A Cricket Postcard from a Non-Cricketing Nation USA

With the vibes of ICC 2019 Cricket World Cup in the air, today I would like to share one of my favourite postcards with you from my collection.
The gorgeous postcard shows a beautiful assortment of logos of the Cricket Boards which are members of International Cricket Council (ICC). More interestingly, the postcard is sent from USA, which is one of the Non-Cricketing Nation or at the max can be called as a Least-Cricketing Nation.

It is commonly believed that the game of cricket is played in the Commonwealth Countries or more simply speaking, it is played in the countries that have once been under the influence of the British Empire. The postcard definitely shows cricket board logos of BIG Cricket Playing Nations like Australia, England, Pakistan, India, South Africa, West Indies, etc but also displays logos of countries like France, Spain, Norway, Lesotho, Botswana, Czech Republic, Danmark, Saudi Arabia, etc.
In total the postcard shows the Logos of about 95 different countries.

The back side of the postcard shows a nice variety of 9 different stamps of United States of America, including the Olympics issues of 1976 and 1980 and even one stamp from 11th Winter Games Sapporo 1972. One stamp of Coral Reef shows the Finger Coral in Hawaii, while another one shows Salem Poor - Gallant Soldier from the US Bicentennial stamp issue with the title "Contributors to the Cause ..."

Voortrekker Monument - Pretoria, South Africa Postcard with crafts stamps

The Voortrekker Monument is located in the city of  Pretoria in South Africa. This massive granite structure is prominently located on a hilltop, and was raised to commemorate the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854.

On 8 July 2011 the Voortrekker Monument, designed by the architect Gerard Moerdijk, was declared a National Heritage Site by the South African Heritage Resource Agency.

The sender sent the postcard with 5 beautiful stamps. These stamps were issued as a 16-stamp set on 27 October 2010 under the topic of "Crafts".

Bulgaria issued pre-stamped postcard on 50 Years of Pakistan-Bulgaria Friendship 2015

A magnificent collector item for the collectors of Pakistan-related or Bulgaria-related philatelic items. Bulgaria issued a pre-stamped postcard on 22 June 2015 on the eve of "50 Years of Friendship between Pakistan and Bulgaria".

Thanks a lot to Alex in Bulgaria for sending this beautiful limited edition postcard - written and stamped from Bulgaria on 19 April 2017.

 The 0.40 (Bulgarian Lev) pre-stamped design on the postcard with first day cancellation.

 This coloured design was printed on the bottom left corner of the postcard. The text in Bulgarian says "50 Years of Friendship between Pakistan and Bulgaria".

The stamp used on the postcard shows a mushroom - Russula Virescens. It is the highest denomination stamp from a set of 4 mushroom stamps issued in 2014.

Above pic shows the written text on the back side of the card, written on 18 April 2017.

The above Bulgarian text (Printed vertically in the center of the card) reads: "Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Post" (As per Google Translate)

Jordan - UNESCO Postcard - Um Er-Rasas

A magnificent postcard posted direct from Jordan featuring a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Um Er-Rasas. It is one of the 5 UNESCO sites from Jordan.

 Most of this archaeological site, which started as a Roman military camp and grew to become a town from the 5th century, has not been excavated. It contains remains from the Roman, Byzantine and Early Muslim periods (end of 3rd to 9th centuries AD) and a fortified Roman military camp. The site also has 16 churches, some with well-preserved mosaic floors. Particularly noteworthy is the mosaic floor of the Church of Saint Stephen with its representation of towns in the region. Two square towers are probably the only remains of the practice, well known in this part of the world, of the stylites (ascetic monks who spent time in isolation atop a column or tower). Um er-Rasas is surrounded by, and dotted with, remains of ancient agricultural cultivation in an arid area.

