Single Malt Scotch Whisky

WHEN I WAS SIXTEEN, the Chief Reporter at the Daily Nation (Bill Harris), an intrepid, red-haired Scotsman) took me to a reception at the British High Commission in Nairobi. He greeted people as well entered a large room ... we carried on walking up a set of stairs and came to a stop at a large glassed cupboard being guarded by a tall Luo guard wearing a white waiter's tunic and the usual red hat common in Egypt first. The Luo put his hands up and said: "Bwana the High Commissioner has told me to keep the whisky safe from you." To which Bill quietly patted the waited on his cheeks and said: "Bwana, you know what will happen if I do not have a drink or two of my medicine." With that the frightened Luo took off, promising to report Bill to the HC. He looked at me and said: "Remember this laddie, if you never drink anything else in your life, make sure you have at least a happy dram or two of a Scottish single malt whisky. There is nothing of the like of it anywhere else in the world. This is what the Gods of Scotland (and some humble people like Bill) have drunk since the first scotch whisky was created hundreds of years ago." With that, he deftly opened the drinks cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Glenmorangie, took the leaded cap covering, got the cap off and poured the holy liquid into two very small glasses, the likes of which I had never seen before.

Handed me one of the glasses and said: "Drink. But never abuse. Always keep the best single malt of your choice by bedside or your secret place in your home and never share it with any of your friends or family. This is a sacred drink." I watched him as he savoured the drink and allowed it to unhurriedly pass down his gullet after which his facial aura appeared to bloom somewhat even though he fought a hankering for another drop or two. "In a few minutes, I will drink it with the HC."

In the years to come, I followed Bill's single malt mantra and diabetes put a stop to it all... but not before I had walked the hills, the meadows, the valleys, the highlands, lowlands, and lakesides of Scotland on safaris to collect every great grandmother's secret scotch delivered in those little blue bottles with perforations on the side and in which doctors and pharmacists dispensed their medications. Over the years I came to know and love many, many single malt scotches. Some of my favourites included Cardhu, Aberlour, Lagavulin, Talisker,  ...

                 One of the most expensive single malts from the Whisky Exchange: 3,500 pounds around $7000!!!1

Nairobi Butterflies by Peter Usher

 The Magic of Kenya butterflies

THE MAJESTY OF NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK!

The unforgettable Nairobi National Park

What Animals Are found in Nairobi National Park? : Nairobi National Park is in Kenya that is located in the South-central of Kenya and was established in 1946 about 7 km (4.3mi) south of Nairobi. Nairobi National Park covers an area of 117km2 (45 sq. mi), is fenced on the three sides, whereas the open southern boundary allows migrating wildlife to move between the park and the adjacent Kitengele plains. Herbivores gather in the park during the dry season. NNP is negatively affected by increasing human and livestock populations, changing land use and poaching wildlife. Despite its proximity to the city and its relatively small size, it boasts a large and varied wildlife population and is one of Kenya’s most successful rhinoceros sanctuaries.

Animals found in Nairobi National Park.

Almost everyone travelling to Africa sits in hope of seeing the predator species. Nairobi National Park does not disappoint with the predators including the large and diverse wildlife population. Species found in the park are the 39 lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena and many more. Other large mammal species in the park  that are over 100  include the buffalo, 90 black rhino, baboon, eland, gazelle, hartebeest, hippopotamus, impala, giraffe, wildebeest and the waterbuck. One of the missing specie that the park is missing and the most people hope to see is the elephant. Nairobi National park has 40 different amphibians and reptiles.

Hippopotamus

The most populous species are found among the ungulates. Impala, wildebeest, Hartebeest, Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s Gazelle, olive baboon, Black-backed jackal, common ostrich, Nile crocodile and Eland. It is fair to expect to see each of these species during your safari in Kenya. The abundance of the ungulated also makes the predator species happy that their hunt is very easy.

Nairobi National Park had an abundance of the bird species that are over 450 bird species with the vulture and ostrich being two of the larger or more intriguing species, the ostrich is commonly seen along the plains. Other large species include the Crowned Crane, Kori Bustard, Ground Hornbill, Egyptian Goose, and the Black-necked Heron. There are several songbirds which serve as a complementary experience for the bird watchers.

