No Cooler in Finland

Mr Secretary,

Hello from freezing Helsinki! The word arctic has a new meaning for me since walking around in a city with -3F temperatures. Had an Italian red wine over a business dinner last night and a German white with lunch. This is probably the one country where a wine cellar needs a heater. The red, although nice, was served at room temperature and was still too cold! There is so much snow that one simply has to believe in the existence of the abominable snowman!

Ms v/H

Mr. Warshauer visits DRC

I spent most of last week enjoying Kinshasa and did the needful there with several Primus beers. I believe this visit further extends my lead over other club members for visits on the continent, although I'm sure our esteemed Secretary can confirm. The city is one big construction site and the central boulevard has been widened to be 8 lanes (at the cost of all the trees that used to line it, alas), creating some rather amazing pedestrian crossing challenges. I had a great visit, my only regret being that I left on the day that Papa Wemba was giving a big concert in town. Prochaine fois!

Metaphoric in Manila

Mr Secretary,

Here in the dank underworld of the Country Club cellar, where mirth and happiness are unknown, we still have our pride. We dream of one day toppling the masters of the universe who rule so capriciously from above in their all expenses paid business class seats. I'm proud to report having removed one more brick from the wall of oppression by arriving in Manila and drinking deeply from the river of golden San Miguel that flows so powerfully here.

Respectfully yours,

J.A. Sempliner

Mao-tini

Dear Sir,

I write to you from Peking where the heroes of the risibly named Peoples Liberation Army seem to have developed a prodigious taste for Gucci, Burberry, Maserati, Rolex, Louis Vuitton and every other conceivable sort of western consumer goods. I have consumed a martini.

Unsure whether my previous visits to Hong Kong and Macau count as China visits or otherwise I write to confirm presence in the heart of the beast . Those of us in the cellar of the country club always identify with the proletarian struggle!

The East is red,

Sandy

[Secretary's note: Mr Sempliner has indeed already visited China when he traveled to Hong Kong and Macau]

A White Nile

Mr Secretary,

Having a white “Chateau du jardin Nil” while overlooking the Nile River from the Four Seasons Hotel bar. Not a bad way to start my first visit to Egypt!

Ms v/H

KyleManDu

Mr Secretary,

Our fellow traveller, Andrew Boner, is one blessed boy. I thought Turkey and Morocco were the best places to visit, until I experienced Nepal. Maury, six- year old son, Finn, and I trekked in the Himalaya and safaried on elephant back in the Nepal jungle. All of this was part of Maury and my sabbaticals. Along the way, we drank a few Everest beers and sipped millet "Roxie."

Hope everyone has a great holiday and look forward to adding a few more countries to the list next year!

Namaste

Kyle

Sophia is (not only) the Capital of Bulgaria

Mr Secretary,

I hope that our newly born, Sophia, will also become a great traveller.
She is in good hands though, so we foresee the best for her.

Meanwhile, for the short term I hope this change in life will not
affect my new countries record too much...

Cheers,

Mr v/d Z

The Real Country Club

Mr Secretary,

Like the real IRA I sometimes wonder if there should not be a “real” Country Club. The qualifying criteria would be that you paid for your own ticket and did not claim that beer on expenses. Now that would truly clear the hard core travellers from the expense account boys.