The two stamps used for postage include:-

• Right side stamp in the photo shows the Ruins of Arc de Triomphe. Initially the stamp was issued in 2003 for a value of 25 Fils, however it was later surcharged for 80 pt in 2009.
• The fox stamp on the left is with a face value of 30 pt was issued on 25th August 2009. It was one of the set of 5 stamps.

Upper Svaneti, Georgia - A UNESCO World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site postcard from Georgia for my UNESCO Collection - Upper Svaneti.
Preserved by its long isolation, the Upper Svaneti region of the Caucasus is an exceptional example of mountain scenery with medieval-type villages and tower-houses. The village of Chazhashi still has more than 200 of these very unusual houses, which were used both as dwellings and as defence posts against the invaders who plagued the region.

The property occupies the upper reaches of the lnguri River Basin between the Caucasus and Svaneti ranges. It consists of several small villages forming a community that are dominated by the towers and situated on the mountain slopes, with a natural environment of gorges and alpine valleys and a backdrop of snow-covered mountains. The most notable feature of the settlements is the abundance of towers.

The beautiful stamp used on the back of the postcard was part of the set "Cultural Heritage of Georgia". The complete set was issued in a souvenir sheet of 4 stamps. The stamp shows "Golden Necklace, II-III Century AD". The stamp is of 2.0 Georgian Lari (GEL).
The postcard has been postmarked from Telavi, Georgia.

Faroe Islands Postcards - Unspoiled Beauty at it's peak

Faroe Islands was another one of my missing list cards. An absolutely breath-taking scenery, which is truly untouched and unspoiled by the mankind, is the hallmark of Faroe Islands (Called as Foroyar in Faroese language).

The postcards shows a view of the Gásadalur Village It is a village located on the west side of Vágar, Faroe Islands, and enjoys a panoramic view over to the island of Mykines. Gásadalur is located on the edge of Mykinesfjørður, surrounded by the highest mountains on Vágar. The total population of Gásadalur Village is 18 only.

Following stamps have been used on the postcard:-

• 7 KR (Faroese Krona) stamp was issued in 2006. It was a part of a set of 3 definitive stamps. This stamp shows Svorugota.
• 12 KR (Faroese Krona) stamp was one of the stamps from a set of 4 Stamps issued in 2010, under the title - "The Faroes - Under the Sea". All the stamps had the photos taken by the famous Faroese photographer Ingi Sørensen.  

Cameroun Postcard - A Rare Card to have in collection

Republic of Cameroun is one of the rare countries in the postcard world. I received this beauty posted directly from Yaounde - the Capital City of Cameroun.
Cameroun is a country in Central Africa - bordered by Nigeria, Chad, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Republic of Congo.

The postcard shows "Young Dancers" in a festival in Bamenda - a city in North-Western Cameroun. Thanks to a nice friend J. D. Juneja, who was living in Republic of Congo and posted this postcard during his trip to Cameroun.

Although no postage stamp was used while sending the postcard, however the beautiful and clear postmarks on the back of the postcard compensated for that. Probably a postage fee of 200 Central African Francs (FCFA) was used to send the card. The rectangular red postmarks by CAMPOST were used while posting on 5 August 2016 at the Yaounde Post Office.

The round black stamp with date in red colour was used on 8 August 2016, while departing from Cameroun.

Only a true postcard collector can understand the value and rarity of this postcard ;-) Isn't it?

Monaco - Monte-Carlo View Postcard - Beautiful stamps and a Lovely Quote

A beautiful postcard from one of the slightly smaller country - Monaco, a tiny independent city-state on France’s Mediterranean coastline known for its upscale casinos, yacht-lined harbour and prestigious Grand Prix motor race, which runs through Monaco’s streets once a year.

Monte Carlo is host to most of the Circuit de Monaco, on which the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix takes place. It also hosts world championship boxing bouts. Monte Carlo is one of Europe's leading tourist resorts. 

