Bernard Keogh - World Travels

World Travels

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Zimbabwe........Taiwan........Chicago (USA) ........Korea.........China.........Atlanta (USA)

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World Travels

During my working life I was able to travel to parts of the world I probably would otherwise never have seen.

ZIMBABWE - 1987

My first overseas trip was a rather hurried expedition, in March 1987, to Zimbabwe to look at a Lactic Acid plant outside Harare (Chitungwiza Industrial Estate). It was such a panic trip that I did not have a passport as I had NEVER been abroad before (the Isle of Man doesn't count as abroad apparently......)- but then it takes a shake up to get you going sometimes.

Those of you who are familiar with Bowmans Moss Bank works will know that we were a "world leader" in Lactic Acid production and marketing in the 1950's and 60's (until Monsanto in the USA decided to develop a synthetic route). We were a little surprised to learn that there was a Lactic Acid plant in Harare!! but a rather interesting story nontheless.

An enquiry through Croda Zimbabwe for help in developing a local process for Lactic Acid was received by Croda in the UK and it was decided to send me to look at what was there and report on what information and technical help we could usefully pass on to Food and Industrial in Harare. There was a large market for Pure Lactic Acid in South Africa and we supplied some of that market with our material through Croda South Africa. The operation in Harare was basically a printing inks operation (as part of the Croda Inks group) and employed a small number of people in a factory unit on the Industrial Park outside Harare. They acted as agents for all the other Croda factories in southern Africa as well.

As mentioned earlier, I had never been outside the UK up to this point in my life (42 years old.....!) so I rather hurriedly sent for my first passport and got some brief information on the project from a visiting representative from Croda South Africa. As I intended to travel light with only a small case for a weeks trip, I borrowed Kevin's "new" disc camera (remember them - a revolution in camera design using a circular disc containing only 15 pictures?) which would prove to be a serious mistake later.........

And so I set off on my first travel venture alone - I went from Manchester to London and then a connecting flight on Air Zimbabwe to Harare - travelling Business Class of course !!! - but then Air Zimbabwe Business Class is a little different from BA when you fly on the Ian Smith sanction busting Boeing 707's from the early 1970's(and the era of UDI in Rhodesia...). I had 3 seats to myself and NONE of them were comfortable, the guy in front of me was South African and probably an experienced traveller on Air Zimbabwe - he got absolutley caned on Gin within 2 hours of take off and then slept the rest of the journey to Harare!! I hardly had a wink of sleep on the whole trip (nearly 15-16 hours long I think?) and I arrived in Harare airport at 7 am on a beautiful, sunny African morning.

As Jon Brebner and I left the airport to travel into the city I was struck by the number of schoolchildren walking into the city dresssed immaculately in their school uniforms (maroon blazers, grey pants for the boys, blue cotton dresses for the girls, with their satchels over their back) walking the dust paths along the main highway - MILES from the city centre.......... John tells me that they would have left their villages on the outskirts some few hours earlier to get into school for 9.oo am - and they walked all the way to school then back home again..........I was impressed by this dedication to education by "apparently" poor children. They would not have looked out of place in any affluent English town or city.

There was also a stream of open back pick-up trucks packed with people, sitting and standing, dressed in their "office clothes" travelling into the offices in the centre for work - John told me that they would travel by bus normally but they were so unreliable and broke down frequently, that the trucks followed the buses to pick up the "stranded" passengers to finish their journeys into work............ This was my first experience of the complexity of Zimbabwe in 1987 - 7 years after Independence and freedom for the native people of the country under President Mugabe - I would experience many more before my return to the UK 6 days later!!" .

The Chitugwiza factory produced Maize products of all varieties is and also where they made the lactic acid that was added to the native beer that was brewed in the various factories around the country. Apparently, when native Zimbabweans brewed their drink in the wild it was infected by bacteria (Lactobacillus Delbrukii) that also fermented lactic acid with the alcohol giving the beer a very "acidic" taste. When commercial brewing started they needed to mimic this taste and so added lactic acid to the beer after it was brewed - this was the sole outlet for the Lactic Acid plant. The company wanted to improve the quality of the "very crude" acid they produced and increase output to allow them to supply product into the Southern Africa market place (which was at the time one of our largest market areas). My job was to look at what they had and report on potential improvements and costs for increasing quality and output. The people I met from the factory were very welcoming and while I sat in the Production Managers office I could well have been at any Production Manager's office anywhere in the world - the job is the same wherever you are in the world from what I saw,,,,,,,,, and also the local Shone manager (with tribal scars on his face) was well educated and very knowlegable (and I later discoverd he did his degree at Liverpool University and knew of Widnes from his time at Liverpool - "small world" I heard someone say!!). Anyway, my work at the factory took one afternoon and most of Wednesday to gather the information I needed. John Brebner then announced they could only get me a tour ticket for Victoria Falls for Thursday and I could spend a few days travelling the country - unfortunately I would have to go on my own..........what, more adventures!!

