scoot to Lichtenstein for a
drink or dinner, or we could just stop along the way on Friday evening.

Can all let me know by the end of November whether you are interested in
joining yr sec'y and me in Davos in mid-February. I would need to know how
many are coming, and dates of arrival and departure, so that I can work
on a place for us to stay. If you would like to stay longer than 3-4
days, that is fine. But I will probably leave on Monday, unless a bunch
of you will be there thru Tuesday, in which case I'd leave Tuesday eve.

And feel free to invite select, well chosen non-country clubbers and
partners if you'd like. Select, in that they must be fun, and be ready
for lots of long winded tales of travel brilliance and buffoonery.

I hope to see you in Davos!

DANA

Ms. de Walden

Mr. Secretary and esteemed Country Club members,

It is with great joy that I convey my new status as married and Ms. Caryn de Walden. As such, Club records to be amended for my new name. While our wedding was glorious and memorable in France, alas it did not constitute a new country. And despite my efforts to honeymoon in my coveted new country visit of Belarus - Jan would have no part of it. May I ask does marriage enable including countries by marriage? That would finally provide a leap in my count which malheursement has been stagnate for the last few years. But then again, the best thing about the country club is the visit to new countries. I will strive on.

Cheers from a very rainy London, Caryn

A Castle in the Kingdom

Yr sec'y enjoyed a Castle beer in the Kingdom of Swaziland this past week. That makes 83 countries, and 20 since our founding seven years ago, which is just under three countries per year. At this rate, I'll have visited all countries in 2046. -s

Nipping at Greeley's Heels

Dear Secretary,

Unfortunately failed to go to Gaza City, and find myself in Rabat now, the good news of which, however, is that unlike the former this charming Atlantic city is situated in - and in fact since half a century is the capital of - a country. Let me come to the point: a new country, MOROCCO. Finding alcoholic liquids rather than say cashewnuts is untrivial, but I'm confident to succeed in that...

Cheerio, yours ever, BvdZ

Secretary's note. This put Mr v/d Z at 87 countries, just one shy of our founder and chairman. Oh, and your sec'y enjoyed a Beer Lao in Vientiane last week. -s