Two stamps have been used on the postcard for postage:-

• The first stamp on left side was issued in 2010 to commemorate "Larvotto Marine Reserve". It has a very small denomination of 0.02 €. The stamp design shows Pinna Nobilis, common name for the noble pen shell or fan mussel. It is a large species of Mediterranean clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pinnidae, the pen shells. It reaches up to 120 cm of shell length. 
• The stamp on the right side was issued at the eve of "Youth Olympics - Lillehammer, Norway" in 2016. Norway Flag is also shown on the stamp along with players taking part in Skiing, Figure Skating and Bobsleigh. The event took place from 12-21 February 2016. The stamp is of 1.25 € denomination. 

The quote written on the back side of the postcard:
"Be careful what you wish for, 'cause you just might get it!" ~~~ Quite a true quote in fact ;-)

My Favourite Postcard - Pakistan Flag Card from United Nations Headquarters in New York

Today I am sharing one of my favourite and most-beloved postcards from my collection.
The postcard shows the National Flag of "Pakistan" - The Most Beautiful Country in the World!

The country name is written twice on the front bottom of the card ... with the United Nations emblem in the centre.
In fact the postcard has been bought from the United Nations Headquarters Souvenir Shop in New York by a very dear friend Nan on my special request.

Three beautiful stamps are pasted at the back for posting ... with the United Nations postmarks on them. The three stamps feature the following UNESCO World Heritage Site Stamps:-

• Ayutthaya, Thailand - 2015
• The Great Wall, China - 2013
• Lednice-Valtice, Czech Republic - 2016

Indeed a beauty to have it in my collection!

May Allah Almighty bless Pakistan with ultimate peace and prosperity! Aameen!

Sri Lanka: Dambulla Cave Temple

Received this beautiful multi-view card from Sri Lanka some time ago. Dambulla Cave Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also known as "The Golden Temple of Dambulla"!

 You can see some interesting details about the Dambulla Cave Complex by visiting the link here.

Three gorgeous stamps have been used on the postcard. Sri Lanka has improved it's stamp designs in the last few years a lot. I really like the scouting stamp at the right-most position. It's extremely proportionate and lovely design.

• The right most stamp was issued in 2016 at the eve of "World and Sri Lanka Cub Scouts Centenary 1916-2016" and was of 10 Sri Lankan Rupees denomination.

• The stamp in the center is a part of a set of 10 stamps issued on Solar System in 2014 and shows the Sun. Denomination is 7 Sri Lankan Rupees. It was the cheapest stamp in the set.

• The Greater Flamingos stamp on the left side is a part of 4-stamp set issued by Sri Lanka on World Wetland Day and the birds are shown in Chundikulam National Park.

Northern Cyprus Postcard with an awesome EURO 2016 Stamp

Northern Cyprus is one of the harder countries to find in the world of postcards.
Northern Cyprus is the Turkish part of the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, divided between Turkey and Greece since the late–20th century. The beautiful island is famous for it's serene beaches, majestic Byzantine castles and ancient ruins. The capital city, Nicosia (Lefkoşa), has an old town enclosed by Venetian walls. Its Gothic Selimiye Mosque was once a cathedral, and Buyuk Han is a 16th-century Ottoman caravanserai (inn) turned arts center.

The photo featured on the postcard shows a view of  Kyrenia Harbour. Kyrenia Harbour is a small harbour but a charming, fascinating place, to find the calm ambience, soothing atmosphere, beautiful views and stunning surroundings. The harbour is filled with yachts and boats, and the landscape is somewhat dominated by the fascinating Kyrenia Castle.

The stamp used on the postcard was a part of a set of 2 stamps issued on the occasion of EURO 2016 Football Cup. EURO 2016 was held in France from 10 June - 10 July 2016 and Portugal won the tournament.

Uganda - Murchinson Falls

Another one of the postcards posted last year by me to my dad, while I was travelling through Uganda. Murchinson Falls is number 3 on the list of top 10 scenic places of Uganda.
I bought this postcard from a shopping mall in Kampala along with many others.