With humble respect,

Mr J.A. (Sandy) Sempliner

For the List of Counties Re-Visited

I have been meaning to update you on recent ‘re-visits’ and ‘expanded’ visits -
In October I went to Zanzibar for the first time and while Tanzania has been on my circuit for some time, the magic of the legendary island did not disappoint … nor did the Safari beers and South African wines.
Also in October I made my first ever legal visit to Ghana … yes, I have been to and imbibed of local nectars, bottled and not, but never before having transited a legal border with a visa …
It was hardly a visit as it was largely spent in the Airport Holiday Inn in a meeting – the Accra Airport Holiday Inn is still very much more Accra, West Africa than Holiday Inn, Generica. We did manage to fit in – no exaggeration – the most harrowing, scary, holy-shit-we-are-all-gonna-die taxi ride of my life! One of our local hosts decided to have a bunch of us – five taxis worth, plus one lost taxi – over to his house for dinner. His very nice house, deep in an Accra neighborhood, a la quartier ouest-africaine, would have taken us 90 minutes to 2 hours to reach had we labored through the absurd rush hour. Instead, a scene out of Too Fast Too Furious ensued in which these guys decided we would emulate a VIP motorcade – lights flashing, horns blaring, high speed overtaking with a game of chicken with each oncoming lorry – we are talking West African long-haul semis – as one of the drivers put it, with 5 cars, even the cops are afraid to stop us in case there really is a VIP in the group! It was 25 minutes of dusty, wrong-way around-the-roundabout, who can cut it closer, scariness followed by a delightful peanut stew with cold beers, wine and Talisker, and a much quieter trip home.
So no new countries, but memorable nonetheless!
Best,
Duncan

And in the 7th Year, He Traveled

Mr Peterson writes about a recent visit to Chile, bringing him to 63 countries and out of a three way tie for 11th, with Ms de Walden and Mr Karam.

"Winds from Patagonia"

I’m just back from a ten-day hiking trip to the famous Torres del Paine on the Chilean side of Patagonia.

Click here to see it: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=define:+sabbatical&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

While there, I tasted some delicious reds, which we packed in for the hike. A highly recommended cabernet is the Montes Alpha. I also enjoyed several Austral cervezas under the famous “Paine Horns” that are featured on the beer can label.

As this is the start of a two-month sabbatical, more posts with new country entries will be coming in soon. . .

Kyle

Secretary's Note: Below is Mr P's original posting, lost until two months after this posting:

Mr. Secretary,

The good winds have carried me to a new country, Chile, where I have just enjoyed ten days of hiking and kayaking in the Patagonia wilderness. I recommend the Pale Ale from the Austral brewery and sipped one under the famous Horns in the Torres del Paine National Park. The Montes Alpha Cab is also quite nice after a long hike. I nearly bagged Argentina, only a few kilometers away, but will do so the next time I'm here.

I have two months off and restless feet - stay tuned.

Salud

Kyle

Duke of Earle Maps!

Our Founder Maps!

Mr Peterson Maps!!!

Put your TravBuddy Map on The Country Club Pages

1. Go to http://www.travbuddy.com/
2. Register
3. Complete the Countries Visited Map
4. Copy and send me the html code for the small map.

Takes 5 minutes.

The Country Club Meets TravBuddy

Mr Clancy Joins Club, 20th Member

The Governors and Members of the Country Club today welcome Mr Clancy into our coterie. Mr Clancy enters in fifth place on the Club Ladder, at 81 countries. VTY, yr (very slow in updating our proceedings) sec'y

Back on the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Mr. Secretary,

It is with relief that I write to let you know I have finally broken what must be the longest drought in Club history. I am enjoying Hanoi and finally moved off of 69 countries by imbibing a "Bia Ha Noi" here last night. Given my new global mandate, I hope this is the first in a series of regular updates on new countries to come from me.

Yours in Transit,

Will

Ms v/H gets a clegg up

Ms v/H breaks up the three way tie for 16th and writes:

Dear Mr. Secretary,

I would like to report my recent and first visit to South Africa, at Mpumalanga, to be specific, for a business conference where beside many technical meetings and discussions, several social meetings took place and fine South African wines were tasted. My South African business colleagues Messrs. Clegg and Stretch (pictured) are not Country Club Members yet but did compare notes on having visited over 40 African States, which I in any case consider impressive.

Regards, MvH

Are You Sure It is the Water?

Mr Brady writes (as he goes one up on Mr Negus)

Chris Brady on THE White Nile (origin near Lake Victoria, Uganda)

Nile Nile Nile – it is the water and it makes me smile.

Fishing eagles and thirsty nomads are common images along the Nile

Note: Nile Special (5.6% ABV) has been the flagship brand of Nile Breweries for the past 50 years.