Hi all. I am safely back home now in Ireland . I got a lot of emails re this trip , so I will answer the queries here, so you can all share in the replies..
It is interesting that Uganda, Burundi and Kenya have large signs in their post offices advertising Philatelic products.. I would be most surprised if there is a large collector base in Burundi..
Rwanda Post office is very small and two customers windows for all products.. No advertising for stamps or Philatelic services.
Malawi did have a small display of stamps in each Post office , but they were not available as the " person with the key was not in today".. I get this so much in Africa..
Kenya had two philatelic windows.. One was a retail unit within the post office, but they only deal with standing orders . The other small widow was in another section of the Post office and one of the staff from the Philatelic section brought me there. However as I had said they charge 16% extra tax on all products purchased at that window. Even though I clearly was buying stamps for use on Postcards they would not sell me the stamps unless I paid the tax. In the regular stamp counter they only had limited choice and none of the issues for 50 years of Independence. So in effect these stamps were never available over the counter for postage.. This happens in so many countries now including Ireland so I should not really be that surprised..
South Sudan,, many have said this is the "Holy Grail " for Postcard collectors.. For me I would not agree. Yes I can see that I have never seen a Postcard online from South Sudan featuring South Sudan . So in that respect yes very rare.. But South Sudan is easy to get to and once you go through all the steps re the Visa it is not a difficult place to visit. There were more Americans and Europeans there then any other part of my trip. It was all to do with Aid and support. There is also a building boom, as Juba is only catching up now with roads and infrastructure. It has a long way to go..
For me I would consider other stamp issuing territories much more difficult to get to. Tristan da Cunha would come to mind. There is only one or two trips there per year and you are not guaranteed to land.
British Indian Ocean Territory is also very difficult if not impossible to get to. It is easy finding mail from here as the guys in the Cable and Wireless office are very helpful.
I have 38 areas / Countries/Territories to visit.
This is made up of :
22 Countries
10 Separate parts of a country or Territory
6 Separate Stamp issuing Territories.
In addition I have extra list :
Penryhn
Niuafo'ou
Northern Part of Iraq.
I have 10 Countries/Territories that I have been to but never sent a Postcard from. It was in my early days in the 80s/90s.. lol.. So will be going back..
Finally, I have many persons wanting me to send Postcards.. I had a list of requests from last year and I send out postcards. To be fair to all requests I only send Postcards to persons who have a blog and who have a link to my Blog. My next big trip is in August and if since I am making a new list please email me if you wish to me to send you some cards.. I dont require postcards in return.. I am happy to send Postcards to existing persons on my list once you drop me a email. I am sure you all know Glenn of Gems World of Postcards. Well since Glenn has been the inspiration for me to start this blog, Glenn gets my cards from every trip..
Any queries , you are welcome to email me.
David
It is interesting that Uganda, Burundi and Kenya have large signs in their post offices advertising Philatelic products.. I would be most surprised if there is a large collector base in Burundi..
Rwanda Post office is very small and two customers windows for all products.. No advertising for stamps or Philatelic services.
Malawi did have a small display of stamps in each Post office , but they were not available as the " person with the key was not in today".. I get this so much in Africa..
Kenya had two philatelic windows.. One was a retail unit within the post office, but they only deal with standing orders . The other small widow was in another section of the Post office and one of the staff from the Philatelic section brought me there. However as I had said they charge 16% extra tax on all products purchased at that window. Even though I clearly was buying stamps for use on Postcards they would not sell me the stamps unless I paid the tax. In the regular stamp counter they only had limited choice and none of the issues for 50 years of Independence. So in effect these stamps were never available over the counter for postage.. This happens in so many countries now including Ireland so I should not really be that surprised..
South Sudan,, many have said this is the "Holy Grail " for Postcard collectors.. For me I would not agree. Yes I can see that I have never seen a Postcard online from South Sudan featuring South Sudan . So in that respect yes very rare.. But South Sudan is easy to get to and once you go through all the steps re the Visa it is not a difficult place to visit. There were more Americans and Europeans there then any other part of my trip. It was all to do with Aid and support. There is also a building boom, as Juba is only catching up now with roads and infrastructure. It has a long way to go..
For me I would consider other stamp issuing territories much more difficult to get to. Tristan da Cunha would come to mind. There is only one or two trips there per year and you are not guaranteed to land.
British Indian Ocean Territory is also very difficult if not impossible to get to. It is easy finding mail from here as the guys in the Cable and Wireless office are very helpful.
I have 38 areas / Countries/Territories to visit.
This is made up of :
22 Countries
10 Separate parts of a country or Territory
6 Separate Stamp issuing Territories.
In addition I have extra list :
Penryhn
Niuafo'ou
Northern Part of Iraq.
I have 10 Countries/Territories that I have been to but never sent a Postcard from. It was in my early days in the 80s/90s.. lol.. So will be going back..
Finally, I have many persons wanting me to send Postcards.. I had a list of requests from last year and I send out postcards. To be fair to all requests I only send Postcards to persons who have a blog and who have a link to my Blog. My next big trip is in August and if since I am making a new list please email me if you wish to me to send you some cards.. I dont require postcards in return.. I am happy to send Postcards to existing persons on my list once you drop me a email. I am sure you all know Glenn of Gems World of Postcards. Well since Glenn has been the inspiration for me to start this blog, Glenn gets my cards from every trip..
Any queries , you are welcome to email me.
David
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteHappy St. Patrick's Day to You.
It has been great to read your updates from Africa, That and your pictures is as close as most of us will ever get to Africa, so we really enjoy them. I received your cards from Rwanda and Burundi -- Thank You so much.
This last longer trip update was great .To see just how much of the world you have visited and how little ( comparatively speaking ) you have left is simply amazing. May I ask - have you ever been to the island of Newfoundland or to Labrador- both of which make up the province of Newfoundland and Labrador ? I see on your blog you have been as far east as Prince Edward Island.
Take care and thanks again for your postcards and your kind words re inspiration for your wonderful blog.
Glenn
A very happy Paddy's day to you David. It's a big deal over here, but I won't be partaking in the green beer ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Glenn, sorry for the delay in replying. I have been busy at work since I got back and I was looking for a email and now realised it was in the blog.. I have only been to Gander and that was just by chance when the flight from Shannon to Havana had to land to refuel. I plan to visit more Canada including that area. We now have direct flights from St.Johns to Dublin, so quite easy to get there now..
ReplyDelete