Murchinson Falls National Park is about 300 kms NW of Kampala. Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda's largest national park. It measures approximately 3,840 square kilometres (1,480 sq mi). Together with the adjacent Bugungu Wildlife Reserve and the Karuma Wildlife Reserve, the park is part of the 5,308 square kilometres (2,049 sq mi) Murchison Falls Conservation Area (MFCA).
In Murchison there are four of the "Big Five". Cape buffalo, elephants, lions, leopard are best to be seen in the northern part (above the Nile). Due to excessive hunting and poaching, rhinos became extinct by 1983, but were re-introduced into Uganda in 2005 by Rhino Fund Uganda. White rhinoceros are now being bred again in the 7,000 hectares (27 sq mi) Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which is located 70 kilometres (43 mi), south of the park. Their mission is to reintroduce small herds of rhinos (around five at a time), whilst retaining a nucleus breeding herd in the sanctuary. MFCA and adjacent Bugondo Forest reserve contain 76 Species of mammals as well as Uganda's largest population of Nile crocodile.
You can see the official website of the park here.

The stamp used was issued in honour of Ugandan athlete Stephen Kiprotich, who won a Gold Medal at Men's Marathon in London 2012 Olympic Games.

Switzerland - Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Having received a previous postcard of Disney's Princess Snow White from Russia before, today I am sharing another postcard of Snow White posted from Switzerland by Alexia. This beautiful postcard was sent as an official Postcrossing postcard and was a lovely surprise. My kids really loved the princess and the cute dwarfs.

The postcard was sent using a stamp showing a bird - Red Kite (Milvus milvus). It is one of the stamps from a set of two stamps issued by Helvetia in 2009.

Thanks a lot Alexie for this hand-picked postcard.

Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Zayed Mosque - One of the largest Mosques in the World

WoW! What an elegant and grandeur mosque it is! I bought this postcard during my trip to Dubai and wrote it for posting to my kids. I even bought the stamps and pasted them on the postcard but due to a small change in my flight plan, I could not post it and brought it to my kids in my back pack!
Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is the 3rd largest mosque in the World

The construction of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was started by the late president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who wanted to establish a structure which unites the cultural diversity of Islamic world, the historical and modern values of architecture and art. His final resting place is located on the grounds beside the same mosque. 

The mosque was constructed from 1996 to 2007. It is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates. The building complex measures approximately 290 m (960 ft) by 420 m (1,380 ft), covering an area of more than 12 hectares (30 acres), exclusive of exterior landscaping and vehicle parking.

As the country's grand mosque, it is the key place of worship for Friday gathering and Eid prayers. During Eid it can be visited by more than 40,000 people.

I bought the above stamps from a post office close to Meena Bazaar in Dubai. The stamps were issued on the occasion of 40th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Union Supreme Court in 2014. Each stamp costed 1AED (Emirati Dirham). The complete set consisted of 4 stamps - in green, white, black and red colours.

DR Congo: A Real-Posted Postcard from Democratic Republic of Congo - A Jewel in My Collection

Finally I managed to take a short trip to Kinshasa - the Capital city of Democratic Republic of Congo. Dozens of friends had requested me to send a postcard or a cover from DR Congo but I could not send many because of very expensive postcards and enormously costly postage. In fact I could manage to send only two postcard - one to myself and the other one to a friend in Caribbean.

I bought this beautiful postcard from a book shop near 30th June Avenue or Independence Avenue. The postcard costed me US$5 each. The back of the postcard reads "Bonobos,  espèce endemique de RD Congo protégé par la loi" in French language meaning "Bonobos, DR Congo endemic species protected by law". The bonobos are found in a 500,000 km2 (190,000 sq mi) area of the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa.

