I have been asked to present an outline of some of the experiences that I have had during my 20 years of working in an overseas environment in Developing Nations.

My career was spent with Canadian Pacific and during the last 20 years that I was working in Montreal at CP Headquarters with their international consulting division. We worked under contract with such organizations as the Canadian International Development Agency, The World Bank and the United Nations. In addition we provided a coordinated effort with other funding agencies in the USA, Great Britain, France, Holland and Germany. We provided training, technical assistance, equipment and materials to aid the development of transportation systems in such countries as Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Poland, to name a few.

First of all, let me tell you about my trip through the Nubian desert in Sudan, which is located in Africa just below Egypt. It is a very dry climate, Muslim religion and Arabic speaking. Our job was to upgrade their railway system to move imported grain from the Port to inland distribution centres to feed the population. Our operations were centred at Atbara which is about 200 miles from Khartoum, the capital. While I made numerous journeys across the desert one of my trips was most memorable. I had four flat tires. I carried one spare tire plus one inner tube. (all our tires had inner tubes. Our vehicles were new Mitsubishi Pajeros similar to a Land Rover.

The are no garages or facilities in the desert, except the occasional village of mud huts. The temperatures were in the 55 degree Celsius (135 F) range. Fortunately the vehicle was air conditioned.

There are some dangers to driving or just being in the desert, such as getting lost. Periodically people do just that and death has been the result; Tarantulas exist under piles of scrap, under bones and bushes lying in the desert and in the villages. Usually children are their victims: Malaria is always a danger, there is no cure but some drugs lessen the effect; the dryness can causes many health problems unless you remember to keep water on hand and regularly drink it in larger quantities than usual.

There are no roads in the desert. You cannot follow trails because they become obliterated overnight by the winds and sand storms. you follow the compass, the sun and terrain differences. You must be alert.

After driving for about one hour I had my first flat tire. In the desert there are many spine like projections on some bushes, some of which are covered by the sand. These spikes are about five inches and can penetrate a tire with ease. This was the case. So I removed the tire, lifted the spare down from the rear assembly and mounted it. When I let the jack down the spare soon became flat. Now I have two flats. I never knew what a Quandary was before then. What to do? There is an unwritten law in the desert similar to that on the water. Help others in need because you may be next. I had assisted and towed many vehicles during my travels. Now it was my turn. As I cast my eyes out over the desert I noted a trial of dust on the horizon. Fortunately it came closer. I determined that it was a open truck laden with passengers.

Seeing my vehicle, the truck veered in my direction. They put the spare inner tube into the spare tire and remounted it onto the rim. They then attached a length of hose to a point under the truck engine where there is a connection to compression that generates an air pressure. With no fixture at the other end of the hose they could not force air through the tire valve. They then took out the inner valve stem by holding the hose tight to the valve opening they inflated the tire well beyond that necessary. Then by quickly and with some dexterity they removed the hose and quickly screwed in the valve stem. The result, an inflated tire to about normal pressure. The level of pressure was determined by knocking on the tire and listening to the sound. It is amazing what the human mind is capable of.

I'm on the road again. About 30 minutes later and within sight of a small village, another flat tire. The third so far. Now I have one spare tire and three inner tubes with a hole. I walked about a mile in the hot sun and communicated my difficulty to the locals. They had a meeting, in Arabic, and decided that since they had one vehicle in the village it would be used to inflate my tire to permit me to drive into the village before it became flat again. It worked. The tire was now flat again. Further discussions were held. Unaware of what was being said I was further confused when the all departed. I resigned myself to what ever fate was in store. I reclined under one the few shade trees and in about one hour they returned, all smiles. they had found what I thought to be impossible. They had a tube patch. You remember the type where you lit it with a match it burned on top to vulcanize with the tire. I though I was back in my hometown in the thirties. The patch was affixed, the tire inflated in the same manner as before. They would accept no compensation.

I'm on the road again. The trip is slow because of rough terrain, sand dunes and periodically very sharp stones. Another hour passed and another flat. Fortunately a passing truck had spare patches and was able to get on with the trek again. A regular trip of 5 hours had taken me 14 hours this time.

You may wonder what idiot would go out into the desert without all the requirements. Over a two year period and with 26 vehicles on the project we had never experienced anything like this. But after that we carried more than we needed.

While working in Sudan, two team members, their wives and I were invited to attend a local wedding in a rather small and isolated village. The village was made up of a series of interconnected mud brick huts enclosed by a mud brick wall. There was no vegetation, but here was a small creek nearby. They do not build close to the water but grow their vegetables at the waters edge.

Keep in mind that most of the people have never been exposed to foreigners, let alone a white face. Our arrival created much curiosity. We were escorted by the IMAM (Muslim leader) and the father of the bride from our vehicle to a courtyard where there were three fancy leather chairs with high backs and wooden armrests. These were reserved for us, as special guests. The other people sat on single cots or on the ground, aligned in a semi circle with us located at one end where we dominated the scene.

We were then served a Pepsi. The only soda pop produced in Sudan. Due to strict Muslim laws no alcohol is permitted. However like all societies, if something is banned, it will find a way. The old women in villages make an alcohol from dates called araki. It is potent and tastes like kerosene. But is was not at the wedding. The araki is only available in private behind closed doors. The men and women were segregated. There law of proximity is such that men and women cannot be close to each other in public. Indeed if a man and woman not married were found alone in the same room or house, they were guilty of having intercourse by the law of proximity. Remember that in this society, you are guilty until you prove your innocence. The penalty is stoning for the woman and the lash for the men. Under their laws they still cut off your hand for stealing.

The women had drums and sticks to beat the time while they sang and warbled with their tongues. The groom danced with a stick in his hand that represented sword and was to indicate his prowess as a strong, brave and virile male. No doubt this has been passed along from generations before. As the senior guest I was asked to dance with him. surprisingly I quickly picked up the rhythm and mimicked his movements, much to the delight of the others. (photo below). At this point the bride entered the circle dressed in a beautiful cotton sari type dress and adorned with an array of colourful bangles and beads. Her head was completely covered by a veil. The groom danced around her for about fifteen minutes while periodically lifting the corner of her veil and peeking in. At the end he removed the veil and we all cheered. She was truly beautiful. Then she left. This was the total of the brides involvement in the ceremony and festivities, which lasted about three hours. There was no particular religious ritual or exchange of vows.

As the singing and dancing progressed other men joined the dance. Later, the groom was given a whip, yes, a real leather whip, that cracked when he used it. After several more rounds of men dancing with their sticks, young men of about 18 stepped forward, faced the groom and bared the top half of their bodies. The groom then snapped the whip once over each shoulder. It could be heard to crack on their backs. Their skin was broken and bleeding. As each young man became brave enough this ritual was performed. In their society this is the mark of becoming a man. The young girls took note of each boys bravery and lack of flinching or indication of pain.

While I was up dancing with the other men, the groom approached me with his whip..........

Now I'll do almost anything to satisfy a host, but this seemed a little too much. Now most of time my response to something is a little slow. My comebacks usually come back three days after I need it. But on this occasion I was quick to respond. I bared my top and showed off my chest scar from an operation and said that I already qualify. They roared with laughter. Off course it had been a joke.....I think.