VICTORIA FALLS - THURSDAY

I left at 7 am on Thursday morning and flew in a very old prop engined plane, that was probably built in the 1930's, and had to be "maintained" every time it touched down on the tour. It flew us to Victoria Falls where I alighted and caught the local bus (which I think was also built in the 1930's) to the Victoria Falls Hotel where I was made welcome by the rather large (and loud) doorman at the entrance, bedecked in his long red coat which was covered in badges of all shapes, sizes and colours - what a sight!! I settled into my room and then explored the hotel and it's surrounds - it was just like going back in time as I would imagine it was in Victorian times. There was little noise despite the many staff cleaning carpets and furniture etc... everything was done by hand with small brushes.The huge carpet in the entrance lobby was being done with what looked like scrubbing brushes with several young lads on their hands and knees, working the carpet pile until it looked like new. The hotel had probably not changed much in decades but was clean and welcoming, the nearby train station was definitely old fashioned apart from the large portraits of Robert Mugabe and his "friends" from neighbouring states which adorned the walls where probably there were pictures of Queen Victoria, David Livingstone and Cecil Rhodes before Independence. l made my way after settling in to explore the hotel grounds and found myself travelling down a path towards the Falls "The Smoke that Thunders" in my best shorts and shirt armed with my camera and sunglasses. The path was lined by local boys selling their artefacts which were typically african carvings in both wood and soapstone. As I made my way down I saw in front of me a number of tourists, who I found were Americans, dressed in their long plastic pacamacs and wondered why they were dressed for rain on a hot sunny day!! I eached the clearing with a large statue of a european explorer and the gent in front of me turned to his wife and asked "Who is that statue there? - I naturally then said "Dr Livingston I presume" and as we arrived at it guess who it was? It was Liningston's statue erected on the banks of the Zambesi river close to the falls and the Cataract over which I peered to see the majestic flow of the river cascading over the nearest bank of the river to the gorge below.

The hotel was locked in it's glorious Victorian past and the food and service were excellent from the BBQ feast that was served on the patio (the BBQ and serving tables were longer than a cricket pitch) and I ate my evening meal under the evening sun looking at the view towards the falls and Zambia with the bridge over the Zambesi in the distance. After the meal it was a vbery long wait while the telpehone ssystem tried to connect me to Irene and consequently I missed the african dance show that evening. At this point I tried to buy spare film for my new Disc Camera but found they did not sell it in Zimbabwe so I was left with the few pictures I had left for the rest of the trip - BIG mistake.......

The next day I went for a swim after breakfast, toured the local nearby shops selling african artefacts, watched a little of african life go by and eventually purchased some gifts for home - soapstone animals and a bush hat for Kevin and a little carved monkey. The day ended with a trip back to the airport to catch the flight to Hwange Safari Park. On arrival I was informed that the Flame Lilly tour guide thought they had lost me as I did not report in on arrival for the Zambesi River trip the day before - it was news to me but I was then informed that I was on a fully guided tour...... and I thought I was on my own!!

We arrived late afternoon and was housed in a hunting lodge part of the hotel situated in the safari park. Like the Falls Hotel it was a part of Zimbabwe's past that had not yet caught up. That evening before dinner we went on a jeep safari into the park (about 6 guests to a jeep) and in the heat of the day I again only wore shorts and shirt, sunglasses and my camera with a few frames left. We saw many of the animals you expect on safari apart from lions. The guide explained that the recent drought had left most of the water holes dry and the animals usually gathered there in the late afternoon so it was not the best time to see animals in the natural habitat. HOWEVER on the return journey we did manage to catch sight of a rare white rhino feeding behind the thicket below us but by this time I had no film left in my camera and missed a great shot....... As the sun set over the park I then found how cold it gets when the sun gets low and spent a pretty uncomfortable journey back to the Lodge in my skimpy shorts and shirt!!