The experience in the Post Office was even more strange. The lady at the counter in General Post office in Kinshasa told me that postage for each postcard is US$5 but she didn't have stamps for the same value. Language barrier was pretty difficult to cope with as the lady spoke French only and not a word of English. The only stamps that she had were the two pasted on the postcard. The posted stamps are of 245 Congolese Francs only which turns out to be around US$0.25, so I had to pay US$5.25 for the postage.
After receiving the postcard, I did try to find a postmark or some sign of US$5 that I paid to her but could not find any sign. Any how, it is really a precious jewel to find a real-posted postcard from DR Congo.
I do have some other UNESCO postcards from DR Congo that I brought from there. I shall be posting their scans on the blog in coming days. If you are interested in getting any of them, you can leave a message below with your facebook ID or email contact.
Have fun ..... Happy Collecting!

Petit Seminaire de Mugeri - Postcard # 2 from DR Congo

The second postcard that I found in Bukavu shows "Petit Seminaire de Mugeri". 

For the multi-view postcard from Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, you can click here.

Bukavu - Finally a Postcard from Democratic Republic of Congo

After having lived in Democratic Republic of Congo for almost 7 months, finally I am so glad to have found my first postcard from Democratic Republic of Congo …… Yahoooooo!!!!

The postcard shows multi-views of Bukavu City with a photo of fishermen in Lake Kivu in the center. By the way, this entire area covering DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania is known as the Greater Lakes Region. Lake Kivu is one of the smallest lakes in the region with a surface area of about 28,000 km² (almost the size of Belgium, complete country = 30,278 km²).

I am in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the last 7 months and tried hard to find some postcards. I am in Bukavu, a city in the eastern province South Kivu and about 1500 miles away from the capital city, Kinshasa. Even the large shops do not have any postcards of the country. I am working on a project to collect UNESCO site postcards but I am yet to find a single post card of any of the 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in DR Congo.

Luckily or unluckily, I found these two postcards while roaming in the city at a small stationery shop but the shopkeeper was not willing to depart from them for a small amount. He asked $10 for each postcard, however after a bit (a lot) of bargain I managed to get each postcard for $5 only. I definitely wanted to buy more for swapping but could only purchase one copy of each postcard.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is undoubtedly one of the hardest countries in Postcrossing World to get a postcard from. After being torn by years of violence, a history filled with genocides, mass murders, Armed  Groups and extremely corrupt regimes, DRC remains at the bottom in the list of countries in almost every aspect. DR Congo is blessed with gigantic mineral reserves including gold, copper, uranium, cobalt, coltan, oil, gas and virtually every element present on the periodic table. However this blessing from God Almighty has become a curse for the country and its people. Armed Groups are always fighting with each other for the control of the mines filled with gold, copper and other precious metals. In order to control the people, they use a number of brutal tactics including mass killings, kidnapping, looting and above all rape. DR Congo is known as the “Rape Capital of the World” as the Armed Groups carry out mass rapes to strike fear among the populace.
In order to control the situation, United Nations had to deploy a mission in the country, commonly known by its acronym, MONUSCO. MONUSCO is the largest United Nations Mission in any country of the World with more than 20,000 observers and military personnel deployed. UN managed to control the crimes to a large extent but the country is still marred with numerous challenges.
You must be wondering why it is so hard to find the postcards of DR Congo. UN terms DR Congo among the least developed Nations of the World and it is among the bottom 10 countries of the World in terms of poverty, stability and almost every social indicator. With a life expectancy of around 48 years, people are not much inclined towards hobbies. Instead they are working hard for their daily food.

Do you Want to Get a Postcard from DR Congo?  Because of the huge price, I may not be able to swap these with Postcrosser friends but I can get them for you, if anyone is willing to pay (Remember, I am not a dealer, just a collector :-) ). Postcards will be sent from another country (Probably Pakistan, my home country) inside an envelope or written and stamped (as per your wish), as DR Congo does not have a functional postal system, anywhere other than Kinshasa. You will only pay for the price of postcard + postage cost, without any commission. If you are interested, please leave me a note below in comments section along with your email address.