Ground Hornbill

Nairobi National Park has a good variety of wildlife, apart from elephants, most big safari animals are present. There is a very good chance of seeing the rhino. White rhinos are easiest to spot as they graze on the open plains, but the park is one of Kenya's most successful sanctuaries for the black rhino, which likes to keep hidden in the thickets. Nairobi National Park is committed to protecting the endangered rhino and their efforts are one of the most successful in Africa. Experiencing these magnificent creatures is certainly a highlight, many people find the proximity of this collection of animals to the industrial city of Nairobi to be highlight of fascination.

The Nairobi National Park walk is a great way to breathe the fresh air and take in the wilderness that is a literal neighbor to one of the most industrial cities in Africa. Apart from that, the abundance of wildlife that is so easily accessible so close to such a large metropolis leaves most people bewildered that the wildlife and the wilderness is right there. The Nairobi Safari walk is a chance to get out and walk in the national park, however, it is now a trail but self-guided walking is not permitted, the park ranger, or guide to take you around while explaining to you the various animal species in Nairobi National Park.

 

Nairobi National Park is mainly an open grass plain dotted with acacia bushes, where animal species in Nairobi National park inhabit and benefit from as there are areas of the highland dry forest in the west, riverine forest in the south, and some deep rock valleys and gorges. Several endemic plant species are found on the rock hillsides, the park has 500 tree species.

Best time for wildlife Viewing.

The best time to visit Nairobi National Park is in the dry season (from June to September) that’s when the animals gather around remaining water sources, although it can be visited throughout the year. The long rains (March to May) and the short rains (October to November) usually make animal spotting more difficult. Rain can interfere with game drive and the vegetation tends to be very high.

Nairobi National Park is also sometimes called the Kifaru Ark, which means the ‘Rhinoceros Sanctuary’. It is one of Kenya's most successful rhinoceros sanctuaries, and it is one of only a few parks where visitors can be certain of seeing the black rhinoceros in its habitat, and also a place where the tourists can be able to spot the big 5 but where it is missing only the elephant, the park has the four members out of the big 5 animal species (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and cape buffalo) which also give the tourists the most pleasure and amazing moments in Nairobi National park.

 

My thanks to Kenya National Parks and providers of free images online.

Kenya train journeys Part II

 CYPRIAN FERNANDES MY OWN UNFORGETTABLE MEMORY OF A TRAIN JOURNEY IN KENYA:

Then there was Corned Beef aka (late) Polycarp Fernandes. On a Hornets hockey team visit to Mombasa, Polly and his teammates (late) Steve Fernandes and Hygino Vaz leapt off the slowing train as it was inching its way to a dead stop in Voi.

On the journey to Mombasa, finger food provided by the various mothers was stored away in one of the carriages. There was music, card games and various other activities to keep everyone occupied. However, when they stopped for dinner, there was none to be found in the carriage where the food had been stored. Laughing from ear to ear, the trio admitted their crime. On the way back, Fernandes arranged for a kind lady to pack a box of finger foods and it was stored on the train with a guard of four to keep the three food robbers at bay. When dinner came, they asked for some food. No! No food for the trio because they had eaten all the food the last time. So, as we approached a train station, they wanted to be first in line for their sandwiches. Jumping off a moving train is forbidden and as luck would have it, they were nabbed by the local police. As there were no available cells, the two had to crouch under a police officer’s desk. It must have been pure agony for Polly dreaming of that sandwich.

Another teammate Hilary Fernandes went to the police station to enquire about their whereabouts. “I could not see them but heard a faint cry for help. They were under the desk,’’ Hilary laughed.

“Our manager Cyprian Fernandes rushed to see the station master who turned out to be Menino Viegas, a fellow Goan but he was not paying any attention to Fernandes’ pleadings. “They have broken the law”.

Fernandes asked Hilary to see if he could convince Viegas and get him to release the “starving” prisoners.

 “After pleading with Menino Viegas (a hockey player himself) for what seemed like an eternity, they were allowed out. We will never forget that day,” said Hygino, who now lives in Mississauga. “We can all laugh about it now but it wasn’t funny then.’’ Polly’s love for food was legendary.

Once at an Indian restaurant in Pangani, Polly, Octavio (Pereira) and I were handed four gulab jamuns (Indian sweets) following our meal. We tossed a coin to see who would win the extra gulab jamun. Polly was the winner but before Polly could get his hands on it, Octavio quickly stuffed it into his mouth. The next minute we saw the confectionery fly out of Octavio’s mouth and on to the floor. A furious Polly had punched him in the face.