That evening meal was spent eating Elan steak in the company of two couples, Ex Pats from Manchester who had worked in Zimbabwe for some years, and they related their recent experiences of liberation under the new regime and how they had a good living but could not get basic goods (Tyres, batteries, soap powder, toothpaste to name a few) and had to holiday in the country as they could not take money out of the country to take overseas holidays. They therefore set up "Holiday Clubs" where a number of them would pool their meagre allowances to allow them to go abroad after a number of years as they took turns in holidaying. (On my return to work I spoke with a colleague who had funds in Zimbabwe which he could not access to spend as it could not be taken out of the country - unless it was smuggled ou!)

This was another look into the ever diminishing standards of living that the people were experiencing under the difficult conditions that prevailed at the time.

The flight from Hwange to Kariba Dam was in an old prop aircraft that was probably luxury in the 1940's and it was noisy but comfortable with not many passengers on board. The visit to the Dam was not too enlightening as it only involved flying over it and then landing at the airport to pick up more passengers. There was a great view of the lake and some of the wildlife, particularly the elephants drinking at the lakeside. As we were then boarding for the flight back to Harare we could not miss the large pool of oil on the runway below one of the engines and two engineers working on the engine. A little worrying but eventually we took off to return to the capital later that day.

On my last days in Harare (the weekend) I stayed with John Brebner and his family in their large bungalow on the outskirts of the city centre and spent some time with them talking of their situation in Zimbabwe since independence and the changes they had undergone. We swam in their pool in nthe back garden and played some games with his children. John is South African by birth and I think he was finding it frustrating with the situation that had brought about the changes to many lives over the past years - he took me on a tour of what was the "nice parts" of the city before1980 where the mainly white population lived and socialised and the deterioration in the place was obvious to see. In particular the city centre was not what I think it would have been in years past. On a trip to a well known restaurant outside the city we had to detour around the city on our journey back as we were stopped from driving down the main street by soldiers due to the fact Robert was in residence and we were not allowed to pass the mansion. On my last day in the Monomatapa Hotel in the city centre I was joined in the residents lounge by a rather unkempt young Zimbabean boy who was begging for money as he had not eaten for two days.......He was quickly dispatched unceremoniously when the doorman spotted him.

I left the Brebner family to fly home on Zimbabawe Air's Boeing 703 which I was infomed was the "Sanction Buster" aircraft used when Ian Smith's Rhodesian government declared unilateral independence from the UK some years before independence. As I left I gave all the batteries I had in my possesion to the children to put in their games as they had not been able to buy any recently - depsite their wealth they still had problems. AT the aiport I was quizzed as to what I was taking out of the country in money as I was only allowed to take 10 Zimbabwe dollars (about £3 UK) out with me. Not a problem as I had spent up almost..............

And so I left with wonderful memories of what was a wonderful country which was undergoing changes under independence that I think were not welcomed by the majority of the population as their standard of living was falling by the week - and the events of recent years have highlighted this graphically - what a tragedy for the poor people of Zimbabwe who I found to be very friendly and welcoming. Sadly nothing became of the reason for my trip as the company involved could not import the plant or buy the technology to improve their process due to the economic situation and the limits on currency movement imposed on them.

And so ended my FIRST trip abroad, my first long flight, my first stamp in my new passport and the start of some globe trotting for Croda as my little knowledge became useful in trying to "sell" it to overseas chemical manufacturers in the changing buisiness environment. My next trip was even longer and with the company of Les Smith as we visited Kaohsiung in Taiwan and another first for me as I sing in the hotel lounge bar accompanied by a very talented young Chinese pianist whose name I cannot pronounce..........or remember now................

Kaohsiung - Taiwan - October 1997

As part of the process for making Malic Acid (the acid of apples) the raw material (Maleic Anhydride) was always problematic in that it fluctuated wildly in price and availability worldwide and this was the main reason for Croda getting out of the market and selling the technology. The buyers who were interested were all Maleic Anhydride manufacturers and could add the acid to their products as a natural downstream product.

And so this came to bring myslef and Les Smith (Plant Manager on the Malic Acid plant) to visit Taiwan to show a potential buyer the process that was on offer. We took a flight to Kaohsiung via Hong Kong and had the exhilerating experience of flying into Hong Kong's "old" airport through the apartments around the airport runway - you could see plainly the people on their balconies hangin out the washing and watching the planes come in. One of the most intersting flights I have ever taken.......

We were staying in the Howard Plaza Hotel - very posh - and were warmly welcomed by our hosts who treated us to an intersting visit to their factory in the industrial zone. On route from the city centre we witnessed the early morning truckloads of street cleaners on their way to work - all women..... We were amazed at the spectacle of the scooter commuters who had their own traffic lanes on the main roads in the city and it was not unusual to see a family of 4 on one scooter. The outskirts of the city had main roads lined with the food sellers stalls were there was a vast range of foods being freshly cooked for travellers to buy on their journey to wherever. Near to our factory visit I saw what I think must be the biggest ever factory building which was a steel works - it was huge.

