CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE

As 2005 continues with lively travel activities on the part of our club members, so does the interest in meeting programs by TCC. Our March luncheon featured a gourmet luncheon at the Patina-managed Park Prive facility in Costa Mesa (Orange County, CA). We extend special thanks to Bob Ihsen for his fascinating presentation covering the “forgotten” Atlantic Islands.

Invoices for the 2005 dues were mailed in December. If you have not yet mailed your check, please do so by return mail.

A travel writer has informed us that he is working on a story about Wake Island . If you are a veteran and were stationed there, please contact our headquarters.

We have received many phone calls about Nakhichevan. It's located in Southern Azerbaijan . To get there you must first fly to Baku and then by air to Nakhichevan. There are several flights daily. (See photo below.)

We look forward to seeing you at our June luncheon in Los Angeles . Our September 10 event will be in San Diego .

We wish to remind all travelers that tsunami-affected destinations are back to normal; the best way to help these nations is to spend a few days in one or all the countries. Many of you are returning from interesting trips abroad. Please share your experiences with other club members by sending us travel vignettes, embarrassing moments, exciting incidents, or whatever you may wish to let us publish. Please also check our Info File Directory and look for those countries where no report exists.

Those of you continuing to reach a higher plateau in travel are to be congratulated for helping as Ambassadors of Goodwill on your journeys.

Members of the TCC Miami chapter visited Nakhichevan soon after it was added to the club’s Official List of countries. Celebrating their arrival on February 5, 2005, are Elizabeth Gibson, Ted Cookson, Barbara Stein and Carole Ann Peskin. Behind them is Nakhichevan’s most famous sight, the Momina Xatun Mausoleum, constructed in 1186.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Many members write to TCC headquarters when they add a country or two, but we prefer to have you send your updates only when you reach an award level, i.e.150 countries, 200 or 250, etc.

If a country is no longer on our list and is on the “Retired” list, that country can only be counted if you need it to reach a higher award level. Thereafter, that “Retired” country may not be counted – you lose that country after reaching the higher level.

Congratulations to the members who have visited 300+ countries, a task that many years ago seemed impossible.

The TCC's current official list of 315countries was distributed with the March Centurian and it is also here on our website.

When traveling overseas, please wear your TCC pin, which is easily recognized by fellow TCC members. Remember to make acopy of your country list, which may be of interest to other prospective members. Anyone can download our country list from this website by clicking the Join the Club link on the left side of your computer screen.

We enclosed an updated Info Files Directory
with the September 2004Centurian. We have just recently updated and corrected the Directory, including the Info Files distributed since last fall, on our website. The update includes the countries added and deleted in December. The next full Directory will be printed and distributed to the membership in 2006. Back issues of the Info Files may be ordered from TCC Headquarters for $1 each. The cost for the entire set is $250; overseas should add $20 to handle extra postage.

Q: From time to time TCC Headquarters receives questions from members that we feel other members may like to have answers to also. So we'll occasionally repeat them here:

A: If you have traveled to a destination and weather or other unforeseen circumstances prevent you from actually setting foot in the destination, can you count this as a visit?

No. You must actually set foot in the country, which means crossing the border or landing by air or sea. But, visits my be short, including ports of call and an airline fuel stop which qualify as stays. However, most members stay at least a day or two in a newly-visited country.

Q: How do you prove you have visited a country?

A: It's an honor system for the first 100 countries (backed up by some factors). After that, members must replace any visits to “borrowed” destinations from the “Retired Countries” list with newly visited countries. Proof of visits can take several forms, such as the obvious passport stamp, airline ticket receipts, photos of yourself at a landmark or sign in the country, or hotel receipts.

Q: Explain how the “Retired Countries” can help your count.

A: The world changes and sometimes countries are split or absorbed by another destination. If the destination is no longer a separate country, we consider them as “Retired” but you can count the destination if you are near your landmark goal and you had visited them when they were separate. Example is the Panama Canal Zone which is now part of Panama , or Berlin which is now part of Germany , Czechoslovakia which was split into two republics, Czech and Slovak. If you visited these places when they were a separate entity, then you can “borrow” the destination in your count. But when you visit another new country, you must replace these “borrowed” places which do not exist today as separate countries.

TCC President David Barry (left) with new members Craig & Rebecca Forrest, Board Member Diane Jarrett, and in front center Betty Knudson, who was visiting from San Francisco

Enjoying the California sunshine prior to lunch are Joyce Barnes, Joan Youmans, and Shirley Johnson with their friends

A happy group pictured at the reception are (L to R): Sharon Tochlin, Marilyn and William Osborn and Jerry Tochlin.

Roger and Barbara Rossier with their friends enjoying the Happy Hour reception.

Orange County members relaxing during our reception.

