[From Alan Lane who lives with his wife, Jackie in England]

Alan wrote: [In response to article "O Calcutta" posted below]

What a delightful note. Evokes nostalgic memories.

To add, there was the lovely confectionary, Ferazini's, for picking up pastries after shopping at New Market. Not to forget Mocambos on Free School Street, still there for good eating—and of course Olympia Bar on Park Street for the cheapest, purest drinks.  

Incidentally, I also stayed in the mentioned Queens Mansion, Park Street, in a Company flat (from where my wrist watch was stolen at night from my bedside by an agile burglar who climbed from outside the building up from the street below!!)

Yes, Calcutta was the city of ‘Brown Sahibs', the hub of Tea, Jute, Coal, Shipping, Engineering, etc., Industries. The best Clubs in the country, to enjoy a Pink Gin in the afternoons! Without a doubt the best destination for Christmas and New Year festivities. Brightly lit Park Street which turned all Red when the famous ‘gherao' leader Jyoti Basu took over as Chief Minister….

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NOTE - dated 4th January 2021

Thank you for this [Camels for Sale, Pushkar article] – I will on pass it to my fellow members of our group “Chidren of the Raj” – I am very sure they will all love it.

Our members are all British who were in India with their parents in various ‘trades' – ICS, Tea, Jute, and Military – needless to say, I think that Jackie and I are the youngest members!!

Also, I will on pass to my fellow ex-India tea in the KoiHai group.

* * * * * *

After I left India, Jackie and I worked for Caterpillar in Sudan, and once on a drive from Khartoum to Kassala across the Nubian Desert, we came upon a huge gathering of camels that virtually stretched from horizon to horizon.

The camel herders, of the Hadendowa tribe (the famous ‘fuzzy-wuzzies' of Gordons defeat at Omdurman)  were taking them from Sudan to the Egyptian border. Apparently for the Egyptians to buy for camel trains or in some cases to eat!

The tribesmen each had very long knives and an AK-47 gun. My Sudanese Land Rover driver wanted to get away fast, but as they asked for water I stopped the vehicle and gave them water from the goatskins that we had tied alongside the  Land Rover. The tribesmen were so happy and gathered around us smiling and talking and offering us camel's milk in return, which we had to refuse. As we left they all cheered and waved to us. It is always the country folk that are the best anywhere you go.

I have attached a photo of ‘my' Land Rover at Wad Medani railroad station that I used to travel all over Sudan in – accompanied by Jackie.

Other photos attached show different locations in Sudan that I travelled to. The one in Renk shows the Land Rover near a Cat bulldozer, with two rotting flesh on hippo heads.

I arrived at the bulldozer from the rear of the machine and noticed a very strong smell of putrid flesh, so when I went to the front of the machine I found out where the smell was coming from! Apparently these hippos had caused fatalities to some villagers and they shot them both – and then ate them.

The final photo is of two of our Land Rovers at the Dinder National Park near to Ethiopia. I had to service a Cat Motor Grader that had broken down, in the park, and had two rangers with guns to keep the inquisitive lions away! They were a darned nuisance as they kept wanting to see what was going on, so the rangers had to fire the rifles in the air to scare them off.

The canvas bags hanging on the front of the Land Rovers were filled with drinking water. What we did was to soak the bags in water first before setting off, then fill the bags with water. Whilst driving, the evaporation of the water by the moving air used to cool the water inside! Not quite cold, but certainly very cool.

Bohut salaams

Alan