Polly was a superb hockey goalkeeper in school and went on to play for the Railway Goan Institute.  He was a member of the RGI team that won the M.R. de Souza Gold Cup and several other local trophies. He also represented Nairobi in the Tata Cup and went on to play against the touring Pakistan national team led by incomparable Gen. Mansoor Atif. 

Also, on the RGI team was his younger brother James, who was an excellent left-back.  Polly’s older brother Jacinto was Kenya’s badminton champion and represented the country at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1970.

 

Memories of the much loved Kenya-Uganda Railway

 

Memories of the Kenya-Uganda Railway

By Professor Terence Price

Both my grandparents came to build the Kenya-Uganda Railway and my uncle was a train driver (goods train) based in Mombasa, and he and my dad both worked for over 40 years in the railways and my brother Henry, sister Mary, cousin Denis also followed suit until we had to leave Kenya in the mid 60's. As my dad worked in the railways, we were entitled to train travel so he would send us kids - 2nd class to Mombasa/Kampala but would speak to the Goan cooks so we had to wait for the last sitting in the dining car.

 

We soon knew why as we had the best meals from the cooks who really loved and respected my dad.  Years later when in high school and playing soccer I accompanied the Nairobi Goan Heroes soccer team to Mombasa to play their equivalent match with the Mombasa GI team over a weekend and travelled in the 3rd class carriage! But we joked and sang so had a great time as we occupied the entire carriage despite the discomforts as described by others! 

 

I stayed with my uncle in Mombasa for six months when I was doing HSC at Allidina Visram HS as my elder brother Cyril had to go on leave to Europe with his family so my uncle would arrive at different times of the night as he drove the trains to Kampala and he would bring back eggs, vegetables, fruit bought at some of the local stations on the way back. He told us many stories around the dining table of his train journeys from the 1920s to the 1950s.

 

My last train journey was in 1964 when I returned for a holiday from the UK where I was doing my University studies and took my widowed mother on the train First Class to visit my brother and uncle in Mombasa - her first train journey since returning from India after the war in 1946. 

 

What is remarkable is the friendships forged during my schooldays in Kenya have remained; although my former classmates are also scattered around the globe, and so many have also been lost through death. 

 

I looked via Google Maps for the houses my parents built in Eastleigh after my dad retired but they too have disappeared and been replaced by multi-storey buildings - so the only place still recognizable is the St Teresa's Catholic Church and St Teresa's Girls school. 

Maybe one day some of you may write a history on the contribution of the Asians to Kenya both prior to and since independence!  

Best wishes to all and sundry including my good friends Mervyn Maciel (Agriculture Kenya), and St Teresa's schoolmates Kersi Rustomji and Cyprian Fernandes.

 On a funnier note, I was once sitting on a plane travelling from Melbourne to the USA for a Scientific Conference in the 1980s and the person sitting next to me was an American. He was so fascinated that  I came from Kenya in Africa to teach Australians Agriculture and Plant Protection!  

CYPRIAN FERNANDES MY OWN UNFORGETTABLE MEMORY OF A TRAIN JOURNEY IN KENYA:

Then there was Corned Beef aka (late) Polycarp Fernandes. On a Hornets hockey team visit to Mombasa, Polly and his teammates (late) Steve Fernandes and Hygino Vaz leapt off the slowing train as it was inching its way to a dead stop in Voi.

On the journey to Mombasa, finger food provided by the various mothers was stored away in one of the carriages. There was music, card games and various other activities to keep everyone occupied. However, when they stopped for dinner, there was none to be found in the carriage where the food had been stored. Laughing from ear to ear, the trio admitted their crime. On the way back, Fernandes arranged for a kind lady to pack a box of finger foods and it was stored on the train with a guard of four to keep the three food robbers at bay. When dinner came, they asked for some food. No! No food for the trio because they had eaten all the food the last time. So, as we approached a train station, they wanted to be first in line for their sandwiches. Jumping off a moving train is forbidden and as luck would have it, they were nabbed by the local police. As there were no available cells, the two had to crouch under a police officer’s desk. It must have been pure agony for Polly dreaming of that sandwich.

Another teammate Hilary Fernandes went to the police station to enquire about their whereabouts. “I could not see them but heard a faint cry for help. They were under the desk,’’ Hilary laughed.

“Our manager Cyprian Fernandes rushed to see the station master who turned out to be Menino Viegas, a fellow Goan but he was not paying any attention to Fernandes’ pleadings. “They have broken the law”.