#454 Tokelau Update – 2004, by Judy Young
#455 The Ionian Islands , Greece, by Pedro Yannoulis
#456 Valley of the Geysers: The Heartbeat of Kamchatka, by Bill Altaffer
#457 Mozambique: From Revolutionary Hell Hole to Tropical Paradise, by Dr. & Mrs. Michael Kasum
#458 Costa Rica, by James A. Smith
#459 Republic of San Marino, Ancient Land of Liberty, by David H. Horne
#460 In the Shadow of Mt. Ararat, by Kevin Hughes

Note: The opinions expressed are those of the writers and not the Travelers’ Century Club.

A hearty thanks to all of you club members for sending in Info Files for our Centurian. They are enjoyed by all, so please send in your items of interest. Don't forget that these must be typewritten, single spaced and not to exceed two pages due to cost of postage. Those of you who have sent in your Info Files that have not yet been published, please be patient as they will be used in the future. Note: We do not edit or correct misspellings, since we cannot match your type. You can also send your info files to our e-mail address: tccclub3@gte.net

Please note that when you request back issues of Info Files, there is a $1.00 cost per Info File. Click here for details.

We have new permanent name tags with the TCC Logo and your name engraved. Cost $7.50 including shipping. If you wish to order, send us your check and you will receive your tag in 14 to 21 days.

Club Lapel Pin – $10
Silver 150 Countries – $8
Gold 200 Countries – $8
250 Countries – $8

All pins are available with pin or tie-tack.
backing. Available only to regular members of the TCC.

North American Members – $15
Overseas Members – $20

Pin has tie-tack back only. Available all members, regular and provisional.

(We thought you might to like to know something about some of your Board Members and their travels and adventures. We'll feature their background from time to time.)

 Vice President Kevin Hughes wrote to us from Hikkadua Beach , Sri Lanka , scene of some of the worst tsunami damage. He was the only guest in a hotel that has had only about 100 guests since it reopened in January, despite the fact that it sustained only some damage to the ground floor. He then traveled to other parts of Sri Lanka and related what he has seen.

“The damage is almost overwhelming,” writes Kevin, “but the most striking element in this tragedy is the resilience of the people. I had expected to find a desperate population in profound grief. They have suffered and lost so much, yet they seem to have accepted what has happened in such a fatalistic and graceful way. There was absolutely no begging, no weeping or outward displays of sadness. And certainly there was no hostility toward my presence, even with the camera. On the contrary, the Sri Lankan survivors were warm, friendly and very open. They invited me into their temporary homes and were quick to describe their experiences. I doubt if westerners would be so polite, friendly and accepting if they had suffered such a catastrophe.

Kevin just recently retired from U.S. Airways and now resides in Phoenix.

 The Travelers' Century Club adventures of Treasurer Chris Hudson was featured in the Business Day Section of the March 8, 2005 , New York Times . Titled “A Nonstop Traveler Who Makes All the Stops He Can,” the article begins as follows:

“I've been to nearly 250 countries and territories. I belong to the Travelers' Century Club, an organization which includes very interesting people from all walks of life, whose only qualification is that you must have traveled to more than 100 countries.

“Once, in Iqaluit Airport in Nunavut , near the Arctic Circle , I was surprised to run into a fellow member whom I'd last seen in the Falkland Islands , on an expedition cruise off the coast of Argentina .

“I always wanted to cross the Atlantic without getting jet lag, so that's why I was en route to Greenland for a few days, with a stopover in Nunavut . Because travelers to such remote places are few, the odds of meeting a similarly-obsessed club member are actually quite high. Some members have been to countries in civil war where they just touched the ground at the border to qualify, but I'm more cautious. I have been to some atolls in Micronesia where I told the flight attendant I belonged to this club and just had to get off the plane to take a few pictures, though.”

In the article he reveals an unusual adventure in Moscow and being seated next to the President of Mali on a flight to Bamako , Mali , from Paris . Chris is Publisher of Getty Publications and lives in Los Angeles.

Travelers' Century Club
P.O. Box 7050
Santa Monica, CA 90406-7050

Tel: 310-458-3454
Fax: 310-395-9511
E-mail: tccclub3@gte.net
www.travelerscenturyclub.org

Officers
Klaus Billep, Chairman
David J. Barry, President
Kevin Hughes, Vice-President
Sanford K. Smith, Secretary
Christopher Hudson, Treasurer

Executive Board Members
Floyd D. Baker
Pamela Barrus
Ronald L. Endeman
Bart M. Hackley, J
Diane Jarrett
Kenneth Ziegler

The Centurian welcomes letters to the editor. Please mail to TCC. P.O. Box 7050, Santa Monica, CA 90406, or e-mail to mail@travelerscenturyclub.org. Submission of a letter to the editor constitutes permission to publish the letter in the Centurian and on our website.