The 2nd postcard from Democratic Republic of Congo can be seen here.

Taiwan: Taipei 101 - 5th Largest Building in the World

Ni Hao!
This beautiful postcard shows the Capital City of Taiwan, Taipei. It is located in Northern Taiwan.
The tower building shown on the postcard is "Taipei 101".

The back of the card said that Taipei 101 is the 2nd largest building in the World, but a little research through Google Guru told that currently (in July 2014) Taipei 101 is the 5th tallest building on the planet after Burj Khalifa, Shanghai Tower, Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel and One World Trade Center. Height of the Taipei 101 is 1667 feet.
Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. The building was architecturally created as a symbol of the evolution of technology and Asian tradition. Its post-modernist approach to style incorporates traditional design elements and gives them modern treatments. The tower is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. A multi-level shopping mall adjoining the tower houses hundreds of stores, restaurants and clubs.

2 x Beautiful stamps are attached at the back of the postcard by Neho. One of the stamp shows a mushroom named Amanita Rubrovolvata, while the second shows a stag.
Thank you Neho for such a beautiful postcard.
BTW it was an official Postcrossing Postcard.

Origami Planes and White Marble Horse from France

I received this postcard from France and have absolutely no clue about the place.

The postcard was sent by Didier Roux from France.

Two pretty amazing stamps were used on the postcard.

• The top one is a machine stamp showing 3 different paper planes made by Origami. It is an airmail stamp from France (circa 2002). In France, stamp machines (machine which delivers computer stamps) deliver a small bill (size of a stamp) with a origami plane.
• The second stamp shows a beautiful white horse. It is one of the Horses 12v s-a in Booklet. There are two writings on the stamp. After a little research, they are as: "Lettre Verte" meaning "Green Letter" and the second writing says, "Le Boulonnais" meaning "The Boulonnais", which is a breed of horse, also known as "White Marble Horse", and just by the first look at the horse, it is definitely a white marble horse.

Does anyone reading this knows which place is shown on the postcard???

Yakovlev Yak-3 Aircraft from Russian Federation

The amazing postcard from Russian Federation shows a flying Yakovlev Yak-3 Aircraft used by Soviet Air Force in World War II.

Yakovlev Yak-3 (Russian language: Яковлев Як-3) was a World War II Soviet fighter aircraft. Due to it's robustness and easiness to maintain, it was much liked by pilots and ground crew alike. It was one of the smallest and lightest major combat fighters fielded by any combatant during the war, and its high power-to-weight ratio gave it excellent performance. It proved a formidable dog-fighter. Many pilots considered it a superior aircraft to the P-51D Mustang and the Supermarine Spitfire. After the war ended, it flew with the Yugoslav and Polish Air Forces.

Top speed: 655 km/h

Length: 8.50 m

Wingspan: 9.19 m

First flight: 1943

Introduced: 1944

Retired: 1945

The postcard was sent by Victoria from Siberian city Tyumen as an official Postcrossing postcard bearing the ID: RU-1064906 (BTW, she has uploaded a similar but different postcard on the Official Site ;-) )
Four stamps have been used on the postcard along with a puppy sticker for my kids.

• The stamp on the top-right features another beautiful aircraft - Petlyakov Pe-2. It was a Soviet dive bomber aircraft used during World War II. It was regarded as one of the best ground attack aircraft of the war and it was extremely successful in the roles of heavy fighter, reconnaissance and night fighter. The stamp is a part of Aviation 4v set issued in 2011.
• The two stamps at the bottom show a polar bear and it's baby & a horse with it's offspring. These two stamps are part of a beautiful 5 stamp set Wild Life 5v, issued in 2006.
• The stamp on the top-left side shows a wild rabbit and it was issued as a part of a set of 15 definitive animal stamps in 2008.

Thanks a lot Victoria for a lovely postcard and such amazing stamps!