Our hosts listened carefully to our presentation on the process proposals, gave us a tour of the factory facility and were very mannerly nad welcoming. In the evening we were treated to a visit to an evening of dining at what was the biggest chinese restaurant in a park outside the city centre and enjoyed a good night with our hosts who regaled us with a schnapps type drink which was used to toast something every few minutes. It appears they were trying to get us drunk on this drink but fortunately Les and I were up to it and made it through the meal (which took all night) without falling over!!

Another day and more meetings then gave us a free evening and we were told that the local market that evening was worth a visit as it was a bustling place that only opened at midnight!! We gave it a miss and after our evening meal in the hotel restuarant we settled down to a quiet evening in the Moon River Bar on the top floor of the hotel. It was not very busy that night and the entertainment was a young, female chinese pianist who was very talented and played lots of western classics to the assembled guests. After a few whiskies Les and I joined in singing along to Danny Boy after which I joined the young lady at the piano as she started to Play one of my favourite songs by Tony Bennett - I Left my Heart in San Francisco. So naturally I sang along to her wonderful accompaniment on the piano. At the end I asked her (not knowing if she spoke english!) "Do you know any more Tony Bennett songs?" and she replied in english "Who Tony Bennett"

And so I learned later that these young musicians toured the hotels playing to the guests and they learned the music but had little knowledge of the songs, artists aor meaning of the songs.......... It was just a job to them.

Well we did our bit out there but nothing came of the business apart from us finding a new (cheaper) supplier of the raw material for another product......and my one and only concert appearance on foreign soil...................

Lake Forest for Chicago - USA

I visited a customer in Waukegan, Illinois accompanied by Das Chahal who was involved in R&D work and business opportunities for Croda. We had an early morning flight to Chicago from Manchester and I had arranged to pick Das up on the way to the airport at 5.30 am on the morning. Now, I am a very reliable timekeeper and have never slept in when I had to be up, no matter what the time - except for this one occasion!!! For some reason I did not wake with the alarm and Irene woke me at 5.10 am just by chance she had woken........ well I was out of the house before 5.30 and dashed to Warrington on the way to the airport - bear in mind I had an address for Das but no idea where it was exactly....... Panicky phone calls later we managed to meet up and dashed to the airport in time to check in - just! Not a very good start to a long trip for only 3 days in the US.

The plan was to meet the customer at their factory in Waukegan, just north of Lake Forest where we stayed at the Deer Path Inn. Also we were to meet a potential customer in Chicago during the visit but as it turned out he came to the hotel and we met and discussed business there in wonderful surroundings of what I imagine is a typical affluent small town USA environment. The visit to the Waukegan factory was very enjoyable as we enjoyed typical American hospitality and business was conducted in a very informal and pleasant place. The following day we conducted the business at the hotel with the man from Chicago and had quite some time left to explore the area and walk to the lake shore to get a view of the Chicago skyline down the coast from Lake Forest - it was easily visible despite it's distance from us.

So the trip was my first experience of the US and the people in their home town and I must say it was most enjoyable. Apart from the lovely hotel we were in - which was styled as an old english country inn, but on a bigger scale of course.....- it was obvious also that americans love their food and we did enjoy some of the nicest food. The highlight was on the first evening meal at the hotel restaurant where I tried the Atlantic cod with chips and peas (mixture and a fish to us Widnesians) - and I was knocked out by the superb quality of everything on the plate - accompanied by cold beers. It was the best fish and chips I think I have ever had even to this day.............SO I had it again the following night - and it was just as good. And I must say that the american breakfast spread in the hotel was vast and had everything anyone could ever want - fantastic! The visit to the lake was an eye opener also as we gathered that the locals in that area were quite affluent as the houses were like mini mansions. On arriving at the lakeside there were plenty of facilities for beach sport and good walks and views down the shoreline. There was also a huge quantity of dead fish floating in one part of stone jetties that daotted the shore. There was literally thousands of them and aparently it was an annual event caused by too many fish and not enough food or contamination in the lake - anyway the fish were obviously not edible and were left to rot away at the lakeside. Very strange......

So at the end of the trip I returned to the UK to experience my first taste of jet-lag and a great lie-in for the next day. I am sure I took photos on the trip but so far have not been able to find them - so I have just the meories in my mind for now.

Soeul - South Korea and Shanghai - China - July 2005