Fernandes asked Hilary to see if he could convince Viegas and get him to release the “starving” prisoners.

 “After pleading with Menino Viegas (a hockey player himself) for what seemed like an eternity, they were allowed out. We will never forget that day,” said Hygino, who now lives in Mississauga. “We can all laugh about it now but it wasn’t funny then.’’ Polly’s love for food was legendary.

Once at an Indian restaurant in Pangani, Polly, Octavio (Pereira) and I were handed four gulab jamuns (Indian sweets) following our meal. We tossed a coin to see who would win the extra gulab jamun. Polly was the winner but before Polly could get his hands on it, Octavio quickly stuffed it into his mouth. The next minute we saw the confectionery fly out of Octavio’s mouth and on to the floor. A furious Polly had punched him in the face.

Polly was a superb hockey goalkeeper in school and went on to play for the Railway Goan Institute.  He was a member of the RGI team that won the M.R. de Souza Gold Cup and several other local trophies. He also represented Nairobi in the Tata Cup and went on to play against the touring Pakistan national team led by incomparable Gen. Mansoor Atif. 

Also, on the RGI team was his younger brother James, who was an excellent left-back.  Polly’s older brother Jacinto was Kenya’s badminton champion and represented the country at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1970.

 

Brilliant young Goan who is pushing drug enhanced sports revolution

 

Aron D'Souza, brilliant, successful lawyer 

plans drug enhanced sports revolution

A brilliant young Australian-born, London Kensington-based, Goan Lawyer, Aron D’Souza (Aldona, Melbourne) has been astonishing the world of sports, especially the Olympics, with his dream of performance drug enhanced (safely) sports men and women.

He told the BBC (radio) recently that the International Olympics Committee was allegedly corrupt. He pointed to the fact that athletes get a pittance (if at all) while the IOC officials lived the high life.

Aron D’Souza came to fame when h fought Hulk Hogan’s case and won the veteran athletes millions. D’Souza is backed by a solid team of international financiers in his Enhanced Games project.

According to the London Daily Mail: D'Souza is keen to have his say. He will point to his “disgust” at the “corrupt” International Olympic Committee, and his view that doping can be safe and will make sport and humanity better and fairer. His solution? He intends to launch the first Enhanced Games in December 2024. Audacious is one word; ridiculous and a potentially reckless act of attention-seeking is the consensus of those consulted by Mail Sport.

“In one version we fully defeat the Olympics and become the dominant international sports event,” D'Souza says. “Or there is natural and there is enhanced. You can watch the Enhanced Games with superheroes, or you can watch the old, natural Olympics with Greek gods. It is two different worlds.”

“Indeed. A choice between five iconic rings or the nine circles of what might reasonably be termed a sporting hell.”

According to the BBC: Ex-world champion James Magnussen says he will take banned drugs in an attempt to swim faster than a world record.

The Australian, 32, will come out of retirement to compete in the Enhanced Games, where doping is allowed.

Magnussen will try to swim faster than the 50m freestyle record, though it would not be official because there would be no drug-testing regime.

"I'll juice to the gills and I'll break it in six months," said Magnussen, who will be paid $1m (£792,000).

The men's 50m freestyle world record of 20.91 seconds was set by Brazilian Cesar Cielo in 2009, though he was wearing a performance-enhancing, non-textile swimsuit that was banned a few months later.

The Enhanced Games was founded by Australian businessman Aron D'Souza in 2023 and would not be subject to World Anti-Doping Agency rules.

Aron D’Souza is the President of the Enhanced Games. 

Previously, he led Peter Thiel’s litigation against Gawker Media involving the wrestler Hulk Hogan, which resulted in one of the largest invasion of privacy judgement in history, and is the subject of the book Conspiracy by best-selling author Ryan Holiday.

He is the founder of Sargon, a technology infrastructure company for the pensions and superannuation industry across the Asia-Pacific region. Sargon operates across Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong and has over A$52 billion under management and supervision, 200 employees and nine offices. He sold his stake in the company in 2018. Today, Sargon is owned by a consortium led by Vista Equity Partners.

Together with the Foundation for Young Australians, Aron founded the Nexus Australian Youth Summit, a branch of a global movement of young philanthropists and impact investors convened by the United Nations. The Prime Minister, the Hon. Kevin Rudd, commented, “The Nexus movement is recognised for its role in helping to build momentum towards a new way of interacting within communities that is socially focused and globally engaged.” In 2014, Men’s Style magazine recognised him as one of Australia’s most influential men.

In terms of scholarly output, Dr D’Souza is the foundation editor of The Journal Jurisprudence, a quarterly publication on legal philosophy. The Rt. Hon. Malcolm Fraser, former Prime Minister of Australia, commented in a foreword to a recent edition: “The Journal Jurisprudence has a high reputation as an effective and authoritative law journal.” Distinguished past contributors include the Hon. Justice Michael Kirby of the High Court of Australia, former Australian of the Year Stephen Keim, SC, and Judge Baltasar Garzón of the National Court of Spain.

Additionally, he is the author of three books: The Art of Time (2007), Special Protections: The Ethics of Copyright and Aboriginal Iconography (2009) and A General Theory of Property (2011). He edited a book on the impact of the Nuremberg war trials on international law. His writings have appeared in the editorial pages of numerous publications, including Men’s Health, the Times of London, the Herald Sun, the Australian Financial Review and the Gulf Times.

Aron is an avid athlete and a keen believer in the importance of sport. Whilst at Oxford, he played rugby for Wadham College, where he wore the number 14 jersey and is currently the team’s Honorary Chairman.

 

 

 

 

East African Goan timelines - can you add to this?

 

Timelines – Kenya Uganda Tanzania (Courtesy of GOANET)

Year    Place                  Event

1594    Mombasa         Portuguese built Fort Jesus

1698    Mombasa         Omani Arabs seize Fort Jesus and end Portuguese rule

1865    Zanzibar        C.R. de Souza opens store on island

1884    Zanzibar        M.R. de Souza starts a business

1889    Mombasa         M.R.de Souza opens branch of his store

1900    Nairobi         Creation of the township of Nairobi

1901    Mombasa         Goan Reading Room opened in the house of D.L. Pereira

1904    Nairobi         Portuguese Cricket Club was formed by 29 employees of the

Uganda Railway

1905    Nairobi         Portuguese Cricket Club closed by Uganda Railway

authorities due to disputes between railway and non-railway employees

1905    Nairobi         Non-Railway Goan members of the former Portuguese

Cricket Club re-group and form the Goan Institute

1905    Mombasa         St. Francis Xavier Goan Tailors Society formed

1906    Mombasa         C.R. de Souza opens Mombasa branch

1909    Nairobi         M.R. de Souza opens branches in Nairobi and Nakuru

1909    Nairobi         Railway Goan employees re-organize to form the Railway

Goan Institute

1911    Mombasa         Goan Reading Room name changed to the Goan Institute

1915    Mombasa         Dr A.C.L. de Sousa arrives in E. Africa and is

appointed a Government Medical Officer

1916    Nairobi         St. Francis Xavier Goan Tailors Society formed

1919    Nairobi         Dr. A.C.L. de Sousa moves to Nairobi and enters private practice with his wife, Mary, also a doctor

1927    Mombasa         Goan Institute opens new building on Salim Road

1927    Nairobi         Goan Overseas Association formed by Dr. A.C.L. D'Sousa

on 9th. July

1928    Nairobi         Dr. Ribeiro Goan School opens in April with 38 children

in premises loaned by Dr. Ribeiro

1931    Nairobi         New Dr. Ribeiro Goan School Building opens on 19th July

1934    Nairobi         Dr. A.C.L. de Sousa serves a member of the Kenya

Legislative Council for four years

1936    Nairobi         Goan Gymkhana formed by break away group of Goan

Institute members

1943    Nairobi         Goan Gymkhana opens stone building club house

1946    Mombasa         Eighty delegates from all parts of East Africa assemble

for the East African Goan Conference with Dr. A.C.L. D'Souza as Chairman

1955    Nairobi         Goan Institute moves from downtown to new premises in

Pangani suburb

1956    Nairobi         Goan Overseas Association opens new Secondary School

building on May 24

1958    Nairobi         Dr. A.C.L. de Sousa dies on July 17th, at age 75

1959    Mombasa         Tailors Society open 3-storey club and rest house

1963    Kenya becomes independent.

1967    Nairobi         Closing of Railway Goan Institute

1962    Uganda becomes independent.

1961    Tanzania        Tanganyika becomes independent.

1963    Tanzania        Zanzibar becomes independent and joins Tanganyika to

to form Tanzania